Cole’s real kicks come when he’s holding for Carlson
AJ Cole was selected to the Pro Bowl for the phenomenal season he had for the Raiders as a punter. It’s not his favorite task for the team.
Cole enjoys his role as a holder for placekicker Daniel Carlson, largely for the superior reaction he gets from the fans when he trots on the field to perform the duty.
“Holding is by far my favorite part of the job,” Cole said. “After a touchdown, everyone is excited and cheering. People are high-fiving and there’s cannons going off. The fans are screaming and you get to go out there and you get to run on the field and hold the kick and high-five everybody. That’s awesome.”
When Cole is sent out to punt, it means the offense has failed and the other team is going to take over possession.
“Nobody is high-fiving, that’s for sure,” he said.
Cole, however, made sure the opponents weren’t celebrating their field position very often either.
He averaged 50 yards per attempt, the best in the league of any qualifying punter. It was the eighth best season since the statistic became official in 1939.
Cole was also sixth in net average at 42.5 and fifth in the league with 28 punts inside the 20-yard line.
It was a tremendous season by any measure, but particularly impressive considering Cole was an underdog to even make the roster just three years ago when he signed with the Raiders as an undrafted rookie after four standout seasons at North Carolina State.
“It’s crazy,” Cole said.
“It’s definitely not something five or whatever years ago I thought I’d be here, especially having to come to rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. It’s a cool journey and a cool experience. I’m so thankful for everyone who’s helped me along the way.”