When was the last time fourth and nine was must watch television? When your team fails to move the chains after third down, it’s only normal to let out a dreary sigh, get up and walk toward the bathroom in hopes of making it back before the commercial break concludes. But if you are blessed enough to watch the division leading 7-2 Oakland Raiders special teams unit take the field to punt it away, your butt had better be glued to your seat.
Declining television ratings for the NFL have been well documented over the past few weeks. Why? Is it because Cam Newton and his Panthers haven’t had the redemption year everyone wanted to see, or is it because America is sick of watching the Patriots win game after game?
I know for a fact I have paid way less attention to the NFL this year than I have in the past, but over the weekend, I saw something I had never seen before. It wasn’t a squirrel running through the end zone and halting the game at Lambeau or Mark Sanchez eating hotdogs on the sidelines. It was even better: I saw Marquette King.
Imagine a punter. If you’re the average American football fan, you’ll probably picture a borderline middle-aged, lanky, white male who’s smaller than everyone else on the field. He’s wearing a large, usually single-digit number that takes up the majority of his uniform. He trots out onto the field, catches the ball and kicks it. Then, he walks back to the sideline, an unsung hero, rarely getting any praise or recognition.
Marquette King on the other hand, marches to the beat of a different drum, and he’s starting a punting revolution.
King is noticeable because he’s the only black punter in the NFL, and his skills on and off the field are grabbing the attention of fans across the league. He has one of the best and most accurate legs in the league. He’s placed 21 punts inside the opponent’s 20 yard line, which is tied for second most this season. But his dance moves are just as great as his punts, and they were on full display last Sunday night in Oakland.
When King pinned the Broncos at their two yard line, he busted a couple of moves then hopped on his imaginary yet trustworthy steed and rode it all the way to the sideline. At the end of another drive, he took a shot at the Von Miller dance, which the Broncos’ defensive end popularized in this year’s Madden commercials.
Miller wasn’t the only victim: In Baltimore, King did his impersonation of Ray Lewis taking the field. He’s also hit a vicious whip against the Falcons in week two.
Celebration isn’t anything new to the NFL, but in the punting profession, it’s practically unheard of. Punting is one of the hardest tasks in the NFL, and when done well, it can be game changing. That’s what makes King so much fun to watch. He’s the punter every team deserves. King has put punting back on the map. He’s taken an art that has become mundane and made it worth celebrating.
Soe the next time your team faces the Raiders punting unit, make sure you’re holding your popcorn tight and paying attention. Otherwise King may swipe your box of kernels and dump them into his facemask á la Terrell Owens.
