It is a wonder that it can even be pronounced. The combination of consonants and vowels flows off the tongue like so much peanut butter.
Scifres. Yet as strange as a combination of seemingly disparate letters, they equate to a beautiful combination of balance, power and timing which takes form on... Fourth and Long.
I love and hate that we are noticing a punter for what he does spectacularly. Mike Scifres certainly is one of the leagues best and should be known as such. He puts enough force through a football to maim a puma with enough precision to escape a mongoose. Yet I would like to point out that he is (close to) top of our sport because he performs the way we saw on Saturday (6 punts for 52.7 average punt, all 6 downed inside the 20), EVERY WEEK.
Do you want to know why he isn't in the Pro Bowl? Because he is 8th in the league in gross average and 3rd in the league in net average. What does that mean to the non punteresque individual? Punters in the NFL are getting better and better, in fact, most of them are now freaks. These guys are the same as every other NFL athlete--99.9th percentile. Go look at the bios of every punter in the league and look how many were All-Americans in something in high school or played another position in college. Just about every one. Ponder that next time you want to disparage a 32 yard shank. Punting is like driving a golf ball. Yet imagine this. You are tossed your Titelist prior to hitting it, must tee it up out of hand and then perform the proper technique to hit it over 320 yards.... Oh by the way, do this in 1.3 seconds or less and with guys sprinting at you who run 4.3 40's.... Oh and by the way again, put it on the green... every... time....
I step down off my soap box...
Although our punter here in San Diego is phenomenal, was stellar on Saturday, and will continue to be outstanding, so too are the other 31 guys doing it. Don't even get me started on place kickers. He has and will continue to help us win games, cause that just what he do. Small numbers, big responsibilities.
4th and Long
Until next time.. E'ry body gitcha Sprole on.....
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