We’ve all heard the jokes about kickers and punters not being real football players. Sure, newspapers put the kicker on the front page of the Monday morning edition when they hit a game-winning field goal, and fantasy football players often spend hours late at night trying to figure out who has the best matchup for the upcoming weekend’s games. However, kickers and punters are often left out from discussions about the most dominating players in the NFL or the players who have the biggest impact on the game.
When the news about Reggie Hodges’ season-ending injury was announced earlier in the week, many Browns fans probably breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Good thing it’s not Peyton Hillis–I’m glad that the Madden Curse waited to take him out until the actual start of the season.”
However, I believe that the loss of Hodges is actually an enormous setback for the Browns.
Punters have played a huge role in the Browns’ victories over the past two seasons. Take a look at the Browns’ victories the past few years. Other than the upset victories over New England and New Orleans, all of the Browns other victories in 2010 were by three points or less. And who can forget the Browns 6-3 victory against the Bills in 2009? In all of these games, the near-flawless punting of either Dave Zastudil or Reggie Hodges was the key factor that led to the Browns’ victory. A bad punt here or there could have given the opposing team favorable field position that would have allowed them to subsequently advance the ball and win the game. Fortunately for Browns fans, Zastudil and Hodges were able to place the ball with nearly pinpoint accuracy and pin the opposing team deep in their own territory.
Let’s face it: the Browns’ offense is still somewhat of a work in progress, especially given the fact that the team will be installing a new offensive system on a shortened training camp schedule. While I’d be thrilled to be proven wrong and see the offense put up large numbers of points every Sunday, I’m prepared for another season in which the offense controls the ball with bullish running from Peyton Hillis and Colt McCoy is asked to simply manage the game. The last thing the Browns need to do is to wind up engaging in shootouts with the opposing team that are fueled by poor Browns punting and short fields for the opposing offense.
Do I think that the season is a lost cause? Not at all. Continued development from the Browns’ young wide receivers and Colt McCoy should result in improved offensive production, and I believe that the Browns’ additions to the defensive line will go a long way in helping us stop the run. The majority of Holmgren and Heckert’s personnel decisions have been solid, and until I’ve been given reason to think differently, I’m going to keep on saying that they’ve got the Browns headed in the right direction.
Besides…we’re Browns fans here! Even if the team was 0-15, you know we’d all tune in on Sunday afternoons and pack Cleveland Browns Stadium and cheer like the team was 15-0.
Having said that, I believe that there will be a few situations this upcoming season in which a bad punt here or there changes the face of the game for the worse. When that happens, a sizable contingent of Browns fans will say, “Man, I miss Reggie Hodges.”
I’d love to be proven wrong, though. Let’s hope that I am!
