Read my Kickoff Return Team Checklist here.
Read my Kickoff Team Checklist here.
Read my article about neutralizing the Punt Team Gunners here.
| PUNT RETURN CONSIDERATIONS | |
| 1 | Are we on turf or grass this week? |
| a | If turf, tendency of ball bounce when it lands? |
| 2 | Which return should we use? |
| 3 | How can we best block their kick? |
| a | Are we going to be able to block it off edge or up middle? |
| b | What is the depth of their punter? |
| 4 | What punt formations do they have? |
| a | Strengths of their formations? |
| b | Weaknesses of their formations? |
| 5 | When do they snap the ball? |
| a | Cadence or motion? |
| 6 | Where do they like to punt? Straight? Angle? |
| a | When on a hash, does angle of punt change? |
| 7 | Do they huddle on the field? |
| 8 | Average distance of punts? |
| a | How far back do we place our returners? |
| 9 | Create a “land” chart. (Where the balls land from middle,hashes) |
| a | Best place to place our returner from middle, hashes? |
| 10 | What number is their regular kicker? |
| a | Left or right footed? |
| b | Is there a backup kicker? Number? |
| 11 | What number is their long snapper? |
| a | How strong are the snaps? |
| b | Does the longsnapper cover punts or block? |
| 12 | Who has the most punt team tackles? |
| a | Where does he line up? |
| b | Does he line up in the same spot all the time? |
| 13 | Do they have linemen covering the punt, or faster kids? |
| 14 | What is the path of their contain guys? |
| 15 | Coverage lanes cross? Or come straight down? |
| 16 | What kind of fakes do they have? |
| a | Do they have a QB or backup QB as an upback, or punter? |
| b | Is punter a threat as a runner? Speed? |
| d | Starting WR or RB on punt team for a fake? |
| d | Where on the field do they have a tendency to fake? |
| e | Any tendency to fake depending on the yards to sticks? |
| Game Day Considerations | |
| 1 | Field Conditions? Dry? Wet? Mud? |
| 2 | Wind? Behind us, coming at us, cross? |
| a | How does wind change where our returner lines up? |
| b | How will the wind effect the snap? |
| 3 | Moisture in air? |
| 4 | Injuries to their punter, longsnapper? |
| 5 | Field condition on hashes if we are returning that way? |
Coach Fore is a consults teams on their Special Teams through his Eight Laces consulting business. You can find a Kick/Punt Returns and Blocks Manual, his Shield Punt Manual and more at EightLaces.org. He has a Shield Punt E Clinic here.
