King gets kick out of being the best
Now here’s a tantalizing brew: Marquette King launching his booming, majestic punts in the mile-high altitude of Denver. Will he kick one completely out of the stadium? Or maybe all the way to the moon?
King leads the NFL in punting entering Sunday’s Raiders-Broncos game. His gross average of 53.3 yards puts him three yards ahead of Tennessee’s Brett Kern, and King’s net average of 48.8 yards is more than two yards better than No. 2 Thomas Morstead of New Orleans.
This is a punting rout, in other words.
“I’ve been around some great punters,” kicker Giorgio Tavecchio said of King, “but there are only a couple guys who can hit the ball like he does.”
As always with King, there’s more to the story. He gained notoriety last season when he earned two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, including one memorable infraction for picking up the official’s flag and breaking into a country hoedown dance.
Off the field, King made news in a distinctive way last weekend during his team’s trip to Washington. He posted a photo of himself on Instagram, standing in front of the White House while holding a small, handwritten sign.
This was on Sept. 23, the same day President Trump “withdrew” his invitation to Stephen
Curry and the Warriors and the day after Trump referred to any NFL player who protests during the national anthem as a “son of a bitch.”
Not surprisingly, King’s sign was blunt: “Looks like this ‘son of a bitch’ revoked my invitation too! @StephenCurry30”
As of Friday, the photo had received more than 25,000 “likes.” King, with a lively and provocative social-media feed, has 300,000 followers on Instagram and another 167,000 on Twitter.
“I thought it was funny,” he said of his White House photo. “I didn’t pay attention to the reaction.”
Behind the smiling, goofy punter apparently resides a serious, thoughtful citizen. That’s the take of Raiders special teams coach Brad Seely, who works with King every day.
“He has a strong viewpoint, and I think there’s a lot of merit in what he’s saying,” Seely said, when told about King’s Instagram post (he hadn’t seen it). “He’s got a social conscience, and he understands what’s happening in the world around him.”
It’s nothing new for a kicker or punter to exhibit an offbeat personality. They spend most practices in their own orbit, biding time on the sideline and working on their craft at a pace apart from their teammates.
King, though, seems especially quirky. He wears a perpetual smirk, as if there’s some unseen joke lingering behind the cloudtingling punts. “Quirky is a good way to put it,” Seely said. “The great thing about him is, he’s always happy. He always comes to work with a smile on his face, and he’s always willing to be coached. So as a coach, you like that kind of guy.”
King’s fun-loving personality masks what Tavecchio described as an intense work ethic. King once made a habit of lofting 100 punts in practice, retreating to the weight room to lift and then returning to the practice field for another 100 punts.
King pays attention to detail. Witness the way he meticulously catches tennis balls zooming out of a machine in practice to sharpen his role as Oakland’s holder. His towering punts obviously are difficult to handle; the Jets’ Kalif Raymond and Washington’s Jamison Crowder each muffed one.
King also has dropped seven punts inside the 20-yard line in Oakland’s first three games.
“And he’s only starting to unlock how good he really can be,” Tavecchio said.
Just don’t expect confirmation from King.
“Man, I suck,” he mumbled. “I gotta be the sorriest punter in the league. I’m terrible.”
And off he went, smirk firmly in place. Briefly: Wide receiver Michael Crabtree (chest injury) missed practice Friday and was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. Cornerback Gareon Conley (shin), a limited practice participant, also is questionable. … Cornerback Sean Smith pleaded not guilty Friday to felony assault and battery charges, stemming from a July 4 incident in Pasadena. Smith allegedly beat his sister’s boyfriend, then stomped on his head. Smith is due back in court Nov. 6.