The rise of the punter

Are NFL punters the most valuable defensive players on their teams? Punters think so…and so do an increasing number of coaches and teams.

Steve Spagnuolo, who was the Giants’ defensive coordinator before becoming head coach of the Rams last January, was one coach who appreciated what [Giants punter Jeff] Feagles could do. “I used to tell Jeff he was our most valuable player on defense,” Spagnuolo says. “He didn’t worry about his yardage or net punt average. All he worried about was putting our defense in the best position. He’s a tremendous directional punter. He was always trying to back the offense inside the 10, and nobody did it better.”

And of course I love this quote by Feagles:

The punter’s mind is a lot more powerful than his leg.

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