Saints punter getting used to sitting on the sidelines
New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead isn’t about to complain about what could be a record lack of opportunities to perform this season. He’s having fun watching from the sidelines as Drew Brees and Co. threaten to score the most points in a season in NFL history.
Morstead says the main challenge is staying sharp and ready.
And because he serves as his own agent, he’s also keenly aware he’s getting paid more per punt, which only increases pressure to strike the ball with the right power and precision whenever New Orleans does need him to come through.
“You sharpen your sword by continually being tested, and when you don’t get opportunities to get tested, it’s hard to keep your sword sharp,” says Morstead, who has punted just 24 times in 11 games.
The record for fewest punts by a team in a season is 34 by the 1990 Houston Oilers, known for their prolific run-and-shoot offence.
Morstead calls punting so infrequently “a major challenge.”
“I’m just always staying ready, being patient,” Morstead says.
“I’m not rooting to punt a lot. It’s good that we’re scoring and it’s been a lot of fun to be a part of this team.”
This off-season, Morstead signed a five-year extension worth about US$20 million, with $9 million guaranteed.
If he plays out the entire contract, it’ll average about $4 million per season. So if the Saints wind up punting a recordlow 33 times, he’ll have been paid about $121,000 per punt this season.
For the first time in his career, Morstead has gone two entire games in the same season without punting.
The first instance was against Washington in Week 5, when Morstead’s personal kicking coach, Jamie Kohl, travelled to New Orleans from Iowa to see the game.
Twice this season, Morstead has “lost” punting opportunities when third-string quarterback Taysom Hill, a regular on special teams, converted fakes.
In his previous nine NFL seasons combined, Morstead went a total of three games without punting.
Last Sunday against Philadelphia, he had not punted in the equivalent of more than six quarters when he nailed a 50-yarder that landed on the sideline for no return in the middle of the second quarter. His only other punt covered 49 yards and the Eagles lost two yards on the return, so Morstead finished with an elite 50.5-yard net punting average for the game.
“We give him a hard time,” head coach Sean Payton says of the good-natured ribbing Morstead sometimes gets for his lack of action.
“I will say this: last week (against the Eagles), he hit two that were huge.”