Powell kicks 75 yards punts in the air

[Skooby]

I had 2 people call me that said hey his kicks are 75 yards in the air, no one is going beat that straight so why bother.

[BADTHINGSMAN]

That's great and all, but unless he can place the ball inside the 20 and angle a punt out of bounds, 75 yards in the air doesn't mean much. Out kicking your coverage can be dangerous as well.

[Skooby]

That's great and all, but unless he can place the ball inside the 20 and angle a punt out of bounds, 75 yards in the air doesn't mean much. Out kicking your coverage can be dangerous as well.

If we're beyond our 35, a 75 yard punt should end up a touchback.

[Albany,n.y.]

If we're beyond our 35, a 75 yard punt should end up a touchback.

Touchbacks are the goal of kickoffs, not punts.

[gebobs]

If we're beyond our 35
Haha...how often does THAT happen!

[IlluminatusUIUC]

That's not super impressive unless it has hang time. Lots of punters can just go back there and blast the ball as far as they can, but the coverage needs to arrive when the ball does or it can be worse than kicking short. Remember also when you're talking about "75 yards in the air" that the punter starts 10-15 yards behind the LOS.

[Yasgur's Farm]

Don't forget, the first 15 yards gets him back to the LOS... That knocks it down to 60 yrads which is more realistic.

[Night Train]

He didn't punt well at all Friday. I'd still be looking at Vets, just in case.

Cutting Moorman was a mistake but Marrone didn't do that. He can correct it.

[MTBillsFan]

He had a whopper of 19 whole yards! Please bring back Moorman!

[GvilleBills]

Tough, tough night for Powell. Has a monster leg, but his inconsistencies may kill us.

[Skooby]

A child could of punted better.

[gebobs]

Tough, tough night for Powell. Has a monster leg, but his inconsistencies may kill us.

OK, let's not tear him apart just yet. I didn't see the game yet, but he did have a pair of 49 yarders and a 38 yarder which should have been downed at the 1. Then he had a 57 yarder with the Bills LOS at their own 2 followed by 42 yarder downed inside the 20 and a 50 yarder.

Every one shanks one once in a while, even the great Brian Moorman. Let's be thankful it's preseason and the Vikings didn't make any hay on it.

Powell's going to be good. Give him time. The Bills aren't going anywhere this year. Why fret about the punter?

[jamze132]

Touchbacks are the goal of kickoffs, not punts.

But if you're punting the ball from inside your own 30 and can get a touchback, you take it. You definitely won't get it to stay inside the 20 since your entire team will never get 60 yards downfield before the ball arrives at the punt catcher, who will then have a second or two think about which way he wants to run, which in turn will most definitely be past the 20.

[Skooby]

But if you're punting the ball from inside your own 30 and can get a touchback, you take it. You definitely won't get it to stay inside the 20 since your entire team will never get 60 yards downfield before the ball arrives at the punt catcher, who will then have a second or two think about which way he wants to run, which in turn will most definitely be past the 20.

Bingo.

[WagonCircler]

That's not super impressive unless it has hang time. Lots of punters can just go back there and blast the ball as far as they can, but the coverage needs to arrive when the ball does or it can be worse than kicking short. Remember also when you're talking about "75 yards in the air" that the punter starts 10-15 yards behind the LOS.

Yeah, but if he can learn to angle them so they go max distance and out of bounds, 75 yards in the air is extremely useful.

It's like the QBs who can "make all the throws." That term refers to guys who can put it on a diagonal line on the out patterns. Sure, a football field is 100 yards on the y-axis, but punts don't usually go straight up the middle.

So if he can punt from his own 35 and put the ball out of bounds on a diagonal, with no return, the hang time doesn't matter so much.

Plus, if he's punting the ball 75 yards in the air, physics would dictate that he's got some hang time on it. There's no way a punt goes that far on a bee-line. There's just not enough torque on it, coming off a foot. Even the best passers with the strongest arms in the league have to put some air under the ball. Same goes for punters.

I think this kid is going to be better than Moorman, eventually. He just needs to get more consistent.

[Historian]

The problem with Buffalo is the wind.

By the time a kicker or a punter gets used to the winds at the Ralph (some of which begin in mid-October) their leg strength is gone.

[Meathead]

i am a powellite

kick that ball hayseed joe

[WagonCircler]

The problem with Buffalo is the wind.

By the time a kicker or a punter gets used to the winds at the Ralph (some of which begin in mid-October) their leg strength is gone.

True, but we've had some pretty good punters here.