I know that quite a few Tiger fans hate it, but I thought it set up quite nicely for the fake punt against UT. I would love to read your opinions...
I agree it worked good for the fake. I don't think it was worth the sacrifice of every other punt this year though.
I can't remember off the top of my head whether we've had any blocks this year but we've sure had some close calls. It doesn't seem like a good idea to put thre guys so far back because when the other guys are coming they've got a running start at our guys who are just standing there. When they collide the blockers are pushed back while Jackson is stepping forward for the punt and it makes it a little too close for comfort sometimes. Yes, it looked great for the fake but obviously you can't just trot out that formation only when you're going to fake it (That was a great call by Miles by the way, I was pissed as all get out that we weren't going for it... then I got down on my knees and hailed the call a few seconds later). Maybe they can modify it slightly so it doesn't risk a block as easily. Maybe bring the three backs a yard or two closer to the line of scrimmage? At this point in the season I don't think they should be trying a totally "new" formation for themselves, afterall it took us how many weeks before we got this one down to where we're not getting a flag? That was infuriating how many times we were flagged.
I think pharpe, like me and many others, thinks the new punt formation is what has made Chris Jackson's average punt drop dramatically this year. He doesn't look comfortable back there and many people think that is why he isn't kicking as well. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes to mind.
Not really. People just aren't used to seeing three rushers in the backfield, but there are three blockers back there too. Just because a guy runs past the punter doesn't mean he's anywhere close to blocking it. He's just been pushed outside the play. And if the defense doesn't rush the punter, but drops back to block for the punt returner, the three blocking backs can sprint directly downfield without being entangled by a lineman or down on the ground. They offer pass protection on a fake punt pass and they offer run blocking on a fake punt run. Fans have to get used to seeing something new from time to time. That is what makes a team innovative and not conservative. This new formation is not a bad one just because its scary to some fans. Jackson is kicking further than ever. Only one has been blocked. My main concern about punting so far is that we are still allowing too much return yardage from the opponent's punt return guys. We need to get some aggressive tacklers on that punting team.
Yes, but what about all the illegal formation penalties it tends to draw. You rarely saw that with the old punt formation...
I think that formation was designed to set up fake punts... it gets the defense being over-agressive coming off the line and opens up some serious holes... I still don't like it...
Couldn't resist since this can was reopened this week. :wink: IMO, the reason we aren't covering punts very well is because the formation allows rushers to get deep into the backfield and near the punter. This results in CJ rushing his kick and not getting the kind of hang time that we saw last year. Without the hang time, the coverage team can't get down the field fast enough, thus yielding the return yardage. Lets do the math...A 40-yd punt (we average 40.4, Link) with 4 seconds of hang time, and gunners who run 4.4-40s. Since the gunners get off before the punt, they should be down there about the time the punt gets to the returner. However, when there is only 3 sec hangtime, the coverage team can't get down fast enough, and this contributes to the signficant 8.5 yard difference between the gross and net punting average. Its not the only reason, but definitely a contributing reason. One thing that I feel supports my argument was that when we were backed up in our endzone and switched to the tight formation, CJ got off a booming punt with major hang time, and the resulting coverage was excellent. The end-over-end soccer garbage only works if the ball hits the ground; it generally, appears to be ineffective when the punt is fielded (Just my observation).
