Special Teams blog

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Rams game. There wasn't a lot.

Cameron Johnston only punted twice. He averaged about 55.0 yards and 4.57 hangtime. One of the punts had at least 4.5 second hangtime. Neither punt was hit outside the numbers on the field. Johnny Hekker also only punted twice for the Rams. He averaged about 40.0 yards and 4.26 hangtime. Neither had 4.5 hangtime. One was hit outside the numbers while the other was not. Statistical edge goes to Johnston, putting him at 2-0 on the season in his theoretical battle with the opposition.

On the season, the Eagles are averaging about 53.3 yards and 4.68 hangtime with 71% in the air for at least 4.5 seconds and 29% hit outside the numbers. Opponents are averaging about 46.3 yards and 4.72 hangtime with 70% at 4.5 seconds or better and 30% outside the numbers. Still a small sample, but the Eagles are doing better.

The Rams were quicker with their punt mechanics than the Eagles were. In fact, on the Eagles first punt, there was a problem. Lovato's snap was high and a bit off the mark, causing Johnston to have to adjust and actually rotate the ball before punting it. They were really slow on that one. Around 2.3 seconds, which is about .3 seconds off the norm.

Jake Elliott kicked off five times but two of them were low line drives, possibly intentionally. His three real long distance kickoffs averaged about 73.3 yards and 4.09 hangtime. Samuel Sloman kicked off seven times (way too many!) with an average of about 68.0 yards and 4.15 seconds. On the season, the Eagles (Elliott) are averaging about 73.7 yards and 4.24 hangtime while opponents are averaging about 68.5 yards and 4.04 hangtime. So five more yards and more height for the Eagles. Good.

Elliott made 2-of-2 field goals from distances with an expectancy of about 1.73. On the season, he's made 3 of 4 from distances where he would be expected to make about 3.12. So he's a negative .12 on the season, meaning he's provided about .36 fewer points than expected. It's still early yet, of course. Elliott's Elo rating improved slightly to 2261, which ranks thirteenth in the league. The league standard is 2200. The league average is 2243. The rating of "Eagles Opponents" is now at 2250, which would rank seventeenth. The Top Five kickers after two weeks are Tucker (2420), Lambo (2366), Butker (2328), Gould (2315), and Lutz (2315). The Bottom Five kickers are Succop (2183), Ficken (2169), Bass (2165), Santos (2157), and Folk (2148).

Other stuff:

* Samuel Sloman looks to me like a "low kicker". He doesn't elevate the ball as quickly as you'd like. I have a hunch -- a prediction really -- that he won't last more than three years in the league. I always thought Stephen Haushka was a bit of a low kicker too, and he lasted. So I guess there can be some longevity there. But I doubt it.

* Rudy Ford made a tackle on a kickoff. He's always around the ball on special teams play. He offers value to the team that most fans don't appreciate.

* T.J. Edwards forced a fumble on a punt return that was recovered by K'Von Wallace.

* Boston Scott looked pretty good on kickoff returns. He had one pretty long on that was negated by a penalty on Alex Singleton.

* Hassan Ridgeway blocked a Rams extra point. (See...Sloman's low kicking can cause problems. Just watch. This will happen again to the Rams. You'll see.)

* Jake Elliott hit the upright on one of his extra points, but it at least went through.

We're still going to be a good team, people. 

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Week 3 against the Bengals.

Cameron Johnston punted six times for the Eagles. He averaged about 47.7 yards and 4.54 hangtime. Only one was hit to the numbers. Three had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. Kevin Huber punted seven times for the Bengals. He averaged about 44.0 yards and 4.47 hangtime, with four hit to the numbers on the field and two with a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. The better statistical day goes to Johnston, putting him at 3-0 on the season.

Through three games, the Eagles are averaging 50.7 yards and 4.62 hangtime with 62% in the air for at least 4.5 seconds and 23% hit outside the numbers. Opponents are averaging about 45.4 yards and 4.62 hangtime, with 53% in the air for at least 4.5 seconds and 41% hit outside the numbers. Massively in favor of the Eagles.

The Eagles were quicker with their snap to toe times than the Bengals. In fact, the Bengals were actually kinda slow compared to most teams. I'm not sure their snapper is all that good. 

Jake Elliott kicked off seven times, but only five of them were legit deep kickoffs. His average on those was 70.4 yard and 3.90 hangtime. Randy Bullock kicked off six times, but only four of them were legit. Another was hit out of bounds and the other was a squib. His average on those four was 72.3 yards and 3.93 hangtime. Slightly better for the Bengals.

On the season, the Eagles are averaging 72.3 yards and 4.10 hangtime on their real kickoffs while opponents are averaging about 69.4 yards and 4.01 hangtime. Significant edge for the Eagles.

On place kicks, the Eagles were a bit faster than the Bengals were. Mid 1.2s from snap to foot compared to low to mid 1.3s for the Bengals.

Elliott made 3-of-3 field goal attempts from distances where the expected value would be about 2.24. On the season, he's now 6-of-7 from distances with an expected value of about 5.36. So he's plus .64, which means he's earned the Eagles about 1.92 points above expectation. His Elo rating improved to 2275, which now ranks 12th in the league. The rating of Eagles Opponents improved to 2259, which would rank 15th in the league. The current league average is 2244. (It was a good kicking week, by the way.) The Top Five kickers after Week 3 are Tucker (2421), Lambo (2366), Lutz (2322), Gano (2310), and Gould (2308). Lambo is currently on IR. The Bottom Five kickers are Sloman (2174), Ficken (2169), Bass (2165), Folk (2155), and Santos (2145).

Other stuff:

* The Eagles used DeSean Jackson for the first time as a punt returner this year. He didn't get to the return the ball, however. Just a fair catch.

* Duke Riley made a nice tackle on a kickoff.

* I didn't care for the pooch kickoff with twelve seconds left in the half. They gave the Bengals good field position there and enough time to get off a couple of plays that could have put them in scoring range. 

* Marcus Epps made a nice tackle on a kickoff.

* The tying PAT with 21 seconds left was a little too close for comfort. I was actually surprised they didn't go for a 2-point attempt there. They were in that same situation four years ago against the Ravens and went to the win, which was unsuccessful. I'm not complaining about the decision. But I was surprised by it.

* On the first Bengals punt of overtime, Greg Ward could have fair caught the ball at the fifteen. Instead he let it bounce and then hurriedly picked it up on a bounce. That looked a bit risky there. Ultimately he ended up costing the Eagles about four yards of field position. In a "whoever scores next wins" scenario, it's a battle of field position. Those yards could have come in handy later, that's for sure. Hidden yardage!!!

* Does anyone really think Greg Ward has been a better punt returner than Reno Mahe was? 

* Has anyone seen Davion Taylor on special teams? For a guy taken as high as he was because he's such a great athlete who can run like heck, you'd think he'd be involved. Yet I never see him, let alone see him make plays.

* Matt Pryor's false start cost the Eagles five yards and removed the chance of a 59 yard field goal to win the game in the closing seconds. I think if the Eagles had attempted that kick, they would have been more likely to lose the game than win it. After the miss, they'd have given the Bengals at least two throws to get the ball into field goal range for THEM. I also think punting the ball with seconds left was the right call. "Playing to win" sounds wonderful, but the odds were in the Bengals favor at that point. And a tie might actually be the difference between making the playoffs and not. That was true in '08.

* Johnston's get-off time on the final punt was amazing. He sure wasn't going to allow that one to be blocked.

 

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

49ers game.

Cameron Johnston punted six times. He averaged about 50.2 yards and 4.54 hangtime with three of his punts in the air for at least 4.5 seconds and three of his punts hit to the numbers or wider. Mitch Wishnowsky punted four times for the 49ers. He averaged about 39.0 yards and 4.67 hangtime. All four of his punts had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds and all were hit outside the numbers. The better statistical day goes to Johnston, giving him his fourth "win" in as many games in his theoretical 1-on-1 battle with the opposing punter.

On the season, Johnston is averaging about 50.5 yards and 4.59 seconds with 58% hitting the 4.5 second mark and 32% outside the numbers. Fantastic. Opponents are averaging about 44.1 yards and 4.63 hangtime with 62% getting to 4.5 seconds and 52% hit outside the numbers. Similar hangtime but six more yards of distance for the Eagles on every punt.

The snap to foot times on punting plays were about average, I guess. Probably a slight advantage to the 49ers there. Although on the final Eagles punt with a minute to go, Johnston got off the ball exceptionally quickly. The Eagles were not going to mess around and allow a blocked punt there.

Jake Elliott kicked off five times. He averaged about 70.8 yards (about six yards deep in the endzone) and 4.18 hangtime. Wishnewsky handled the kickoff duties for the Niners. He averaged about 67.3 yards and 4.23 hangtime on his three kickoffs. On the season, the Eagles (Elliott) are averaging about 71.9 yards and 4.12 hangtime on deep kickoffs while opponents are averaging about 69.1 yards and 4.04 hangtime. Again, advantage to the good guys.

Elliott made his only field goal attempt from a distance where the expectancy is about 87%. On the season, he's now 7-of-8 from distances where the expected value would be about 6.23. So he's a plus .77, meaning he's "earned" the Eagles about 2.31 points above what would be expected. Elliott's Elo Rating improved to 2277, which ranks twelfth in the league. The rating of Eagles Opponents remains at 2259, which would rank sixteenth. The league average is now at 2246. The standard is 2200. (The reason the average is above the standard is that the standard was based on the way kickers performed at the turn of the century. They've gotten better over the last two decades.)  The current Top Five kickers are Tucker (2423), Lambo-IR (2366), Lutz (2322), Gano (2315), and Butker/Crosby (2310). The Bottom Five kickers are Sloman (2177), Succop (2177), Bass (2168), Folk (2162), and Santos (2147).

The Eagles times on place kicks was around 1.30 (or slightly better) from snap to foot. The 49ers were a bit slower than that on their PATs. Even around over 1.4 on one of them, which is pretty deliberate. 

Other stuff:

* Rudy Ford made the special teams play of the year on the Eagles fist punt. He beat his man off the line, flew down the field, and nailed the return man for no gain after a 61-yard punt. On the next punt, he beat his man again and raced downfield untouched. That dude is a very good special teams player.

* The 49ers got a huge break when a very short punt rolled twenty yards. Ugh.

* The 49ers had a new longsnapper apparently.

* On the Eagles third punt, which landed at the seven yard line, the return man did a great job of deking out Ford into thinking the ball was elsewhere and it rolled into the endzone for a touchback. Good play by him.

* Marcus Epps and Shaun Bradley combined for a solid tackle on a punt.

* On the onside kick with 2:02 left, Richard Rodgers fielded the ball and was downed with only one second running off the clock. That one second was HUGE in the flow of the game. I put a stopwatch on the play to see if the Eagles were screwed. I naturally had thought they were. But from what I could tell, the play took about 1.9 seconds from the moment the ball first touched his hand until the instant he was touched by an opponent. So I guess the officials got it right. Still, I think that if Rodgers had gotten up off the ground and at least lunged forward a bit, the play would have taken the desired two seconds.

* Johnston is having the best season I've ever seen from an Eagles punter. And I have more than thirty years of data on this stuff.

 

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Steelers game. Not a lot going on with special teams in this one.

Cameron Johnston punted twice, averaging about 50.0 yards and 4.69 hangtime. Both of his punts had at least 4.5 seconds and neither were hit outside the numbers. Dustin Colquitt punted twice for the Steelers. He averaged about 40.5 yards and 4.62 hangtime. Both of his punts had at least 4.5 seconds of hangtime and one was hit outside the numbers. The better statistical day goes to Johnston, putting his mark at a stellar 5-0 on the season.

Through five games, Johnston is averaging about 50.5 yards and 4.60 hangtime with 62% at 4.5 seconds or more and 29% hit outside the numbers. Opponents are averaging about 42.8 yards and 4.63 hangtime with 65% reaching the 4.5 second mark and 52% hit outside the numbers. Huge advantage for Johnston. I should point out that I've been tracking this stuff for over thirty years, and in all that time the Eagles have never really had a great punter. They've had some guys that were okay, or maybe a tad above average. But they've never had anyone who stood out. Until now. It's fun to watch...although technically, I suppose, it's not all that great to watch the Eagles have to punt the ball away. But you get the point.

Both teams times on punt mechanics were about the same. Roughly two seconds from snap to foot. Almost identical actually.

Jake Elliott kicked off five times for the Eagles. He averaged about 71.8 yards and 4.20 hangtime. Chris Boswell kicked off seven times (too many!) for the Steelers with an average of about 68.7 yards and 4.31 hangtime. His height on kickoffs was impressive, and it led to good coverage by their defensive units. On the season, Elliott is averaging about 71.9 yards and 4.14 hangtime on "real" kickoffs, while opponents are averaging about 69.0 yards and 4.11 hangtime. Advantage Eagles.

Elliott missed his only field goal attempt, from a distance which would normally have about a 44% expectancy. On the season, he's now 7 of 9 from distances where the expected value would be about 6.7. So he's plus .3, which means he's earned the Eagles about .9 points above what would be expected. His Elo Kicking Rating dropped to 2264, which ranks sixteenth in the league. The Rating of Eagles Opponents improved to 2263, which would rank seventeenth in the league. The standard rating is 2200. The average rating is 2253. The Top Five Kickers are Tucker (2416), Lambo-IR (2366), Gano (2337), Lutz (2336), and Butker (2311). The Bottom Five kickers are Succop (2194), Sloman (2179), Bass (2175), Folk (2162), and Santos (2162).

The times on Eagles place kicks were quicker than the Steelers. Right around 1.25 whereas Pittsburgh was about a tenth of a second slower, in some cases around 1.4 seconds. You can sometimes block kicks that are that slow.

Other stuff:

* I hated the Eagles kickoff returns in this game. On the opening kick, Scott went crossfield rather than upfield -- by design -- and didn't get much.

* Alex Singleton made a tackle, along with a bunch of others, on a punt

* Shaun Bradley and Alex Singleton combined on a punt tackle.

* No sign whatsoever of Davion Taylor. That sure as hell isn't a good sign that he isn't even doing anything on special teams, let alone on defense. Sigh.

* Craig James missed a block on the kick return after the Steelers went up 14-7. Boston Scott didn't even get it to the 25 yard line as a result.

* On another kick return, I thought Richard Rodgers missed a block that screwed things up.

* Duke Riley and Alex Singleton combined on a tackle on a kickoff. Singleton seems to get involved a lot, doesn't he?

* The longest field goal ever made at Heinz Field is 53 yards. The longest attempt is 58 yards and that was in the first (or second) year of that stadium. Teams don't even attempt long kicks there anymore. It is a notoriously difficult stadium to make long kicks in. I guess it's because it's an outdoor stadium right on the river. Winds are probably tricky. Whatever. I wasn't a big fan of attempting a 57 yard field goal late in the game. Yeah, if Elliott makes it, the Eagles go ahead. But the Steelers would still get the ball afterwards. The odds of a fourth and five conversion for a first down HAVE to be better than the odds of a kick like that. I had zero expectation that that kick was going to be made. In my view, it should never have been attempted. On the last play of the game, yeah, why not? But not at that moment, when you had other ways to play it.

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Ravens game. 

Cameron Johnston punted six times, with an average of about 48.5 yards and 4.20 hangtime. Only one of the six punts had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. Three (the first three) were hit outside the numbers. Sam Koch punted seven times for Baltimore. He averaged about 46.6 yards and 4.57 hangtime, with four of the seven over 4.5 seconds and four of the seven hit outside the numbers. The better statistical day went to the Ravens, putting Johnston's mark at 5-1 on the season. Both teams seemed to be about the same on their get-off times. Roughly a little over two seconds from snap to foot.

On the season, the Eagles are averaging about 50.0 yards and 4.51 hangtime with 52% getting to 4.5 seconds and 33% hit outside the numbers. Opponents are averaging about 44.5 yards and 4.62 hangtime with 63% getting to 4.5 seconds and 53% hit outside the numbers. Significant advantage to the Eagles, although the other team is hitting the ball a bit higher.

Jake Elliott kicked off five times, all in the second half. The last one was an onside kick at the end of the game. His four regular kickoffs averaged about 71.3 yards and 4.12 hangtime. The amazing Justin Tucker kicked off seven times for the Ravens. He averaged about 69.3 yars and 4.23 hangtime. 

On the season, the Eagles (Elliott) are averaging about 71.8 yards and 4.14 hangtime. Opponents are averaging about 69.1 yards and 4.14 hangtime. About two and a half yards better for the home team. Good.

Elliott missed his only field goal attempt of the day from a distance where the expectancy is about .575. On the season, he's 7 of 10 from distances with an expectancy of about 7.25. So he's at a minus .25 on the year, which mean's he's "earned" the Eagles a negative .75 points. His Elo Kicking Rating dropped to 2248, which ranks seventeenth in the league. The rating of Eagles Opponents improved to 2284, which would rank twelfth. The league average is now at 2251. The Top Five kickers are Tucker (2423), Lambo-IR (2366), Gano (2338), Lutz (2336), and McManus (2321). The Bottom Five kickers are Ficken (2183), Jon Brown (2180), Santos (2180), Folk (2173), and Bass (2171).

Other stuff:

* It was laughable when the announcer suggested the Ravens had a puncher's chance to make that 55-yarder in the fourth quarter. I literally laughed at that notion. Normally that's about a 50-50 proposition, a kick from that distance. With Tucker, the best kicker in history -- at the peak of his career -- I figured it was closer to about 80%. A "puncher's chance", he says. I never had a doubt that kick was going to be successful.

* K'Von Wallace got injured on a diving tackle on a punt. Very good play. Unfortunate result.

* Greg Ward made another play on a punt return that stood out to me. He fielded a punt at his own 25-yard line. At the moment he caught the ball, the nearest Baltimore player was at the 41 yard line. Sixteen yards away. Tons of room to make real positive yardage. Instead, he hesitates, fails to make the first tackler miss, and only got six yards on the return. He's pretty secure at catching the ball, so I won't knock him for that. But he really doesn't do all the much once he gets moving. 

* I was shocked when the Ravens passed up the opportunity to try a 58-yard field goal when they were already up 17-0. They punted instead. That just felt like a gift of three points because Tucker would have made it. 

* Jake Elliott was forced to make a tackle on a kickoff return. Not good. 

* Davion Taylor finally made an appearance on special teams. Unfortunately it was for running into the kicker on a punt. Oh well, at least we know he really does exist.

* Did I mention yet how great Justin Tucker is?

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Giants game.

Cameron Johnston punted five times. From the line of scrimmage to where the ball actually landed (remember, rolls/bounces are never calculated here), he averaged about 50.0 yards and 4.71 hangtime. Four of the five had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. Only one of the five was hit to the area of the field between the numbers and the sideline. Riley Dixon punted six times for the Giants. He averaged about 42.2 yards and 4.45 hangtime, with three reaching the 4.5 second mark and only one hit outside the numbers. The better statistical day goes to Johnston, the sixth time in seven games that's the case.

On the season, Johnston is averaging about 50.0 yards and 4.54 hangtime with 56% in the air for 4.5 seconds and 31% hit to the numbers. Opposing punters are averaging about 44.1 yards and 4.59 hangtime with 61% in the air for 4.5 seconds and 47% hit outside the numbers. Johnston is really having an excellent year. In looking through about thirty years of data, he has the highest yardage average as well as the highest hangtime average of any Eagles punter in any season. Sure, it's not quite halfway, and the numbers will definitely go down as the season progresses and the weather gets colder. But it's exciting.

Since I started paying more attention to punt and kick snaps, I've noticed that the Giants are usually one of the slowest teams in the league on their kicks. It's definitely a trend with them. It was true again in this game, though not quite as pronounced as in previous years. Most of the Giants punts clocked in at around 2.1 seconds from snap to foot. It's normally about a tenth of a second faster than that. Their first punt was actually around 2.4 seconds, although there was a reason for that. There was a trick play option which the Eagles were lucky to escape. 

Jake Elliott kicked off five times. Only four were time-able. The first was a sort of line drive squib kick. Possibly intentional. Possibly just a mis-hit. He averaged about 66.3 yards and 4.18 hangtime. Graham Gano kicked off four times but only three were included in the data, as one was intentionaly hit short. That was the one where Huntley fielded it on the ground. He averaged about 69.7 yards and 4.11 hangtime. I'm not 100% sure on the distances this week but I did the best I could. On the season, Elliott is averaging about 71.0 yards and 4.15 hangtime. Opponents are averaging about 69.1 yards and 4.13 hangtime. Advantage Eagles.

Elliott attempted two field goals from distances with an expectancy of about 1.84. He actually missed one. On the season, he's now 8 of 12 from distances with an expectancy of about 9.09, meaning he's at a negative 1.09. In other words, he's produced about 3.27 points less than expected. His Elo Kicking Rating dropped to 2227, which now ranks twenty-second in the league. The rating of Eagles Opponent is now at 2284, which would rank thirteenth. The standard rating is 2200. The league average is at 2253. The Top Five kickers are Tucker (2423), Lambo (2366), Lutz (2342), Gano (2338), and McManus (2324). The Bottom Five kickers are Santos (2186), Folk (2184), Ficken (2183), Bass (2175), and Sloman (2170). Sloman was released after the game on Monday night. I predicted a few weeks back that he wasn't going to last. He was too much of a line drive kicker and he was vulnerable to having his kicks blocked. I just have to wonder how a team could draft a guy like that.

Oh...the Eagles times on their kicks was quicker than the Giants. Around 1.25 (ish) compared to about 1.35 seconds.

Other stuff:

* Alex Singleton and Shaun Bradley combined for a vigorous hit on the first Eagles kickoffs. Those two guys have really stood out this year with their kick coverage.

* Confusion galore on the Eagles part when the Giants hurried their punt team on around midfield in the first quarter. No one bothered to coverage the outside gunner, and he would probably have been able to catch a long pass if the Giants had executed the play properly. Really bad play on the Eagles part. When you're that confused, just call a timeout. Sure, it sucks "blowing" one that early in the game. But you can't screw up so bad as to allow a huge play. It would have been worth it, in my opinion.

* Jason Huntley fell on a pop-up kickoff and then smartly got up and scampered for sixteen more yards. Good play by him.

* I'm getting tired of the recent trend in the NFL whereby officials always mark balls at the nearest big yard line. A guy will catch a punt at the eight and a half yard line and they'll spot it at the ten. Likewise, if they catch it at the eleven, it'll get marked at the ten. I understand that it makes their job easier during the course of regular play, but the purist in means wants to scream that it's just wrong!

* Greg Ward made a bonehead play on a punt return. He allowed a Giants punt to land at the 46 yard line and then roll down to the 32. A loss of fourteen yards for no damn reason. Hidden yardage! And it's not like it was a low punt that he couldn't get to. There was a hangtime of about 4.9 seconds on that play.

* Ward came up aggressively on the next punt to catch a somewhat short punt at the Eagles thirty. He obviously had "heard" from the coaches about his prior bad decision.

* Hakeem Butler made a brutal play on one kickoff return. With about six minutes left in the game, Corey Clement returned a kickoff the goal line. Butler attempted to make a block and instead got knocked on his ass. Watching a play like that makes one wonder if he'll ever make it as a tight end. I don't think he can even block a little bit. At least he didn't demonstrate it on that particular play.

* Davion Taylor made an impressive play -- finally -- on special teams late in the game. Big tackle on a kickoff.

* I thought it was a smart move to use DeSean Jackson as a punt returner on the Giants final punt. You're looking for a big play there, and Greg Ward isn't going to provide that. The risk of something bad happening was pretty small there. Unfortunately he got injured and will probably be out til mid December. Unfortunate, but anyone with any sense of how football works would understand that it was the proper decision.

* I was mildly surprised, probably wrongly so, that the Eagles kicked it deep after the go-ahead touchdown with forty seconds left. I thought they might instead try the tactic they used at the end of the Super Bowl when they intentionally hit it short to forced the Patriots to use time on the kickoff return. In that case, it worked out beautifully as the Pats tried a trick play and the Eagles shut it down. I guess the difference here is that the Giants only needed a field goal to win, whereas the Pats needed eight points to force overtime. And there would have been a risk of allowing a big return. So I get it. Still, food for thought at the time.

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Cowboys game.

Cameron Johnston only punted two times. That's what turning the ball over nearly every other series will do for you. He averaged about 39.0 yards and 4.51 hangtime. One of his punts had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds and one punt was hit outside the numbers. Chris Jones was reportedly injured and it showed. The Cowboys punter had three punts with an average of about 38.0 yards and 4.20 hangtime. None of his punts hit the 4.5 second mark, and two of them were hit outside the numbers. The better statistical performance goes to Johnston, putting his mark at 7-1 on the season. The Eagles were quicker with their punt mechanics (sub 2.0 seconds) than the Cowboys (roughly between 2.05 and 2.10 seconds.)

On the season, the Eagles (Johnston) are now averaging about 49.4 yards and 4.54 hangtime, with 56% in the air for at least 4.5 seconds and 32% hit outside the numbers. Opponents are averaging about 43.6 yards and 4.56 hangtime, with 56% in the air for at least 4.5 seconds and 49% hit outside the numbers. Huge advantage for the Eagles.

Jake Elliott kicked of four times with an average of about 61.0 yards and 4.08 hangtime. Greg Zuerlein kicked off four times for Dallas. He averaged about 67.5 yards and 4.42 hangtime. Much better for the Cowboys. On the season, the Eagles are averaging about 69.9 yards and 4.14 hangtime while opponents are averaging about 69.0 yards and 4.16 hangtime.

On place kicks, the Eagles were quicker (about 1.25) compared to around 1.30 for the Cowboys. Their longest attempt was around 1.40 seconds.

Elliott did not attempt any field goals. His numbers on the year remain the same. His Elo Rating remains at 2227, which now ranks 21st in the league. The league average is at 2256. The standard is 2200. The rating of Eagles Opponents is now at 2292, which would rank eleventh. The current Top Five kickers are Tucker (2426), Lambo (2366), Gano (2339), McManus (2326), and Lutz (2325). The Bottom Five kickers are Seibert (2203), Gostkowski (2201), Folk (2193), Ficken (2183), and Bass (2177).

Other stuff:

* Rudy Ford had an impressive tackle on the opening kickoff. He flew downfield (not literally, of course) and ran past the blocker to deliver the hit.

* Ford made the tackle on the next kickoff too.

* Corey Clement was flagged for a block in the back on a Cowboys punt. Ford was called for holding on the play too.

* The Eagles failed to down a punt that landed at the five yard line. Instead it rolled into the endzone for a touchback. 

* Alex Singleton made the tackle on an Eagles kickoff. Very good play on his part. He's very good on special teams.

* Clever strategy on the Cowboys part taking an intentional safety so that they could try a tricky punt on the ensuing free kick. From their own twenty, Zuerlein hit the ball to the 45 yard with about 4.60 hangtime. The Eagles should have called for a fair catch but the ball landed on the ground and bedlam ensued. Somehow the Eagles recovered the ball. It probably wouldn't have mattered much if the Cowboys had gotten the ball since they were too far behind and too inept on offense to muster much. But still, you'd like to think you'd handle a play like that more adeptly. By the way, if you watch the play again, you'll notice that Richard Rodgers raised his arm for a fair catch but wasn't close enough to the ball to actually catch it. But at least he was alert to the proper strategy. Overall, a good play by the Cowboys even though it didn't work out for them. 

* I did some research yesterday checking out the amazing propensity for opposing kickers on very long field goal attempts. With Zuerlein's successful 59 yard field goal through heavy wind, it is now NINE consecutive field goals made from beyond 55 yards by Eagles opponents. That's since the turn of the century. They've made every damn one. The odds of a coin flip going your way nine straight times is about 1 in 500. But these long kicks are less than a coin flip. I did the math on the probability, based on the distances of the attempts, and it came out to about 6 out of 100,000. That's how unlikely it is for someone to make NINE straight from those distances. It shows how amazingly unlucky the Eagles have been when it comes to opponents field goal kicking from way, way out. 

[brkmsn]

Our coverage teams aren't killing us or anything, but our return teams are useless. How many more fieldable punts are we going to refuse to field and lose additional yards this year?

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Giants game. What a disgusting performance overall.

Cameron Johnston punted five times for the Eagles. His average distance (from the line of scrimmage to where the ball landed or was caught) was 46.0 yards. His average hangtime was 4.56 seconds. Three of the five had at least 4.5 seconds in the air.  Three of the five were hit outside the numbers. Riley Dixon punted four times for the Giants (and it always felt like a miracle anytime the Eagles actually managed force a punt). His average distance was about 50.5 yards and his average hangtime was 4.77 seconds. Three of his four punts had at least 4.5 seconds. Only one was hit outside the numbers. The better statistical day goes to the Giants, putting Johnston's mark at 7-2 on the season.

On the season, Johnston is averaging about 48.9 yards and 4.54 hangtime, with 56% of his punts in the air for at least 4.5 seconds and 36% hit outside the numbers. Opponents are averaging about 44.3 yards and 4.58 seconds, with 58% of their punts in the air for at least 4.5 seconds and 47% hit outside the numbers. Still, a statistical advantage for the hometown gang.

Punting mechanics times were slightly in favor of the Eagles. Mostly a shade under two seconds. The Giants came in usually a shade over two seconds. But I guess the days of the Eagles blocking punts a few times a year are now over now that Chip Kelly isn't here anymore to emphasize this part of the game.

Jake Elliott kicked off four times. He averaged about 65.3 yards and 4.19 hangtime. Graham Gano kicked off six times with an average of about 66.3 yards and 4.26 hangtime. It was obvious that on two of his kickoffs, he intentionally hit it short (he jabbed at the ball rather than striding through), forcing the Eagles to return it...and get a penalty on the return. On the season, Elliott is averaging about 69.4 yards and 4.14 hangtime on his kickoffs, while opponents are averaging about 68.6 yards and 4.18 hangtime. More distance for us, but higher kicks for them.

Elliott made his only field goal attempt from a distance with an expectancy of about 80%. On the season, he's now 9 of 13 on kicks with an expectancy of about 9.9. So, he's at a minus .9, meaning he's "cost" the Eagles about 2.7 points from what would be expected. Not his best year, though admittedly it's still a relatively small sample. I'm far from "over him" as I'm sure some Eagles fans are. Elliott's Elo Kicking Rating improved slightly to 2231, which now ranks 22nd in the league. The rating of Eagles Opponents improved to 2298, which would rank 12th in the league. The standard is always 2200 (by definition). The current league average is at 2263. The Top Five kickers are Tucker (2428, or 3.24 standard deviations above average), Lambo-IR (2376, or 2.22 STD), Gano (2353, 1.77 STD), Lutz (2332, 1.50 STD), and McManus (2339, 1.36 STD).

It's probably accurate to say that Tucker is the best player in the league at the moment in terms of how much better he is than the average player at his position.

The bottom five kickers, (well, it's seven because of ties) are Badgley (2212), Folk (2212), Santos (2212), Seibert (2203), Gostkowski (2197), and Ficken (2183).

Other stuff. Where to begin? It was gross:

* On the first kickoff by the Giants, Corey Clement was flagged for holding. Wonderful.

* Ford made a great play on a punt, flying downfield like a missile to make a tackle. One of the rare positive plays on special teams by the Eagles in this game.

*  Jalen Reagor let a punt land at the sixteen yard line and roll down to the six. That's a loss of ten yards for no reason other than the fear of actually catching a punt. I guess it was windy but you have to make that catch. It was pretty routine.

* Ford downed a punt at the Giants two yard line. And as usual, the Eagles allowed the Giants to move the ball. I swear, it feels like it is something that always happens with the Eagles, and I'm talking over decades of watching them. They pin the other team deep and never hold them back there to flip the field position.

* On the kick return to start the second half, Shaun Bradley was nailed for a stupid block in the back penalty. Again, the Eagles were put in a hole in terms of field position.

* Duke Riley made a secure tackle on a kickoff. Hooray, a good play!

* Greg Ward failed to catch a punt late in the game, allowing it to roll another six yards. There had been another punt earlier in the game that he let bounce, but that was probably the right decision at that moment, and the ball actually bounced in the Eagles favor.

* JUST CATCH THE GODDAMN BALL. THAT'S YOUR JOB!!!!!! The decision making by the Eagles punt returners this year has been atrocious.

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Browns game. Took longer than usual to get around to this one. Another disappointing performance for the special teams units.

Cameron Johnston had six official punts, but if you include the "punt" after the free kick, the total becomes seven. For statistical purposes, I always count free kicks after safeties as though they were punts from the thirty yard line. His seven punts averaged 40.6 yards and 4.18 hangtime. Only one of his punts had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. Three were hit outside the numbers. Jamie Gillan punted five times for the Browns, with an average of about 42.6 yards and 4.52 hangtime. Two of the five had at least 4.5 seconds of hangtime. One was hit outside the numbers. The better statistical day goes to the Browns, putting Johnson's mark on the season at 7-3. Johnston definitely did not have a good day, and it's not like it can properly be blamed on the weather. The free kick was pretty dismal, and a couple of his punts were pretty damn short. In a game where field position was paramount, he came up short, I thought.

On the season, Johnston is averaging about 47.7 yards and 4.49 hangtime with 50% reaching the 4.5 second mark and 37% hit outside the numbers. Opponents are averaging about 44.1 yards and 4.57 hangtime with 44% getting to 4.5 seconds and 56% hit outside the numbers.

The Browns were decidedly quicker with their punt mechanics than the Eagles were. This is a rarity, as the Eagles have consistently been very quick. But the Eagles were around 2.05 seconds per punt whereas the Browns were around 1.90, with the exception of their first one.

Jake Elliott kicked off four times. He averaged about 65.0 yards (to the goal line) with 3.88 hangtime. Cody Parkey kicked off five times for the Browns, with an average of about 67.8 yards (about three yards deep) and 3.78 hangtime. On the season, the Eagles (Elliott) are averaging about 69.0 yards and 4.12 hangtime. Opponents are averaging about 68.5 yards and 4.14 hangtime. Advantage to the Eagles but not as strongly as it had been throughout the year. Elliott's kickoffs have not been stellar of late.

The timing on PATs and FGs were similar for both teams. Around 1.3 seconds per attempt.

Elliott made his only field goal attempt from a distance with an expectancy of about 75%. On the season, he's now 10 of 14 from distances with an expectancy of about 10.65. So he's minus .65 on the year, which means he's a negative 1.95 points below expected value. His Elo Kicking rating improved to 2236, which ranks 22nd in the league. The rating of Eagles Opponents is now at 2285, which would rank 13th in the league. The league average after that week's slate of games was at 2261. The Top FIve kickers were Tucker (2429, 3.34 STD above the mean), Lambo-IR (2376, 2.29), Gano (2353, 1.83), McManus 2344 (1.65), and Crosby/Gould (2323, 1.24). The Bottom Five kickers were Santos (2212), Gostkowski (2207), Seibert (2203), Ficken (2183), and Gay (2182). Seibert hasn't kicked all year but he's been on the Bengals roster since being claimed on waivers from the Browns. So he's included in the list.

Other stuff:

* Michael Jacquet failed to down a punt at the one yard line. He might have been able to throw the ball back into the field of play but instead he carried it with him into the endzone for a touchback. 

* Will Parks made a violent tackle on a kickoff.

* As mentioned earlier, Cameron Johnston's free kick after the safety was pretty poor. Less than four seconds hangtime when you can punt the ball at your leisure is distressing. And the coverage on the play was terrible too. Huge shift in momentum with that series of plays.

* Ward could have fair caught a punt at the twelve yard line. Instead he let it hit the ground and roll to the one. Ultimately this resulted in the safety. Okay, it wasn't necessarily an easy fair catch but it could have been made. Yet another example of Ward not fielding a ball. I do find it kind of hilarious that Eagles fans routinely criticized Reno Mahe for fair catching balls when often times that's the correct decision. 

* Derek Barnett blocked a field goal attempt. Good play.

* Duke Riley had a strong tackle on a kickoff.

* With 3:49 left in the game, down by twelve, Boston Scott did not return a kickoff from one yard deep. It was not a high kick. In fact, it had less hangtime than the kickoff by Alex Henery in the Saints playoff game that was returned for considerable yardage late in the game. Remember how Henery was criticized for that poor kickoff, even though it wasn't all that poor? At any rate, at that stage of the game -- down two scores -- I think you need to try to return that ball. You're looking for a big play there. You might as well give it a go and hope for the best.

* Likewise, with 1:40 left in the game, Jalen Reagor fair caught a punt at the Browns 46 yard line. Again, you're in desperate need of a big play. You might as well return it and hope you can make something happen.

* The dropkick onside kick at the end of the game was not particularly good. 

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Seahawks game. Not a lot. Even then, the Seahawks generally had the better of it.

Cameron Johnston punted five times. He averaged about 49.0 yards and 4.64 hangtime. All five were hit to the middle of the field. Three of the five had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. Michael Dickson punted only three times for Seattle. He averaged about 52.3 yards with 4.76 hangtime. Two were hit outside the numbers and two had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. The Seahawks were also quicker with their punt mechanics, averaging around 1.95 seconds from snap to foot. The Eagles were closer to around 2.0 seconds. The overall better game went to the Seahawks, putting Johnston's mark at 7-4 on the year. That's three straight "losses" in the punting game for the Eagles.

Through eleven games, Johnston is averaging about 47.8 yards and 4.50 hangtime with 51% getting to 4.5 seconds and 33% hit outside the numbers. Opponents are averaging about 44.6 yards and 4.58 hangtime with 57% at 4.5 seconds and 45% outside the numbers. Better distances for the Eagles, better height and direction for the opponents. 

Jake Elliott kicked off three times, excluding a failed onside kick late in the game. He averaged about 69.0 yards with 3.98 hangtime. Jason Myers kicked off six times for Seattle. His average was 63.8 yards and 4.16 hangtime. On the season, the Eagles are averaging about 69.0 yards and 4.11 hangtime while opponents are averaging about 68.1 yards and 4.14 hangtime. Overall, pretty similar numbers. Feels like the opponents have started to do better of late.

Seattle was reasonably quick on their place kicks. Around 1.25 to 1.30. That's that's faster than most teams. 

Jake Elliott missed an extra point but made his only field goal attempt from a distance with an expectancy of about 77%. On the season, he's now 11-of-15 from distances with an expected value of about 11.42. So he's minus .42, which means he's at about a negative 1.2 points on the year. His Elo Kicking rating improved to 2241, which now ranks 19th in the league. The rating of Eagles Opponents is now at 2294, which would rank twelfth. The current league average is 2258. The Top Five kickers are Tucker (2429, 3.44 STD above the average), Lambo-IR (2376, 2.37), McManus (2353, 1.91), Crosby (2323, 1.31), and Myers (2320, 1.25). The Bottom Five are Castillo (2203), Seibert (2203), Gay (2196), Rosas (2190), and Ficken (2183).

Other stuff:

* Violent openfield tackle on a punt by Davion Taylor. At least he's making more of an impact on ST than he did earlier in the year. 

* I had the impression that Elliott rushed his mechanics on the missed PAT.

* Shaun Bradley had a strong tackle/play on a kickoff. He's kind of impressing me with his toughness on special teams.

* Boston Scott had a good kickoff return late in the game, when it really didn't matter all that much. But at least it was a good return.

* The onside kick attempt at the end didn't work well but at least it was an improvement over the drop-kick attempt the previous game.

* Weirdly, the Eagles were called for offside on the onside kick attempt. It was attributed to number 50, Duke Riley. When you look at the play, it is obvious that he wasn't anywhere close to being offside. Super weird flag there. Inexplicable really. You wonder what the reaction would have been if the Eagles had actually recovered it and it was disallowed.

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Packers game.

Cameron Johnston punted five times with an average of about 41.6 yards and 4.34 hangtime. Two of those had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. Three were hit outside the numbers. J.K. Scott punted four times for the Packers. He averaged about 48.0 yards and 4.78 hangtime. Three of those had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. Two were hit outside the numbers. The better statistical performance goes to the Packers, putting Johnston's mar at 7-5 on the year.

On the year, Johnston is averaging about 47.3 yards and 4.49 hangtime, with 50% at the 4.5 second mark and 36% hit outside the numbers. Opponents are averaging about 44.6 yards and 4.58 hangtime, with 57% getting to the 4.5 second mark and 45% hit outside the numbers.

The Packers were kinda slow with their punting mechanics. They look to me to be a team that would be vulnerable to a blocked punt. Unfortunately we don't do that anymore.

Jake Elliott kicked off four times, but his third kickoff was such a line drive that it didn't qualify to be included in the cumulative stats. His three other kickoffs averaged about 64.3 yards and 3.87 hangtime. Mason Crosby kicked off six times for the Packers. He averaged about 65.8 yards and 3.75 hangtime. On the season, Elliott is averaging about 68.7 yards and 4.10 hangtime. Opponents are averaging about 67.8 yards and 4.10 hangtime. Slight edge to the Eagles, but not as significant as it had been earlier in the year. 

Elliott made his only field goal attempt, from a distance with an expectancy of about 58%. On the year, he's now 12-of-16 from distances with an expectancy of about 11.99. So basically he's at "par" on the year. His Elo Kicking Rating improved to 2250, which ranks 18th in the league. The rating of Eagles Opponents improved to 2297, which would rank 12th. The league average is at 2259. The Top Five Kickers after the week were Tucker (2414, 2.91 STD above the mean), Lambo-IR (2376, 2.20), Gano (2367, 2.03), McManus, (2343, 1.58), and Crosby (2326, 1.26). Incidentally I mistakenly excluded Gano from last week's list. Silly error on my part. The Bottom Five kickers were Castillo (2203), Seibert (2203), Badgley (2192), Ficken-IR (2183), and Gay (2180).

Incidentally, the Packers were a bit deliberate on their place kicks. High 1.3s/low 1.4s, compared to the Eagles high 1.2s.

Other stuff:

* The Eagles downed a punt at the 1-yard line. And like clockwork, they immediately allowed the other team to drive out of the hole. It feels like this always happens. And in this case, it ended up being a 99 yard drive for a touchdown. So so frustrating, especially since it seems like this has been the norm since the Buddy Ryan era.

* Lovato had a semi-low snap on the PAT after the Hurts to Ward touchdown in the first quarter. Good job by Johnston to field it smoothly and get the ball down.

* Grayland Arnold had a solid tackle on a kickoff.

* Jalen Reagor returned a punt for a touchdown after initially misplaying (dropping) the ball. My immediate reaction after the play was to make fun of the Eagles fans who constantly and reflexively complain about every draft decision they ever make, and wryly suggest that "Justin Jefferson wouldn't have dropped that punt!" 

* In all seriousness, we do have to have some concern about Reagor's cleanliness in fielding punts. Remember, he flubbed the first punt of his career in the opener, and hasn't exactly made the best decisions back there since then. But at least he showed some big-play ability, which is what he was drafted for. At least it's a step in the right direction.

* Elliott missed a PAT for the second straight week. Disappointing. 

* Boston Scott had a pretty good kickoff return late in the game when it really didn't matter anymore.

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Saints game, which I predicted the Eagles would win.

Cameron Johnston punted three times, with an average of about 45.0 yards and 4.37 hangtime. Only one of the three had at least 4.5 seconds in the air. Only one was hit outside the numbers. Thomas Morstead punted three times for the Saints. He averaged about 47.5 yards and 4.82 hangtime. Three (and very nearly all four) of them had at least 4.5 seconds. Two were hit outside the numbers. The better statistical day goes to the Saints, putting Johnston's mark at 7-6 on the year. He's been kind of in a rut of late. Eagles opponents have been consistently outperforming him over the past month.

On the season, Johnston is averaging about 47.1 yards and 4.48 hangtime, with 49% getting to 4.5 seconds and 36% hit outside the numbers. Opponents are averaging about 45.0 yards and 4.61 hangtime, with 59% at 4.5 seconds or more and 46% hit outside the numbers. A couple more yards of distance for the Eagles on punts but definitely more hangtime from the opponents.

For the most part, the Eagles were quicker on their punting mechanics than the Saints were. But then again, that's almost always the case with the Eagles.

Jake Elliott kicked off five times. He averaged about 64.6 yards and 4.21 hangtime. Wil Lutz kicked off three times for New Orleans with an average of about 70.3 yards and an impressive 4.45 hangtime. On the season, Elliott is averaging about 68.3 yards and 4.11 hangtime on his (real) kickoffs. Opponents are averaging about 68.0 yards and 4.12 hangtime. Almost exactly the same. Like Johnston, Elliott seems to have tapered off a bit of late on his kickoffs.

The Eagles were quicker on their place kicks than the Saints. Around 1.3 seconds or a little less compared to more like about 1.35 to 1.45 for the Saints. It looked to me like the place kick which was the quickest was actually the super easy one that Elliott clanged off the uprights. Perhaps he rushed it a bit. Maybe that's the explanation as to why it was no good. That was something I'd noticed in the past with Alex Henery whenever he missed a relatively short kick -- he didn't take his time like he normally would. Obviously you don't want to be too leisurely, otherwise you run the real risk of a blocked kick. But you don't want to hurry it either.

Elliott made only one of his two field goal attempts. The expected value of his attempts, based on their respective distances, was about 1.7. On the season, he's now 13 of 18, from distances with an expectancy of about 13.7. So he's at a negative .7 on the year, meaning he's earned the Eagles about 2.1 points below what would be the standard. His Elo Kicking Rating dropped to 2232, which now ranks 23rd in the league. After two misses by Lutz, the rating of Eagles Opponents dropped to 2263, which would rank 15th. The standard is 2200. The league average after fourteen weeks was 2253. The Top Five kickers are Tucker (2418, 2.93 STD above the average), Lambo-IR (2376, 2.19), Gano (2367, 2.03), McManus (2343, 1.60), and Crosby (2335, 1.46). The Bottom Five are Nugent (2197), Rosas (2188), Ficken-IR (2183), Gay (2183) and Castillo (2152). Castillo was released afterwards. 

Other stuff: 

* Who else was stunned that an incredibly long field goal attempt by an Eagles opponent was actually no good? I think it's been a couple decades since that happened. I know they had made nine consecutive attempts from beyond 55 yards. (Or maybe it was from 55 and beyond; I forget which). At any rate, it was nice to see an opponent actually miss. 

* Greg Ward continues to be a disaster at fielding punts. Or making defenders miss after he does make the catch. He allowed one punt to land at about the 8-yard line which should have been downed at the 1-yard line. Luckily it ended up being a touchback and coming out to the twenty. But he has to catch that ball. Later on, he failed to field a punt which landed at the twenty and rolled all the way down to the 4-yard line. He's constantly doing this, and it's annoying as hell. 

* Newbie Kevon Seymour had a strong tackle on a punt.

* Once again, the Eagles made an adventure out of fielding an onside attempt by an opponent. Instead of fielding a spinning ball to secure the victory, they stood around and watched it, Falcons-style, only to have it hit the leg of Corey Clement which precipitated a free-for-all scramble which the Eagles miraculously recovered. It might have been a nice idea for Clement to jump on the ball rather than turn his back to block an opponent out of the way. Not a good play by the Eagles, though it ended up working out well.

* Overall, this was not really a good game for the special teams. The only positive was that the Saints missed a couple of field goals.

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Cardinals game. Another disaster.

Including the free kick after the safety, which I calculate as a regular punt from the thirty yard line, Cameron Johnston punted for times for an average of about 41.5 yards and 4.57 hangtime. Two of the punts had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds and two were hit outside the numbers. Another punt was blocked. Jake Elliott punted twice for an average of about 38.0 yards and 3.63 hangtime. Respectable, I suppose, for someone who doesn't actually punt for a living. Both punts were hit to the middle of the field and obviously neither had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. Andy Lee punted three times for the Cardinals. He averaged about 49.3 yards and 4.15 hangtime. None had at least 4.5 seconds in the air, and only one was hit outside the numbers. Punt times for both teams were normal, around 2 seconds. That included the punt that was blocked.

The better statistical game goes to the Cardinals. That's the sixth straight game that Johnston's numbers have been inferior to his opponents, putting his mark at 7-7 on the year.

On the season, Johnston is averaging about 46.8 yards and 4.49 hangtime, with 49% at 4.5 seconds and 37% hit outside the numbers. Opponents are averaging about 45.2 yards and 4.59 hangtime, with 46% at 4.5 seconds and 45% hit outside the numbers.

Jake Elliott kicked off five times, but one was a low line drive that doesn't get counted because it would be ridiculous to try to incorporate a kick like that somehow. His legitimate four kickoffs averaged about 73.0 yards and 4.17 hangtime. Mike Nugent kicked off six times for the Cardinals. He averaged about 63.3 yards and 3.92 hangtime.

On the season, Elliott is averaging about 68.7 yards and 4.11 hangtime. Opponents are averaging about 67.6 yards and 4.10 hangtime. Slight advantage Eagles.

Elliott didn't attempt any field goals, so his Elo Kicking rating remained at 2232, which ranks 25th in the league. The rating of Eagles Opponents improved to 2267, which would rank 14th. The league average is 2200. The Top Five kickers were Tucker (2408, 2.75 STD above the average), Lambo (2376, 2.17), Gano (2370, 2.06), McManus (2343, 1.57), and Crosby (2341, 1.53). The Bottom Five(Six) kickers are Gay and Seibert (2196), Ficken (2189), Rosas (2188), Russolino (2186), and Badgley (2171).

The Eagles were quicker on their place kick attempts than the Cardinals were. Closer to 1.3 seconds, whereas the Cardinals were around 1.35 to 1.40.

Other stuff:

* Horrible play by Marcus Epps on the blocked punt. He didn't block anyone and allowed a free rusher to fly through the middle of the line untouched.

* Horrible play by Marcus Epps on a Cardinals fake punt. He allowed a Cardinals receiver to run past him down the middle of the field to catch a lobbed long pass by the Cardinals punter.

* Jake Elliott was forced to punt because Johnston suffered a concussion. I wound up turning on the radio broadcast while watching the game on television because there is only so much any sane person can take of Aqib Talib. And the Eagles broadcasters had no idea that it was Elliott who punted that first time. They caught wind of the change a little while later but seemed to act like Elliott's second punt was actually his first.

* Horrible snap by Rick Lovato on the failed PAT where Zach Ertz was forced to be the holder. It was easily the worst snap of Lovato's career. It seems apparent that he was somehow affected by the fact that it wasn't the regular holder back there, but that is hardly any justification for him skimming the ball back there. 

* Because Mike Nugent isn't any good, the Cardinals kickoff were routinely short, yet the Eagles kickoff return game (with Boston Scott as the return man) was pretty inept. Even with the relatively short and low kicks, the Eagles were getting engulfed almost immediately. Ridiculous. I noticed K'Von Wallace on one return in particular whiffing on a block. I'm sure he's not the only one who sucks.

[brkmsn]

Enough with Ward as a PR unless injuries force it. Let Reagor gain some experience. 

Enough with Scott returning Kickoffs. As a backup HB, he adds a very nice element that fits in our offense, but returning kicks is not his thing. He's not as elusive in space as he is behind blocking. Very few of his returns ever make it to the 25 and too many don't even get to the 20. Whether it's him or the lack of blocking (really it's both), he should never, ever, ever return a KO that would otherwise be a touchback. Clement is currently the better kickoff returner on the roster. Maybe Watkins could get a shot there. 

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Yeah, it's getting to the point that other teams are intentionally trying to kick it short of the end line in the hopes of forcing the Eagles to have to return the kick. It was obvious as hell today that that's what the Cowboys were doing. And even though those kicks didn't have particularly good hangtime, it was still a struggle for Scott to get it to the twenty. Not to mention the fumble that the Eagles were lucky to have go out of bounds.

Based on some college highlights I watched immediately after the draft, I was hopeful that Hightower might get a shot as a kick returner. I'm not sure that Watkins has as much experience. Clement is probably even slower than Scott, so I doubt he'd be any kind of upgrade.

I realize that it's a de-valued position nowadays, but it sure would be nice to be able to get an occasional spark out of the kick return game. Because right now it's pretty crap.

[brkmsn]

Clement does have some experience and he has a better career average than Scott. Ideally, you'd like your return specialists to be fast, but if you just go forward, make subtle cuts, keep your balance and have the ability to break tackles, you can be more productive overall than a burner that always runs sideways. 

 

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Cowboys week 16 game, which I was too lazy to get around to til now.

Cameron Johnston punted five times. He averaged about 36.4 yards and 4.26 hangtime. His short punts were quite terrible. None had a hangtime of at least 4.5 seconds. Two of the five were hit outside the numbers. Newbie Hunter Niswander punted four times for the enemy team. He averaged about 44.8 yards and 4.63 hangtime, with three in the air for at least 4.5 seconds and only one hit outside the numbers. Significant advantage to the other team, putting Johnston's mark at 7-8 on the year. It was the seventh straight game he was outpunted by the other team's guy. 

On the season, Johnston's numbers were at 46.0 yards and 4.47 hangtime with 46% getting to 4.5 seconds and 37% hit outside the numbers. Opponents were averaging about 45.2 yards and 4.59 hangtime with 58% at 4.5 seconds and 44% hit outside the numbers. Overall, I'd say it's a slight advantage for the Eagles. But the second half of the year has not been good.

Niswander was particularly slow getting rid of the ball.

Jake Elliott kicked off four times, with an average of about 74.5 yards and 4.22 hangtime. Greg Zuerlein kicked off eight times for an average of about 67.0 yards and 4.13 hangtime. On the season, Elliott was at 69.1 yards and 4.12 hangtime. Opponents were at 67.5 yards and 4.10 hangtime.

It was obvious as hell that the Cowboys were intentionally kicking the ball short trying to induce the Eagles to return the kick. The Eagles kick return game is that horrid.

Elliott did not attempt any field goals, so his kicking numbers remain the same. The rating of Eagles Opponents improved to 2270. The Top Five kickers after Week 16 were Tucker (2408, 2.90 STD above the mean), Lambo (2376, 2.29), Gano (2373, 2.23), Crosby (2341, 1.62), and Myers (2340, 1.60). The Bottom Five kickers were Wright (2204), Seibert (2196), Rosas (2189), Badgley (2187), and Ficken (2177). Ficken was released after the game.

Other stuff:

* K'Von Wallace continues to look like crap blocking on kickoff returns.

* In addition to not getting much yardage on kickoff returns, Boston Scott decided to add to his repertoire by fumbling. Fortunately for the Eagles the ball was not recovered correctly by the Cowboys so the Eagles maintained possession.

* With the Eagles up by four points in the second quarter and the Eagles punting from the Dallas 40, the Eagles were in position to pin the Cowboys deep. Instead, Johnston uncorked a seventeen yard punt that flew out of bounds at the Dallas 23. Horrible.

* Rudy Ford had a great play on punt coverage.

* Jalen Reagor had a decent punt return late in the game. He at least showed some forward burst, something that Greg Ward never does.

Dunno when I'll get around to the Washington season finale. Not really in the mood right now after this debacle of a season.

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

So disgusted by everything that I didn't bother to do the finale against Washington until a couple weeks ago. And even then, too disgusted to take the time to do this. Anyway, here it is.

Cameron Johnston punted five times with an average of about 44.8 yards and 4.29 hangtime. None of his punts made it to the 4.5 second mark. Three were hit outside the numbers. Tress Way punted six times for the other team and averaged about 43.5 yards and 4.31 hangtime. Only one of his punts had at least 4.5 seconds of hangtime. None were hit outside the numbers, probably because the Eagles punt return game is so awful that there's no need to try to directionally punt the ball. The stats worked out slightly in Johnston's favor, putting his mark on the season at 8-8.

On the season, Johnston averaged about 45.9 yards and 4.46 hangtime with 42% of his punts getting to 4.5 seconds and 38% hit outside the middle of the field. Opponents averaged about 45.0 yards and 4.57 hangtime with 54% at 4.5 seconds or better and 40% hit outside the numbers. So, overall it was more yards per punt from the Eagles but with less hangtime.

Curiously Johnston's numbers really tailed off the second half of the season. Through eight games, he averaged 49.4 yards and 4.54 hangtime compared to 43.6 yards and 4.56 hangtime. About six yards more with similar hangtime. Of course the numbers will usually get worse as the weather gets colder but opponents punters actually got better the second half of the year. They averaged 46.7 yards and 4.58 hangtime. On the other hand, Johnston only averaged 42.9 yards and 4.39 hangtime. Massive difference. And quite disappointing actually.

Jake Elliott kicked off three times with an average of 68.0 yards and 3.92 hangtime. Dustin Hopkins kicked off five times with an average of 73.8 yards and 4.02 hangtime. Much better for the Washington football team. On the season, Elliott averaged 69.0 yards (that's four yards deep into the endzone) with 4.11 hangtime. Opponents on the season averaged about 67.9 yards and 4.10 hangtime. So slightly better for the Eagles in this department.

Snap and kick mechanic times for both teams were similar.

Elliott did not attempt any field goals. On the season, he was 14 of 19 from distances where the expected value would be about 14.53. So he was about a half a kick short, meaning he earned the Eagles about 1.6 points less than expected. It was obviously his worst season. His Kicking Rating remained at 2236, which ranked 24th in the league. The Rating of Eagles Opponents improved to 2278, which would rank 13th in the league.

At the end of the postseason, the Top Five kickers were Gano (2377, 2.26 STD above the mean), Lambo (2376, 2.24), Tucker (2357, 1.88), Myers (2354, 1.82) and Crosby (2345, 1.65). This is the first time since 2015 that Tucker didn't rank at the top. But that'll happen when you miss a bunch of kicks in the postseason. The Bottom Five kickers were Blankenship (2199), Bailey (2197), Nugent (2189), Rosas (2189), and Badgley (2187). 

Other stuff:

* I don't remember if this happened in the Cowboys game as well, but Elliott attempted his PATs from the right hash mark. His first three years, every attempt was always from the middle, but this year they tweaked it so that he would kick them from the left hash. It seemed like a reasonable approach to compensate for his tendency to have kicks sail right. And just like that, they switched it up. I found it interesting.

* In five years under Doug Pederson, the Eagles only ever attempted one trick play on special teams. And that didn't work. It was a failed throw from kick formation against the Vikings last year. I don't mean it as a criticism, but I found it kind of odd that Pederson always had a reputation for being aggressive yet he was incredibly conservative on special teams.

* This was the best year ever (well, since I started tracking this back in the late 80s) for Eagles punting. It was also the best year ever for the other team too.

* I made a mistake in the Cowboys game data which I intend to correct in a minute.

* Let's hope that Jalen Reagor can become a reliable punt returner because it's obvious that Greg Ward isn't good at it.

[brkmsn]

I can't figure out why we had so many guys on the roster hyped for their ST prowess, but produced so few big plays. We weren't the worst group in the NFL or anything, but we sure could have used a spark from ST during a few games. 

 

Hopefully the new staff isn't afraid to let Reagor learn on the job. 

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Preseason game number one, against the Steelers. With the preseason games, I don't even bother looking at the the other teams.

Arryn Siposs punted four times in his debut. His average distance was about 49.5 yards (as measured from the line of scrimmage to where the ball landed) and his average hangtime was about 4.86 seconds. I got his four hangtimes as 4.46, 4.45, 5.30, and 5.21. Those are very good numbers, although of course it's important to remember that preseason numbers are bound to be inflated. You can't compare a hot August night when it's about 90 degrees to a cold, windy December afternoon, as you're quite possibly going to get about ten more yards and a half second less height. But those numbers were certainly similar to what Cameron Johnston put up in his preseason opener the past two years (49.0/4.46 and 46.2/4.67). So good job for him. His get-off time was reasonably good (1.30 to 1.35) although I suspect they aren't going to be as good as Johnston has been. I also think I noticed something a big "odd" with his drop. I'm no punting mechanics expert by any means, but it just looked to me like he does something a little unorthodox. We'll have to see if this is an observation that holds up over time.

Jake Elliott kicked off five times, with an average of about 69.8 yards with 4.30 hangtime. And this includes the first kickoff, which was intentionally kicked short. It was actually so short that I would normally exclude it from the totals because it provides misleading data. Three of his kickoffs were out of the back of the endzone, including one with a hangtime of around 4.56 seconds, which is exceptional for a kickoff. But again, it's August on a hot night, so the ball is just going to fly.

Elliott kicked three field goals (47, 47, 50) and one extra point without a miss. The expectancy of those kicks was about 2.9. So he definitely had a good night. The times on the Eagles kicks, snap to foot, were maybe a tad slower than they have been in recent years. I was getting them at around 1.35 to 1.38 seconds. Good enough, but I seem to recall them being quicker in previous years. Perhaps there is a learning curve with the new holder. It's something to keep an eye on in the future.

I didn't bother checking the punt snap times. Lovato is a veteran enough that I'm not too worried.

Other stuff:

* I was at the game and made an effort to watch the pregame kicking warmups. By my count, which may be off slightly, I had Elliott making 18 of 21 kicks, mostly from mid range to long range. He made several from outside 50, including one that I believe was from 57 yards. One of his misses was from 43. I remember that one. During halftime, I noticed him make five or six (he may have attempted more when my eyes were elsewhere) without a miss. So overall through the course of the night, I saw him make about thirty with only three misses.

* Jalen Reagor correctly let a punt hit at the six. It was downed at the two, but he made the right decison.

* Reaor also let a ball land at the five. Again, a correct decision even though it did not go into the endzone for a touchback, which is what he was hoping for.

* Elliott's PAT wasn't exactly a work of art. It was a line drive which tailed weirdly. Again, I wonder if there's something to be worked out with the new holder. Or else he just hit it lousy.

* Reagor fair caught another punt. Again, I had no issue with that.

* On the first kickoff of the game, Elliott intentionally hit the ball short, obviously in an attempt for the defense to swarm the return man before he could get to the 25-yard line. It did not work out as planned however. And later on, another one of his kicks was only hit to the goal line. It looked to me like that was intentional also, as he did not get the normal full extension. It makes me wonder if this is going to be something the new special teams coach is going to be utilizing this year. My guess is yes.

* T.J. Edwards made a very good openfield tackle on a punt.

* Jason Huntley had a pretty good kickoff return, and later had a decent one.

* Lavert Hill made a solid tackle on a punt.

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Patriots preseason game. Not much going on.

Arryn Siposs punted five times, with an average of about 50.2 yards and 4.57 hangtime. His two game average is now at about 49.9 yards and 4.70 hangtime.

He kicked off only once and actually had a very good kick. Three yards deep with about 4.41 hangtime. So it looks like he could be a viable emergency kicker, unlike Donnie Jones the night that Jake Elliott got injured against the Cowboys and the Eagles were forced to use Kamu Grugier-Hill.

Elliott missed the game with an injury. Just prior to the game, Dave Spadaro made an announcement in the stadium that Siposs would handle field goals and kickoffs, but I don't believe the Eagles ever had any intention of having him attempt a placekick, either for a field goal or an extra point. (Who would have been the holder?) During warmups he never even bothered to attempt one, and I don't recall him trying to kick into a net along the sideline during the game. I'm convinced that the Eagles were going to be going for it on fourth down anytime they were in field goal range, and would have gone for two if they had somehow managed to score a touchdown.
 

Other stuff:

* I was decidedly unimpressed with Jalen Reagor as a kickoff return man. He's far too casual after he receives the kick and approaches the defenders. Nope, that doesn't work on kickoffs. On punts, okay, yeah. But on a kickoff you just have to get the ball and GOOOO. 

* John Hightower returned one kickoff, and though he didn't get very much either, at least he was more decisive than Reagor.

* It looks to me like Siposs has several different punting styles. He has the traditional one, and also one where his leg comes across his body when he strikes the ball. I'm sure this is when he's attempting a directional kick. 

* For what it's worth, I though the coverage units were pretty good.

[FranklinFldEBUpper]

Jets game stuff, just from the Eagles perspective. Not a whole lot to say.

Arryn Siposs punted four times for the Eagles. He averaged about 41.5 yards and 3.89 hangtime. Only one of the four had at least 4.5 seconds. On the preseason, he averaged about 47.3 yards with 4.45 hangtime. Pretty solid numbers.

Siposs kicked off six times but the one at the end of the first half was just a squib kick. His five regular kickoffs averaged about 66.8 yards (roughly two yards deep in the endzone) and 4.00 hangtime. Good for a punter, but below average for someone who does this regularly. His preseason average was 67.0 yards and 4.07 hangtime. He's definitely better than Kamu Grugier-Hill, but I wouldn't want him kicking off for any extended period of time.

Jake Elliott remained bothered by a sprained ankle but was able to kick PATs and FGs. He made all his attempts, four extra points and a chip shot field goal from 34 yards. In his preseason action, he attempted nine kicks and made them all. There were 5 PATs and 4 FGs. The expectancy on the distances involved was about 7.33, so he made 1.67 more than expected. If you look at it from a points perspective, he scored 17 points when the expected number of points was about 13.05. Solid job.

Other stuff:

* John Hightower was relative ineffective on his kickoff returns.

* Greg Ward allowed a 39 yard punt with 4.25 hangtime to hit the ground and roll for about five more yards. It's maddening how often he fails to come up and catch fieldable balls. He did it numerous times last year and did it more than once in the preseason. He seems reliable enough in terms of ball security, but dammit, he has to stop giving away free yardage to the other team.

* Marken Michel at least looked like a proper punt returner. He caught the ball with good form and had some maneuverability after the catch. Nothing special of course, but at least functional. He didn't make the team so it's kind of a moot point.

* I wasn't impressed with the Eagles kickoff coverage units, in this game or in any of the preseason games. I have some fears that this could be an ongoing weakness.

[brkmsn]

On 9/3/2021 at 10:51 AM, FranklinFldEBUpper said:

Jets game stuff, just from the Eagles perspective. Not a whole lot to say.

Arryn Siposs punted four times for the Eagles. He averaged about 41.5 yards and 3.89 hangtime. Only one of the four had at least 4.5 seconds. On the preseason, he averaged about 47.3 yards with 4.45 hangtime. Pretty solid numbers.

Siposs kicked off six times but the one at the end of the first half was just a squib kick. His five regular kickoffs averaged about 66.8 yards (roughly two yards deep in the endzone) and 4.00 hangtime. Good for a punter, but below average for someone who does this regularly. His preseason average was 67.0 yards and 4.07 hangtime. He's definitely better than Kamu Grugier-Hill, but I wouldn't want him kicking off for any extended period of time.

Jake Elliott remained bothered by a sprained ankle but was able to kick PATs and FGs. He made all his attempts, four extra points and a chip shot field goal from 34 yards. In his preseason action, he attempted nine kicks and made them all. There were 5 PATs and 4 FGs. The expectancy on the distances involved was about 7.33, so he made 1.67 more than expected. If you look at it from a points perspective, he scored 17 points when the expected number of points was about 13.05. Solid job.

Other stuff:

* John Hightower was relative ineffective on his kickoff returns.

* Greg Ward allowed a 39 yard punt with 4.25 hangtime to hit the ground and roll for about five more yards. It's maddening how often he fails to come up and catch fieldable balls. He did it numerous times last year and did it more than once in the preseason. He seems reliable enough in terms of ball security, but dammit, he has to stop giving away free yardage to the other team.

* Marken Michel at least looked like a proper punt returner. He caught the ball with good form and had some maneuverability after the catch. Nothing special of course, but at least functional. He didn't make the team so it's kind of a moot point.

* I wasn't impressed with the Eagles kickoff coverage units, in this game or in any of the preseason games. I have some fears that this could be an ongoing weakness.

Siposs had a strong Game. Elliot's kicks looked good. Our coverage teams were solid. Nice 1st week.

I'm glad they are working Reagor at PR and Watkins at KR. Both guys just need to learn to go forward. With their speed, it won't be hard to make the first guy miss and then you usually have some open space to work with. Don't try to go back and around guys in the NFL. These are professional, not college,  special teams players covering kicks. They are faster, better tacklers, take better angles and are more disciplined. But you put a lot more pressure on them if you're running full speed straight toward them.

[Talonblood]

7 hours ago, brkmsn said:

Siposs had a strong Game. Elliot's kicks looked good. Our coverage teams were solid. Nice 1st week.

I'm glad they are working Reagor at PR and Watkins at KR. Both guys just need to learn to go forward. With their speed, it won't be hard to make the first guy miss and then you usually have some open space to work with. Don't try to go back and around guys in the NFL. These are professional, not college,  special teams players covering kicks. They are faster, better tacklers, take better angles and are more disciplined. But you put a lot more pressure on them if you're running full speed straight toward them.

You are glad Reagor is returning punts. Did you watch the game? He is terrible- flat out horrible.