Ideally, the Falcons wouldn’t have to punt too often.
With a passing-game arsenal that features Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage and Hayden Hurst, with former MVP-winning quarterback Matt Ryan throwing the ball, the Falcons figure to be in position to put together deep drives against most opponents. But if the team does have to punt, the goal is to be near midfield so it can pin the opposing team deep in its own territory.
Through four games, however, eight of the Falcons' 15 punts have been attempted from inside their own 30-yard line. Seven of those punts have come in the past two games. And in each instance, the Falcons haven’t been able to flip the field.
On these eight attempts, Falcons rookie punter Sterling Hofrichter is averaging 41.9 yards per attempt, with a net average of 39.8. This almost matches his early-season average of 40.9 yards per attempt (28th in the NFL) and 38.5 net average (24th). While six of the punts attempted inside the Falcons' 30 have either gone out of bounds or were fair caught, two were returned for a total of 17 yards.
Following punts from inside the Falcons' own 30, opposing teams have had an average starting field position at their own 39-yard line. This doesn’t include a 15-yard unnecessary-roughness penalty against Chicago that moves that average to the 41-yard line.
While those numbers could seemingly be of concern, Falcons special-teams coordinator Ben Kotwica believes the sample size is too small to worry about at this stage of the year.
“I think it’s so early in the season, especially just numbers in general,” Kotwica said. “Let’s talk kick return -- Maybe a team has a 30-yard average but they only have two returns. I think numbers-wise, those have to play out.”
Kotwica said that when it comes to punting, he’s looking to limit return yards, especially in today’s era of explosive offenses. Therefore, a punter’s hang time to allow the coverage to get down the field and prevent a return is a key area he’s looking for his punter to accomplish.
Through four games, Hofrichter and the punt team have allowed an average of 8.8 yards per return. However, to Kotwica’s point, only four of the 15 punts have seen a return. In addition to Hofrichter’s hang time, Kotwica credited a patchwork coverage team that has helped lead to eight fair catches. The remaining three punts went out of bounds.
“We’ve rotated a handful of guys in there (at gunner),” Kotwica said. “I think they’ve done a nice job. I think we’ve helped ourselves get some hang time over distance in our punts. We’ll see how it shakes out. Again, when you have some injuries on the roster, it gives other guys an opportunity."
In addition, Kotwica said the ability to pin teams inside their own 20-yard line is crucial to the Falcons' special-teams success. Thus far, Hofrichter is tied for 26th in the NFL with three punts that have landed inside the 20-yard line.
Three attributes the Falcons liked about Hofrichter when scouting him was how he hits the pooch punt, his hang time and his ability to directional kick. While the numbers may not have had time to materialize, the coaching staff believes there have been signs of progress through the first four games of the season.
“I’ve been impressed by him,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “He certainly has the poise of a veteran even though he’s still young in his career. But he’s got a really strong leg. He looks more like a place-kicker than a punter in terms of size, but he’s got a really strong leg. … He’s really calm in the moment, so we’ve been pleased with him.”
As for place-kicking, the Falcons are hopeful they will be able to get Younghoe Koo back after he was forced to miss the Green Bay game Monday because of a right groin injury. Koo suffered the injury during pregame warmups the week before against Chicago. Koo has been a full participant in practice this week, but must clear one final practice Friday.
If he can’t go, the team will turn to Elliott Fry once again. Fry handled both place-kicking and kickoff duties Monday at Green Bay. Although Fry missed an extra-point try against the Packers, Kotwica said the wind played a factor, as Packers place-kicker Mason Crosby missed one in the same manner.
If Koo needs another week of rest, the Falcons feel confident about turning to Fry once again.
“I think that’s a young kicker who is going to continue to grow,” Kotwica said. “His ball flight and trajectory are all on par with what you see across the league. If that’s a direction we have to go, we feel really good about it.”
