Brad Wing

[JayC]

Are you telling me the steelers scouts can't find a punter who can kick it more than 36 yards?

or are they just too stubborn to find one? it's not like a punter needs to learn the playbook

[SteelerFanInStl]

We haven't had a decent punter in years. It's like as if they don't know what it takes.

[vader29]

Sepulveda was decent, unfortunately he just couldn't stay healthy and Wing was doing pretty good for a rookie until his worst punt of the year shows up at a time when we needed a really good one from him.

[Buckinnuts]

he definatelt needs to go

[tube517]

Sepulveda was decent, unfortunately he just couldn't stay healthy and Wing was doing pretty good for a rookie until his worst punt of the year shows up at a time when we needed a really good one from him.

This. He was doing decently up until that egg he laid on the last punt.

Offense and defense played their worst series in the last minute and a half.

[Steelerette]

Am I going crazy or does anyone else remember when Josh Miller was escorted onto the field by Gorilla Monsoon?

While I think we'd have won the game without that horrible punt - the rest of the team did enough things wrong as to where you can't really pin the loss on Wing. Still, if that happens even one more time in the course of the season... he'll need to be replaced.

[Dwinsgames]

Are you telling me the steelers scouts can't find a punter who can kick it more than 36 yards?

or are they just too stubborn to find one? it's not like a punter needs to learn the playbook

not defending anyone .....

but the punter is also the holder on xp's and FG atps so some amount of gelling needs to happen ...

remember early in preseason how bad we looked kicking FGs ?

attribute that to Wing and Swiss-ham lacking continuity

[Steelermania]

It looked like he was trying to angle the punt. You can't do that when punting from deep in your end. If you get off a bad punt from midfield, the other team is still likely to be inside the 25, thus you can gamble trying to pin a team deep. From inside your 20, the risk is too great. You have to boom it, and hope your guys cover. If TB is starting inside their 45, they likely lose the game.

[Dwinsgames]

29.8 yard average on 4 punts is not getting it done

[86WARD]

But Tomlin and Colbert think he's good...so he must be.

[Steelerette]

Maybe Podlesh will come back and get that average up to 32

[Steeldude]

A punter is the least of this team's worries. The punter doesn't even enter my mind after yet another pathetic performance by the Steelers. Things like pass rush, penalties and LT/RT are more pressing issues.

[zulater]

A punter is the least of this team's worries. The punter doesn't even enter my mind after yet another pathetic performance by the Steelers. Things like pass rush, penalties and LT/RT are more pressing issues.

Pass rush? What's a pass rush? :noidea: Oh you must mean that thing where Ben gets chased around about 1/4 of a second after the ball is snapped on most 3rd downs! I wonder why our guys haven't learned that maneuver?

[Count Steeler]

Pass rush? What's a pass rush? :noidea: Oh you must mean that thing where Ben gets chased around about 1/4 of a second after the ball is snapped on most 3rd downs! I wonder why our guys haven't learned that maneuver?

Puzzles me to no end. When I see other teams able to pressure with 3 players and we can't even get a sniff with 5 or 6, something is wrong.

[vader29]

Maybe Podlesh will come back and get that average up to 32

517030080045129729

[steelreserve]

He did pretty well in the two games before this. I hope it was just a bad game. Although he didn't fill me with confidence coming into the season. If that happens again, time to start rummaging through the punter recycle bin.

Does anyone remember when the backup QB always used to be the holder? We ought to start doing that again. It's not like our backups have anything better to do. Plus on the couple times a year when it's a botched snap or a fake, at least you don't have some dingbat running the show for a near-automatic fail.

[Mojouw]

I hear this guy needs a job. I present the ultimate weapon in NFL holder's:

http://dy.snimg.com/story-image/6/91/1722132/83982-650-366.jpg

[Craic]

Are you telling me the steelers scouts can't find a punter who can kick it more than 36 yards?

or are they just too stubborn to find one? it's not like a punter needs to learn the playbook

Um, take a look at where those punts landed, rather than just the average punts. "Yards per Punt" is the most misleading average in the NFL, see the following answer as to why.


29.8 yard average on 4 punts is not getting it done

That's a really unfair presentation of his punting in this game. It's why statistics must be assessed within context, especially when remembering that punts will be shortened to down them inside the twenty.

Punt 1: 46 yards to TB 20 yard line. (Note, inside [on] twenty.)
Punt 2: 34 yards to TB 8 yard line. (Inside twenty).
Punt 3: 39 yards to TB 6 yard line. (Inside twenty).
Punt 4: 29 yards to Pit 46.

Only ONE time did he not put the ball on or inside the opposing teams' twenty. And twice, he put the ball within 10 yards of the endzone.

So, how do you get a "29.8 yard average" from that?

Punt 1: 25 yard return. So much for coverage.
Punt 2: Fair catch
Punt 3: 4 yard return. 15 yard penalty for facemask. Ball ends up on 25.
Punt 4: Shank.

We can blame the punter for that last punt, but after consistently putting the ball inside the twenty for the entire game, I'm willing to overlook this shank. Now, if he develops a pattern of shanking in the fourth quarter when the pressure is on, then we will have a different discussion. But, one time does not make a pattern.

[Steeldude]

Puzzles me to no end. When I see other teams able to pressure with 3 players and we can't even get a sniff with 5 or 6, something is wrong.

Poor talent on the O-line? I don't think it is the coaching. I believe the Steelers have tried 3 O-line coaches and it doesn't seem to change much. I think the tackles are the problem.

[Godfather]

I watched Wing at LSU. He had a great leg.

Not sure what's different now, but I think part of it was situations where we wanted a short kick. Worst part was the choke job when it really mattered. Can't be too hard on him for that because the offense and defense were both guilty of the same thing.