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Eagles notebook: The art behind the wacky world of punting originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Cooper DeJean started moving his hands wildly as he methodically went through all the different ways a punted ball can spin.
“It can spin this way. It can spin that way. It can go end over end, it can do the opposite… ”
There are a ton of different ways the ball can spin and NFL punters are really good at making it difficult to field punts. So it’s imperative that the Eagles’ punt returners get a chance to practice with all those weird spins.
That’s where Braden Mann comes in.
“When we get our punts in, he’s able to hit some of these weird balls from around the league, and they’re just getting more acclimated to it,” special teams coordinator Michael Clay said. “Kind of hones everybody in that we have to be on our Ps and Qs when it comes to fielding the ball.”
Mann said there are bout seven different punts the Eagles use. Some of those punts he’ll use in games and others he uses just to get the Eagles’ returners ready for the opponent. During a week of practice, some days are geared toward the punting operation and others are for the returners. But Mann is always happy to fire off a bunch of consecutive punts without the whole operation.
Those returners will have another tough test on Sunday when they face the Panthers and veteran punter Johnny Hekker, who is known for what’s called the “banana ball,” which features a wild helicopter spin.
Mann said he learned the “banana” punt by simply watching film of Hekker doing it. There’s plenty of risk involved with the punt so the Eagles use it sparingly. Mann said they used it against the Cowboys this year but his first time ever using it in a game was last season.
The Eagles’ punter, coming off an NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award, is appreciative that Clay allows him to try all these different punts in practice. And if he gets good enough at them, they get the green light…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-notebook-art-behind-wacky-120000146.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-12-07 12:00:00
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