New York Jets: Hangtime the issue for Lac Edwards
Special teams was a huge issue for the New York Jets, and one of the biggest culprits was punter Lac Edwards, with hangtime chief among his problems.
The news of the week is going to be Sam Darnold finally signing with the New York Jets. That said, if a team wants to start a young quarterback early, it’s not just about his talent, but also the pieces around him. For a young quarterback, the field position game is key to success. The punter plays a huge role in that, and Jets punter Lachlan Edward will have to step up big time for the team to be successful.
The former Australian Rules Football star saw an increase in return rate allowed from his rookie season (46.7 percent to 52.1 percent) and an increase in average return yards allowed (9.1 to 10.0).
You also saw a dip in another major category: hangtime. Trajectory is key on whether or not a punt is returnable. It’s not always about the booming leg, but how quickly it gets to the return man. If it gets there too quickly, the return man will have enough time to get yards and establish good field position.
According to Pro Football Focus, Edwards had an average hangtime of 4.35 seconds as a rookie, and that’s not bad for someone transitioning from the AFL. However, in 2018, his hangtime dropped nearly 0.2 seconds — from 4.35 seconds to 4.18 seconds (30th in the NFL in 2017). Two-tenths of a second may not seem like a lot, but it is when it comes to how fast a player gets down there. (Think about it. The 40-yard dash at the combine is measured to two decimal places for a reason.)
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Gross average is great, and having a booming leg is great too. However, Edwards is going to have to either sacrifice total distance for giving the Jets enough time to get to the return man, or figure out a way to keep the distance while keeping the ball in the air longer. If he can’t, he’s in a got to go situation in 2019.