Punting

[MikeT]

So here is another Subject that Tomlin has refused to do anything about, Punter. Harvin has been in the bottom 5 of the league every year hes been in the league and we continue to keep this guy. This is not the only time a player has kept his job even while not performing but it is one of the most glaring issues.

I understand there's a difference between somebody having a bad stretch and keeping them and letting them work through it. However having someone work thru their slump entails that person having been good at their job at some point. Being in the bottom five of the league your entire career does not fall into that category.

Food for thought on Presely Harvin.

2021 Season: Finished ranking 2nd to last
2022 Season: Finished Ranking 4th to last
2023 Season: Currently Ranking 4th to last (technically 3rd to last as the 2nd to last position is tied)

[tube517]

Braden Mann (the guy who almost made the team)

https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id...39/braden-mann

Better stats than PH

[Mojouw]

Take a look at the percent of kicks that are inside the 20: https://www.footballdb.com/statistic...?sort=puntin20

Almost half are pinning opponents deep.

Tomlin has always valued directional kicking over raw average.

[Born2Steel]

What do stats mean about punting. Every punt is it’s own success or fail story.

[Steeler-in-west]

Take a look at the percent of kicks that are inside the 20: https://www.footballdb.com/statistic...?sort=puntin20

Almost half are pinning opponents deep.

Tomlin has always valued directional kicking over raw average.

that’s only half the battle. A punter needs range too. If your near mid field pinning the opponent deep is great, but when your pinned deep yourself you want to get the ball out of there to maybe the opponents 35 yard line. Harvin is weak on range, our opponents start near the 50 yard line when we’ve been pinned deep

[fansince'76]

Harvin has also become an excellent holder and has salvaged at least one FG that would have probably been missed due to a poor snap. And considering how points have come at a premium for this team this season, that's huge.

Holder is one of those things nobody really thinks about until they're stuck with one who sucks.

[Mojouw]

that’s only half the battle. A punter needs range too. If your near mid field pinning the opponent deep is great, but when your pinned deep yourself you want to get the ball out of there to maybe the opponents 35 yard line. Harvin is weak on range, our opponents start near the 50 yard line when we’ve been pinned deep

Is that true?

I remember several games earlier this season, that Harvin flipped the field fairly well.

Plus, we have years of evidence to suggest that Tomlin will always always always prefer the guy with the ability to place one at the 5 over the guy with the 70 yard leg.

[Steeler-in-west]

Is that true?

I remember several games earlier this season, that Harvin flipped the field fairly well.

Plus, we have years of evidence to suggest that Tomlin will always always always prefer the guy with the ability to place one at the 5 over the guy with the 70 yard leg.

yeah, it looks like its true. Average punts among nfl punters range from 53 to 42. Harvin is at 44.7 so he’s below the average. He may have had a few booming punts but he’s shanked more than his share too. He’s near the top in punts inside the 20 so I understand tomlin keeping the guy, but if you can have the consistent range and control that’s best - if they can find it, guess that’s a big if.

[Dwinsgames]

one name fixes it all.......

Matt Araiza

[Mojouw]

yeah, it looks like its true. Average punts among nfl punters range from 53 to 42. Harvin is at 44.7 so he’s below the average. He may have had a few booming punts but he’s shanked more than his share too. He’s near the top in punts inside the 20 so I understand tomlin keeping the guy, but if you can have the consistent range and control that’s best - if they can find it, guess that’s a big if.

I know he has had his shanks. Too many.

But averages are a funny thing....

Say Harvin is mostly punting with only 55 yards of space between him and the endzone; then a 44.7 yard average would be pretty good. Or say he only punts from just outside FG range on one side of the 50 and just short of the 40 on the other side...he could have some real boomers in that average that are swamped by a bunch of short kicks inside the 20.

Somewhere someone has to have a better breakdown of the effectiveness of each punter. The stats do not seem to capture it.

[86WARD]

Somewhere someone has to have a better breakdown of the effectiveness of each punter. The stats do not seem to capture it.

This. “Punting Average” is probably the worst “stat” to judge a punter on. Give me field placement and ball placement and a good holder any day over “punt average”.

There’s been very few punts this season that have been WTF punts. Very few.

[DuckHodges]

dude seems to be good except for when it really counts. his shanks always happen at the worst possible times

[Devilsdancefloor]

dude seems to be good except for when it really counts. his shanks always happen at the worst possible times

this

[Rotorhead]

dude seems to be good except for when it really counts. his shanks always happen at the worst possible times

Completely agree here, he seems to shank punts at the worst times, late in games when we need the other team pinned deep, he shanks it.

[HollywoodSteel]

In Harvin’s defense, he had a couple that really should have pinned them deep but the coverage unit messed it up.

[tube517]

https://www.nfl.com/stats/player-sta...rageyards/DESC

Harvin not even in the first page of punter stats. Yes, he was kept for being a great holder.

[86WARD]

https://www.nfl.com/stats/player-sta...rageyards/DESC

Harvin not even in the first page of punter stats. Yes, he was kept for being a great holder.

Being a great holder might be more important than being an actual punter.

[hawaiiansteeler]

Steelers Recognize Significant Punter Problem

by Nick Farabaugh, Steelers Now

The Pittsburgh Steelers know they have an issue at punter. Pressley Harvin III has become one of the team’s issues on special teams, and that matters a ton of when the team plays the field position game as much as they do. On Thursday, Mike Tomlin addressed Harvin’s rocky play.

“You know, I’ll acknowledge that Pressley (Harvin) wasn’t consistent enough, particularly down the stretch,” Tomlin said.

The Steelers have a punter problem, and have had one for a while. But their loss against the Bills game cemented the fact that it seems even harder to imagine them not making a change here. Pittsburgh gave Harvin three legitimate seasons to prove what he could do on the football field, but time and time again, he has fallen short. A mere 38.5 punt average led Harvin to one of his most lackluster career showings. For a team that plays the field position game so strongly, having a subpar punter is a big deal, especially when they invested a draft pick in Harvin.

Harvin’s flat punts leave the team out to dry.

to read more:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl...6b3e7a29&ei=89