There Has Never Been A Sweeter Time To Be A Punter In Football
Joshua Bessex. Getty Images.I don't know exactly how and I don't know exactly when, but we have entered a world in which punters? Well not only are they considered real football players, but they have also managed to become some of the biggest rockstars in the game.
I remember a time not too long ago when you wouldn't even give punters the courtesy of knowing their names. They'd just be the nerds who went out and gave the ball to the other team when your offense stunk. Offense practice on one side of the field, defense practice on the other side of the field, punters just go somewhere nobody can see you because you creep everybody out.
But there's been a punting revolution. A revenge of the nerds, if you will. Because when you look at some of the biggest stories in football right now, they all revolve around punters being a bunch of bad ass dudes. Like the punter at Ole Miss, who Lane Kiffin said they found at a keg party. You go from getting buckled at a frat party to ending up on an SEC roster, you're an automatic legend. All it's going to take is one semi-decent punt from this kid to cement his name in college football folklore forever.
Or you've got a guy casually known as "Punt God" taking the world by storm and uncorking an 82-yard bomb.
A punter who now has odds on winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. They might be a zillion to one, but you're saying there's a chance. Fucking punt god. If someone told you 15 years ago that there would be a football player who is referred to as "Punt God" and everybody would know exactly who you are talking about when you say his name, you'd never believe them. You'd say there's no way we'll ever live in a world where punters get that type of hype. But the year is 2022 and there has never been a sweeter time in history to kick the everliving shit out of the ball. Good for the boys. They've earned it.