HARD TO BLOCK
The rugby kick was quickly embraced because it is harder to block than a punt aimed to the sideline. When directional punters try to place their punts near the sideline at about the 10, they angle their bodies toward the corner. But many teams now leave their starting defense on the field looking for fake punts. That means a starting defensive end is lined up against the wing on the punt team, who may be a running back. It’s a gross mismatch. That forces a punter to kick down the middle of the field, where Westhoff wants it.
Except for Feagles. The ball naturally comes off Feagles’ foot at an angle so when it hits, it kicks to the right — ideal for sending it out of bounds. Feagles also takes some velocity off his leg swing, comparing it to trying to hit a bloop over a second baseman as opposed to swinging for the fences. And to avoid turning into the face of the pass rush, Feagles lines up behind a guard, so that when he angles himself, he is still behind the center — the strength of the protection.
Deception is not part of Feagles’ game — everybody has known for more than two decades that he is trying to kick the ball out of bounds. But he still does it with remarkable success. In the last 10 seasons, only six of his punts have been blocked. In 64 punts last season, he had just five touchbacks and he put the ball inside the 20-yard line 23 times. And, Feagles said, 80 percent of his punts hit outside the numbers on the edges of the field — a lost skill in a new age.
“If the ball is ever in the middle of the field, it’s because I didn’t kick it well,” Feagles said. “And I’m running down there because we’re in trouble.”
RSS