The Seattle Seahawks had an interesting tryout show up on the Thursday and Friday NFL transaction wires. Just why do the Seahawks need to bring in a punter?
Luke Elzinga and Colton Spangler have not been signed to the practice squad, Michael Dickson is not on the injury report, so what gives?
Well the answer is simpler than it looks.
Elzinga and Spangler are both left-footed punters, whereas Dickson is right-footed. The Commanders punter is Tress Way, who’s also left-footed in a league dominated by
righties. San Francisco 49ers punter Corliss Waitman and Matt Araiza of the Kansas City Chiefs are also lefties, and the Seahawks will see both of them in a few weeks.
There is a science behind the difference between left- and right-footed punters that was explained by Sports Illustrated’s Jenny Vrentas back in 2018.
The simple answer is that left-footed punts spin the opposite direction, counterclockwise (from the punter’s perspective), presenting an extra challenge for returners who are used to reading a right-footer’s spin. From the punt’s apex, a left-footed ball will fade to the returner’s right, whereas most returners are used to catching right-footed balls that fade to their left. That has the potential to cause a returner to hesitate or, even better for the punting team, to muff the catch. The search for answers usually ends there.
That’s pretty much it. Scouting and simulating playing a left-footed punter is the goal for Seattle. They did this last season before playing the New Orleans Saints and their punter, Kai Kroeger.
Chasing edges also means leaving no stone unturned. No need to read too much into Seattle’s punter tryouts beyond needing some lefties to prepare for several leftie punters over the next month.
