But fake punts are generally drawn up with the idea of picking up a few critical yards, not for breaking a long play. The return man's 45 yards upfield; he rarely figures in defending on a fake. Plus, how often do you need to defend against a fake? 2, 3 times a season? Give me a receiver or running back; someone comfortable with the ball in their hands.
IMO Russell Shepard should be the punt returner. Why not? We need to get the ball in his hands as much as possible, and that would be a great place for it.
No, no, no, not ever...never! The most vulnerable person at any given time of a football game is a punt returner looking up at the ball coming down, with absolutely no way to protect himself. Why would you want to subject the most heralded QB we've ever recruited to this a half dozen times a game?
Right now, Chad Jones has proven himself to be the most reliable punt returner. He doesn't have the breakaway speed but he does have moves and can shake some tackles. And he is a guy that who will definitely not go down on the first hit too. I don't feel as comfortable with Holliday back there but he def has the most potential to take it to the house.
I'd rather TH than CJ. Both are subject to fumbling, but TH adds the HR hitter element. Hopefully Brooks will come forward. But I wouldn't count P Peterson out. The runback of the int in the spring game brought him to my mind as PR. Dude can scat, has moves, and is pretty big. Incredible athlete...great hands, too. I bet he returned in HS.
Maybe bc, heralded or not, he won't be passing up Jordan Jefferson at QB most likely ever? Forget the recruiting hype and be realistic here. If we're going to be careful with Shep just bc of some dream that he'll be our QB here sometime soon, then we are wasting his amazing ability with the ball in his hands.
JJ has looked poised but I think we should wait until he faces some upper echelon teams in the SEC befor we anoint him as irreplacable. It's unknown how it willl play out. There are some SEC coaches who think Shep is going to be something special at QB as well.
Not at all. There will be plenty of opportunities to put the ball in his hands, running a wild hog-type formation, throwing him screens, lining him up in the slot and running reverses. Plays where he has the chance to see the defense developing and can react, not standing still, blindly looking straight up in the air while a couple of head-hunters with a 40 yard running start try to show off their abilities, at the expense of RS's head or ribs.
