Johnny Hekker has been a problem for Chris Tabor over the past decade. But now that the two are together with the Carolina Panthers, the six-time All-Pro boot is a good problem to have for the experienced special teams coordinator.
On Thursday, Tabor made his debut on the mic in front of the Charlotte media. And he, obviously, didn’t go through his session without expressing his excitement for finally having the potent punter on his side.
“Well, I’ve played against him a bunch of times, and I’ve lost a lot of sleep playing against him,” Tabor said of Hekker. “He’s a great athlete. Obviously, he’s been one of the best punters in the league. If you think about it and just look at him statistically, last year the Rams only had nine punts returned against them the entire year. Most teams you’re probably anywhere from the 35 to 40 range there. So just him taking away returners, punt location.”
Hekker, who signed a three-year, $7.6 million deal with the Panthers out of free agency, only had nine of his 51 attempts returned in 2021. That was also good enough for an accumulation of 2,172 net yards, which is pretty impressive considering the Rams offense isn’t one that had to punt away too often.
But Hekker’s leg isn’t the only problem he can create for the opposition. The former quarterback has proven he’s an asset with his arm as well.
“But the other thing is, being such a great athlete, he can throw the football now,” Tabor added. “And that opens up a lot of doors. And it challenges you as a coach also to be creative with him because you have to play defense first as a punt return team. He creates problems and I’m really glad he’s here as opposed to facing him.”
With trickery often afoot, or at least as a lingering threat, Hekker has completed 14 of his 23 career throws for 186 yards and a touchdown. So Tabor and the Panthers can certainly get a little funky at times if needed.
And that’ll ultimately be up to Tabor, who can now create the havoc with Hekker instead of bracing for it.
