In his first year in the league, New Orleans Saints punter Matthew Hayball has been an extremely effective weapon for the Saints. You actually would like to never see your punter.
Unfortunately for the Saints, they’ve seen Hayball frequently. Fortunately for the Saints, however, Hayball frequently delivers. Punts aren’t typically highlight plays unless it’s a punt return, but Hayball has put the opposing offense in tough situation on a regular basis.
Hayball has placed 27 punts inside the opposing 20-yard line. No other punter has done it more times through 11 games. What’s more impressive is the percentage of punts he places inside the 20-yard line. 57% of Hayball’s punts have been inside the 20.
If you hyper focus on yards per punt, you may think Hayball has struggled. He ranks 31st in the NFL in what can be a misleading stat. You don’t want a 55-yard punt when you’re just outside of field goal range. Judging a punter solely on how far he punts on average is flawed because a punter doesn’t always use his full leg. Accuracy is what’s most important in that situation.
Punts landing inside the 20-yard line also doesn’t tell the full story, but it’s a better metric to measure effectiveness. But even if he’s effective, let’s hope we see less of Hayball through the final six weeks — that would mean the Saints are ending more drives with points than punts.
