Micah Hyde Making Plays for Green Bay Packers

Micah Hyde is not your typical punt returner, or your typical playmaker.  The self-described “slow guy from Iowa” broke the Green Bay Packers game against the Philadelphia Eagles wide open, though, with an electrifying 75 yard punt return touchdown.

The Green Bay Packers selected Hyde in the 5th Round in 2013, where he fell due to widespread knocks on his game speed and athletic abilities.  One consensus about Hyde, who split time between Safety and Cornerback at Iowa, was that he was a “football player”.

Hyde has been a strong presence in the Packers’ secondary through 2014, recording 46.0 total tackles to go along with 4 passes defended.  He recorded his first career interception last week against the Chicago Bears, and alongside Morgan Burnett and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, has helped to solidify a position of weakness in the Packers’ defense.

It is in the punt return game, though, that Hyde is most surprising.  His 75 yard scamper on Sunday was not his first, as he took back a punt against the Minnesota Vikings in 2013 for a 93 yard score.  Micah Hyde offers a completely different skill set than Randall Cobb, who he shares return duties with, but he could see the majority of opportunities down the stretch. 

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Aside from the desire to keep Randall Cobb healthy, Hyde has out-performed the speedy WR in a limited sample size thus far.  With Cobb averaging 10.2 yards per return on 10 attempts, Micah Hyde is now averaging 20.67 yards on 6 attempts.  Darren Sproles, who leads all qualifying players in punt return average, averages 16.6 yards.

Will Micah Hyde develop into the Green Bay Packers’ own Devon Hester?  Absolutely not.  His straight-ahead style will allow him to take what he is given and positively impact the Packers’ field position, but that’s about it.  Hyde’s value in Green Bay comes in his ability to do it all as a true 4-down player.

As Green bay continues to put their defensive focus on stopping the run, a player like Hyde stepping up in the secondary is absolutely critical, with that unit now being leaned on more heavily.  Whether it is returning punts, making strong tackles in the box from the Safety position, or forcing turnovers, one thing is becoming easy to expect from Micah Hyde:  Somehow, someway, the slow guy from Iowa will find a way to impact the game.

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