Bucs Punter Insists He’s The Team-Leading Receiver
July 2nd, 2021
Bradley Pinion makes his case — albeit a strange one.
Just when Joe thought/hoped another punter-related post wouldn’t appear here until 2022, Bradley Pinion left Joe no viable option.
Joe’s got nothing against punters, but they’re not why 99.826 people watch and love football.
Pinion joined the Bucs in 2019, and a couple of weeks later, Bucco Bruce Arians called him Tampa Bay’s most critical free agent signing. It got Joe wondering at the time whether Team Glazer’s mandatory and thorough health exam requirement for Arians to get the job included a toxicology screening.
Regardless, Pinion, like so many Bucs, had an excellent 2020 season. And Joe wrote earlier this week about Pinion having the best kickoff-touchback percentage in the NFL last year.
Pinion appeared recently visited with The Sports Courier News and was asked to name a great misconception about punters. The reply came quickly. “That we’re not athletes,” Pinion said.
And then, Joe believes, Pinion went off the rails.
“People don’t realize, to punt, you’re usually the holder for field-goal kicking also,” Pinion said. “So to punt, you probably have the most catches on the team than anyone else. So you can take Mike Evans, you can take Chris, you can take Godwin, A.B., and you look at every single time I caught the football, and I probably have the most catches on the team.”
Man, that was a strange justification for a punter’s athleticism. You’d think Pinion would have talked about maintaining his hammer of a leg that dominates touchbacks and the precision and power required to punt. But no, he played the holder card. Joe will leave it alone there.
Of course, punters are athletes. And Joe finds it kind of fun that Pinion sees himself as the Bucs’ leading receiver. Keep up those hands, Bradley!
July 2nd, 2021 at 11:44 am
The problem is every catch is negative yards! Most catches but YAC -20
July 2nd, 2021 at 11:44 am
Now if he can punt as good as he can catch, we’ll have one hell of a special team.
July 2nd, 2021 at 11:50 am
Actually Brady would be with the amount of shotgun snaps he takes from center. checkmate.
July 2nd, 2021 at 11:55 am
Yeah and Jensen has the most carries.
July 2nd, 2021 at 12:02 pm
Met Pinions family at the Panthers game. Great people! How did we know they were Pinions family? They all were wearing his jersey….dead giveaway lol.
July 2nd, 2021 at 12:24 pm
Maybe Pinion can hold the fireworks for JPP on the 4th……but not too long.
Many take the punter & holder positions for granted….but they are very important…..and with Pinion…his touchbacks mask a very poor kick coverage unit.
July 2nd, 2021 at 12:44 pm
Was tailgating in atlanta and also saw a car full of Pinion Jerseys also. Was same game that all the kickers were in quarantine. Bradley’s mom gave us the update they were all cleared play, took my address, and sent my son a signed photo.
Very nice family.
July 2nd, 2021 at 12:56 pm
Yawn
July 2nd, 2021 at 1:05 pm
I think we’ve found Biden’s new press spokesman
July 2nd, 2021 at 1:35 pm
Belicheck says the punter has to have the best hands on the team. If he drops any ball that comes his way its a disaster.
July 2nd, 2021 at 1:39 pm
Only 99 and most of one other person watch football?
July 2nd, 2021 at 2:18 pm
Uh,,,I think that was tongue in cheek people.
July 2nd, 2021 at 3:24 pm
Joe, don’t you think that may have been a little tongue-in-cheek response? Didn’t hear the interview so can’t judge by tone or delivery, but sounds like a bit of a joke to me. Regardless, hope he keeps pinning opposing teams back this year.
July 2nd, 2021 at 3:30 pm
Only 99.826 people watch football?
July 2nd, 2021 at 4:13 pm
And once again a buffoon brings politics in!
July 2nd, 2021 at 4:46 pm
I LOVE IT!!!! A punter with attitude or a sense of humor. Or both. Who knows. But he is bada$$.
July 3rd, 2021 at 10:42 am
With that logic then Tom Brady would be the leading receiver
July 3rd, 2021 at 12:39 pm
Actually I do believe he has a point about hands. Of course it negates the speed and leaping ability of our receivers but it is difficult to catch a ball all the while you’re also thinking about rotating laces and spotting the ball for the FG kicker.
But while I feel his analogy made sense in terms of “hands” it falls apart in terms of leading receivers.
The Bucs attempted 31FG’s last year. 31 receptions for Pinion. That places him 7th just behind Leonard Fournette and less than half the catches of ME13 and CG14.
July 3rd, 2021 at 5:22 pm
SPBF – Pinion also “catches” the ball every time it is long snapped for a punt.
So 91 punts + 31 FGs catching snaps as the holder = 122 “catches” for Pinion = Most catches in live games for the 2020 Buccaneers.
The problem with this logic is that it actually makes TB12 the team leader in “catches” as I’m pretty sure he “caught” more than 122 shotgun snaps last year…..
July 4th, 2021 at 6:47 am
It’s actual a very valid point. If pinion dropped 20% of the catches he makes. Our special teams unit would be a disaster. But a receiver with 80% catch to target rate is a pro bowler.
July 4th, 2021 at 10:45 pm
He’d be the worse receiver in the league with -1000 yards!