Pats’ Bailey among NFL’s top punters
There’s a case to be made Patriots punter Jake Bailey is one of the best, if not the best, punter in the NFL.
Pats captain Matthew Slater delivered the opening statement for that argument last week.
“I think Jake is as good as a punter as there is in the National Football League with some of the things he’s able to do,” Slater said after the Patriots’ loss at the Rams. “Obviously his leg strength and hang time give us a huge boost when you talk about flipping the field. I thought he did that as well tonight as he’s done all year long. He’s been so consistent for us.”
This season, Bailey ranks fourth in yards per punt at 48.8 and first in percentage of punts dropped inside opponents’ 20-yard line among players who have started at least 11 games. Against the Rams, Bailey drilled a perfect punt that ultimately rolled to cover 71 yards, the secondlongest
in the NFL this season. Like that punt, part of Bailey’s elite standing is a credit to his teammates’ coverage, and the Pats do boast one of the best gunner tandems in the league, with Slater and fellow Pro Bowler Justin Bethel.
Slater, the Patriots’ longesttenured player who’s seen hundreds of punters over his career, recognizes individual greatness when he sees it. So naturally, his praise hit home for Bailey.
“It means a lot. Slate’s a good friend and a great teammate, probably the best to ever do it,” Bailey said Monday. “That’s a really, really nice thing to hear, and just motivation to keep doing well for the rest of the season and on.”
In the past, Bailey has ascribed his growing success to greater consistency. According to the stat sheet, he should credit better leg strength, too. Compared to his 2019 rookie campaign, Bailey has added four yards to his yards per punt average and two and a half to his kickoff average this season.
His technique is also sharper, more aligned with his childhood idol. Bailey shared Monday he followed Saints punter Thomas Morstead growing up because of his kicking style. The two even met once when Bailey was a prospect running the gauntlet that is the NFL combine.
“It was in the airport after the thing was done, and he came up to me, saw I was eating alone and just came up and said hi, and we had dinner together,” Bailey said. “Really nice guy.”
Morstead, a 12-year veteran, is on the back end his career and trails Bailey in most categories this year. He does have a leg up on the young Patriot in one key area, however: hang time.
According to Pro Football Focus, Bailey is averaging 4.39 seconds of hang time per boot, good for 12th-best among punters who have played at least eight games. Morstead ranks ninth. Though it’s a safe bet the precocious Bailey will soon pass him there, too, and possibly make a Pro Bowl; at which point he will no longer be the best kept secret of the Patriots’ season and instead simply and universally recognized as one of the best punters in the NFL.
“The other thing you appreciate a player like that is his desire to continue to improve,” Slater said. “He’s not satisfied with where he’s at. He always wants to get better.”
Rotating QB question
Patriots quarterback Cam Newton has been benched twice this season.
Most recently, Newton was pulled from the Pats’ 24-3 loss at the Rams, his second poor outing in three games, showings that sandwiched a 69yard passing performance against the Chargers. Secondyear backup Jarrett Stidham led three drives through the end of the night, none resulting in points. He finished 5-of-7 for 27 yards and took two sacks.
So looking ahead, given Newton’s struggles and the team’s fading playoff hopes, would the Patriots consider playing both Newton and
Stidham?
“That’s not where we are right now,” coach BillBelichick told WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni & Fauria.” “We’re not there now.”
When pressed by WEEI cohost Christian Fauria about the idea, Belichick backed off his initial response.
“I mean, it’s a hypothetical question, Christian,” he said. “I have no idea.”
On the season, Newton has completed 66.1% of his passes for 2,172 yards, five touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His 78.9 passer rating is the second-lowest of his career among seasons when he started at least three games. He’s also rushed for 451 yards and 11 touchdowns.
For his career, Stidham is 20-of-37 for 226 yards, two touchdowns and four picks. He’s rushed nine times for five yards.
Pats eye path math
In this sense, the Patriots are no different than their fans.
They’ve got their eyes on the AFC playoff picture.
“We’re very aware of what’s going on in the football world,” defensive end Deatrich Wise said Monday. “We definitely know who needs to do what and what. But we can’t focus on that because we’re not them, and we’re not in their team locker room. We should just continue doing what we need to do about winning games and trying to improve every week.”
At 6-7, the Patriots must win all three of their remaining games and receive immense outside help to have a shot at the playoffs. For the most part, they need the Dolphins (8-5), Raiders (7-6) and Ravens to sink to their level in the standings, all teams with whom they own a head-to-head tiebreaker. Baltimore played at Cleveland on Monday.
The Pats will play at Miami at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
“Miami is the only team we have to worry about right now,” cornerback Stephon Gilmore said. “We’re not holding our heads down. We know we got a good football team. We know it’s a couple plays here and there. We just have to do it.”