The Dolphins currently rank dead last in the league in average yards per punt return (2.14) | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

The Dolphins currently rank dead last in the league in average yards per punt return (2.14)

we can barely catch the ball but every so often when we do it's for nothing. Coverage and gunner play is terrible
 
Yeah and oh by the way, the muffed / fumbled returns per touch since we traded Grant actually went UP! Waddle has 2, Holland has 2 and Mostert has 1 - this going back to last year. So we have guys that can’t catch the ball but then when they do, they can’t get any yards. It’s not just one unit. Our punt coverage seems to give up a good return every week. Coaching.
 
Wilson doesn’t look natural at all, I hate seeing holland or hill back there due to injury risk. Maybe another receiver might step up . Who knows. Also yesterday I noticed holland is even on kickoff coverage. Hate to see that too
 
Crossman needs to go. We spend as much or more on special teams-focused players as anyone in the league (Fejedelem, Carter, Crossen, Bethel, Eguavoen), used a draft pick on a long snapper, gave our kicker a Top 5 contract at the position, have three of the fastest kick/punt returners in the NFL (Mostert, Hill, Waddle), and still somehow suck across the board on special teams.

And Wilson looks like a disaster waiting to happen as a punt returner. He was super shaky fielding those punts last night.
 
Honestly, I don't know who is out there, but we should pick up a punt returner. The problem is having the back end of your receiving corps not being quality punt returners, Cracraft, EE, Sherfield....Every punt was an adventure with Cedric Wilson. Maybe kick the tires on Bowden again. Or maybe there is somebody sitting on a practice squad. We just don't have a punt returner right now.
 
Yes.... but nobody dances like Wilson does prior to moving forward.

Wilson thought it was a dance off, not a punt return lol
 
From what I’ve seen there hasn’t been a lot of room to maneuver. Average punt yard return yards by player doesn’t single out one weak link: Holland (4 yd), Waddle (2 yd), Wilson (1yd), Hill (-2yd). Miami struggled last year, too, tied for 31st in league with 6.6 average.

And it’s not like we’ve faced the upper tier of punters each week:
https://www.footballdb.com/statisti...ng/2022/regular-season?sort=puntavg&limit=all
  1. NE - Bailey - 31st - 42.2 avg
  2. BAL - Stout - 13th - 48.2 avg (tie)
  3. BUF - Martin - 13th - 48.2 avg (tie)
  4. CIN - Huber - 28th - 44.7 avg
  5. NYJ - Mann - 16th - 47.6 avg
  6. MIN - Wright - 26th - 45.0 avg
  7. PIT - Hardin - 29th - 44.0 avg

  • Theory #1 - with injuries and as more backups are pushed into playing defense, they either are (a.) gassed when it comes time to punt block/return, and/or (b.) we put in less quality players as default.
  • Theory #2 - Is this a field position (where opponent punted from) Issue? Miami is tied for 2nd fewest punts returned (7), so the sample is small. That said, the Defense is not getting Offenses off the field quick enough leading to fewer punts and opponent scores, 4th down attempts.
 
royalshank said:
Yeah and oh by the way, the muffed / fumbled returns per touch since we traded Grant actually went UP! Waddle has 2, Holland has 2 and Mostert has 1 - this going back to last year. So we have guys that can’t catch the ball but then when they do, they can’t get any yards. It’s not just one unit. Our punt coverage seems to give up a good return every week. Coaching.
Click to expand...
I think you kind of unintentionally explained the problem- we've had a rotating cast of guys doing it inconsistently and all supplemental to their primary role on the field. I don't necessarily think strategically you need dedicated kick return specialists on your roster- since all the rule changes mean you only ever have to give a returnable kick if you want, but as a bare minimum you still have to have guys who can catch the ball safely. We just seem to keep throwing guys back there as an afterthought.

I'm never gonna shed tears about Grant. Yeah he returned a kick every once in a while, but that was his one job, and the amount of mistakes he made at his one job he could actually do essentially offset his positive contributions. If you return a kick for a TD but muff a punt that becomes a TD for the other team, it's even. It might have been different if he had maintained a fraction of usefulness on offense, but he was so bad there that you couldn't even use him on jet sweeps and shovel passes anymore because him being on the field telegraphed the play call to the opponent.

Team just needs to settle on one or two guys who are not irreplaceable to their primary unit and let them get real comfortable catching punts. And Jevon Holland is not a replaceable guy and should not be one of those!
 
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