The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Punter like Colquitt is always of great value to the Browns
Britton Colquitt
POSITION » Punter HEIGHT, WEIGHT » 6-foot-2, 205 BIRTHDATE » March 20, 1985 YEARS PRO » Eighth season COLLEGE » Tennessee RANKING » 21st of 25 COLQUITT’S BACKGROUND » Talk about going from the penthouse to the projects – Britton Colquitt was Denver’s punter when the Broncos won the Super Bowl after the 2015 season. He was cut on Aug. 30 last summer because of salary-cap reasons.
Five days later, he signed with the Browns, who went 3-13 while Peyton Manning was finishing up his amazing career and helping Colquitt earn that Super Bowl ring.
“We fell in love with it out here,” Colquitt told reporters in Denver after being cut. “We have a great home, amazing church. When we came out here, Nicki and I weren’t married and now we have three kids. It’s a lot more than football. The Broncos organization has been amazing,” Colquitt said. “Hard to believe it’s over. It’s sad, but we’re thankful for the opportunity.”
Colquitt did not take long to find a new home with the Browns.
He signed a four-year contract extension in February and said, “I’m thrilled. We love the organization and the fans . ... The Browns are a class act.”
The Colquitts are a punting family, like generations of trapeze artists performing in the same circus. Britton’s father, Craig Colquitt, earned two Super Bowl rings as punter for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1978 to 1987. His brother, Dustin Colquitt, punts for the Kansas City Chiefs. His cousin, Jimmy Colquitt, punted briefly for the Seattle Seahawks in 1985.
Britton is not a family name, as one might suppose. Colquitt said his parents named him after television journalist Brit Hume after watching Hume on the ABC news show “Nightline” in the 1980s. WHY COLQUITT IS RANKED 21ST » The punter for the Browns is always busy. That makes Colquitt more valuable than some position starters. 2016 RECAP » Colquitt averaged 45.3 yards a punt on 83 punts last season. That ranked 18th in the league, but a closer look at the numbers shows more. Colquitt nailed 22 punts inside the 20 and yet only two punts resulted in touchbacks. The only other one to punt 50 or more times and have two or fewer touchbacks was Johnny Hekker of the Rams. WHY COLQUITT IS IMPORTANT IN 2017 » Colquitt not only is the Browns punter, he also holds on place kicks. Holder is an under-appreciated task in bad weather, but Colquitt has sure hands and doesn’t bobble the ball snapped to him from Charley Hughlett. PREDICTION FOR 2017 » Colquitt no doubt will be busy again as the Browns offense tries to establish itself, but he might not be quite as busy as last season when he punted on average more than five times a game
A punter with Colquitt’s accuracy can be a defensive weapon. Placing the ball inside the 10 without it rolling into the end zone is an art, and Colquitt is master at it.