As the Falcons are in London to face the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at 9:30 a.m. EDT Sunday, veteran punter Dustin Colquitt will be playing in his first NFL game since late last season.
Falcons punter Cameron Nizialek was injured on a kickoff in Sunday’s game against Washington, and the Falcons placed him on the injured reserve list. That led the Falcons to sign Colquitt to their 53-man active roster.
Colquitt, in his 17th NFL season, spent 15 seasons with Kansas City before playing for Pittsburgh and Jacksonville last season.
Colquitt joined the Falcons last month and said he is ready for the team’s international game.
“I am looking forward to getting a game in London,” Colquitt said. “It’s a world-class stay. You get to show another culture how to appreciate American football. I’ve been over there once before, and they’re very receptive to our game and supporting players. It’s going to be fun to go over (there).”
Colquitt is familiar with coach Arthur Smith through a mutual friend from Colquitt’s college days at Tennessee. He said he is excited to be playing under Smith.
“His football IQ is off the charts,” Colquitt said. “I feel like we mesh well and got to know each other. It’s fun to be a part of that, and I like his team atmosphere.”
Playing in London is a huge opportunity, not only for Colquitt, but for the Falcons as well. The last time Colquitt went to London, he was playing for the Chiefs in 2015. In that season, the Chiefs defeated the Detroit Lions 45-10 and finished the season at 11-5 after a 2-5 start. Colquitt knows this can be a big momentum boost for the Falcons if they’re able to be victorious Sunday.
“It’s huge,” Colquitt said. “When I was in Kansas City, we flew across the country and we were (2-5), won the game and ended up winning eleven straight.”
It’s all about getting back to the basics for Colquitt. He knows that to be successful, he has to take lessons from past performances and apply it to his game.
“You have to do your homework,” said Colquitt. “I’m going back and watching successful years, and I’m just trying to do that over again. I’ve been (playing) a long time, but it’s about the muscle memory and getting back in those situations and how you handled them.”
Colquitt wants to make sure his performance limits other teams play on offense and special teams.
“I try to be a ratio punter,” Colquitt said. “I’m trying to hang it. I want to negate any type of return that I can. If I can silent that part of their game and not let them get first downs on punt returns, I’ve done my job.”
