Quarterback Punters

[OL FU]

FU QB Martin is also a punter. He punted last year on fourth and short and third and long with quick kicks and was rather successful. FU just posted the revised 2005 roster and it looks like Ingle is our punter.

The good thing about that is obvious. We have an offensive threat in punt formation. However, it puts your QB in a very vulnerable spot 4-6 times during the game.

What do you think?

[ChickenMan]

Rich Gannon was a decent kicker and punted during one of his three seasons at QB for UD... he was able to avoid injury... but I agree that having your starting QB... punt or even hold for PK... is a risk that should be avoided.

[DaGriz]

Lulay is the Bobcats QB/Punter. His deep threat last year was his foot. :D He's actually pretty dangerous when he is back there because he is pretty fast too so there is a number of things he can do when he lines up to punt.

[Eagle_77]

I agree that it could cause injury but it can be a very useful tool as well. Ingle punting is what I consider the biggest factor of taking GSU out of their game plan and changing the tempo of the game last year. Because of the double threat of kicking or going for it he was able to pin us inside the 10 for most of the first half. When you are that close to the goal line to start you are more conservative than usual and change your game plan. For that reason I would say that Ingle won the game for Furman last year because we were not able to get off to the quick start that we were use to.

[OL FU]

I agree that it could cause injury but it can be a very useful tool as well. Ingle punting is what I consider the biggest factor of taking GSU out of their game plan and changing the tempo of the game last year. Because of the double threat of kicking or going for it he was able to pin us inside the 10 for most of the first half. When you are that close to the goal line to start you are more conservative than usual and change your game plan. For that reason I would say that Ingle won the game for Furman last year because we were not able to get off to the quick start that we were use to.

I agree. I am not too concerned about the quick kicks from the shotgun. No matter who the punter might have been for 2005, the quick kicks by Martin would have been part of the game plan. Ingle was not the long punter last year.

My concern is punting for distance in the punt formation instead of for placement. I also realizethat the long punt formation, provides the opportunity for him to run forward or to the sideline and flip a short one over the defensive line.

[Eagle_77]

I agree that it is a great risk if you have not crossed the 50 because the likely hood of going for it is slim and teams can line up in normal return formation. He becomes a defender after the kick so the other team will search him out after the kick that I can promise you. Because of this it puts him in more danger than the average punter.

[blueballs]

Coach Sewak told several of us, including Baldy and EG2, that he loves QB's as a punter because having a heady player who is a threat opens up so many things and is nice when something goes wrong. When Furman had a fake punt for a big play two years ago Sewak just loved it, even though it went for a big play against him. Sewak had talked of making Trey Hunter the punter for that very reason a couple of years ago but it never worked out.

[pete4256]

Is Bo Moore still at FU?

He and Martin together made sure you accounted for their feet and arms last year.

It sure didn't help GSU any.

[youwouldno]

Moore graduated. I think some of the concern regarding injury risk is mitigated by the fact we should have a superb offense. In games where we build a solid lead, I imagine Martin will stop punting. The backup punter is also a QB, Arthur Williams.

[Mr. C]

Travis Lulay is such a good punter that he could receive All-American consideration this year. He was ninth in I-AA last year, averaging 42.2 yards per punt. Ingle Martin was the punter for Florida before he came to Furman, so obviously, he has a great leg. Both of these guys are wonderful athletes.

I think that quarterback Adrian Rodgers of Wofford also did some of the Terriers' punting before he was injured in the App State game. He swapped playing time with Jeff Zolman at QB.

Injuries can happen at any time on a football field. I think it is a lame excuse not to use a player who can help a team win by using the potential of injury as a reason. Probably the most sure-handed, accurate place holder of all-time in many football experts' minds was Hall-of-Fame QB Sonny Jurgensen. And with a threat like that, you always have that option of a fake kick. Jurgensen was still place holding in the final year of his career.

[Eagle_77]

Travis Lulay is such a good punter that he could receive All-American consideration this year. He was ninth in I-AA last year, averaging 42.2 yards per punt. Ingle Martin was the punter for Florida before he came to Furman, so obviously, he has a great leg. Both of these guys are wonderful athletes.

I think that quarterback Adrian Rodgers of Wofford also did some of the Terriers' punting before he was injured in the App State game. He swapped playing time with Jeff Zolman at QB.

Injuries can happen at any time on a football field. I think it is a lame excuse not to use a player who can help a team win by using the potential of injury as a reason. Probably the most sure-handed, accurate place holder of all-time in many football experts' minds was Hall-of-Fame QB Sonny Jurgensen. And with a threat like that, you always have that option of a fake kick. Jurgensen was still place holding in the final year of his career.

Yes but place holding is a whole different story than punting. If I am not mistaken then any contact with the hold is a penalty except if the kick is blocked which is a rarity compared to the amount of times a punter is live game. With your star athlete kicking wouldn’t you think that teams would target him in this time of vulnerability? Because of his worth to the team and possibly the outcome of the game he is way more likely to be targeted then a normal punter.

[catbob]

I like having the QB as a punter in certain situations. If you are pinned pretty deep, then you should have a punter with a cannon for a leg to boot it out of there.

Also, you didn't mention what style your QB punts with. Lulay uses a rolling punt and line drives it down field end over end making it rather tricky to catch. It works swimmingly on turf, I remember he kicked a 70 yard punt against ISU.

My favorite part is definately the ability to fake. He threw a 38 yard TD pass on a fake punt vs the Griz last year. He threw a fake to Roger Cooper earlier in the year (our LB) that went for a first down and much more.

But when he doesn't get a good punt off, it's bad... and field position is everything.

[DaGriz]

My favorite part is definately the ability to fake. He threw a 38 yard TD pass on a fake punt vs the Griz last year.

That play sucked. I was in that corner of the endzone. One of the best passes I have ever seen. He dropped it on a dime for the touchdown.


But when he doesn't get a good punt off, it's bad...

As in, didn't he have a couple blocked against Colorado St?

[ngineer]

Lehigh used Keating for four years--two while he was the starting QB. Didn't really use the fake too much, though they didn't have to. It certainly brings an unsettling element to the defense knowing the threat to pass is there.
This year, Lehigh could use back up QB Sedale Threatt (son of the former Philadelphia 76er) who can also run extremely well, besides punting. Assuming Borda doesn't get hurt this year, you might see a more run & gun offense next year if he takes the controls.