Shaun
Alexander Color Rush Jersey , but they did pretty well on special
teams.Kicker Jason Myers was reliable throughout the season and found a spot on
the AFC Pro Bowl roster. He¡¯s joined on that roster by kick returner Andre
Roberts, who is also PFT¡¯s choice for the top special teams player of the
year.Roberts signed with the Jets as a free agent in the offseason and scored on
a punt return to help the team to a win on the first Monday night of the season.
Roberts also had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Week 16 and was one
of only two players to score touchdowns on both plays this season.Jakeem Grant
of the Dolphins was the other player to do that, but injury kept him from
playing the entire season. Roberts had several other big returns over the course
of the season to help a sputtering offense get points off of short fields. He
led the league with an average of 14.1 yards per punt return and finished second
with 29.4 yards per kickoff return, although it should be noted that he handled
nearly twice as many kickoffs as Darius Jennings.Rams linebacker Cory Littleton,
Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn and Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas were some of the
other notable special teams performers this season.PFT is also recognizing
Chargers kicker Michael Badgley as the league¡¯s top special teams rookie for
2018. Badgley failed to make the Colts out of camp and landed with the Chargers
in October when Caleb Sturgis was injured. He made all three field goals he
tried, but was briefly off the active roster when Sturgis was deemed healthy
enough to return.Good health didn¡¯t help Sturgis to good results, however, and
Badley was back in the job in early November. He finished the year 15-of-16 on
field goals and 25-of-26 extra points to solidify a position that¡¯s been a
trouble spot for the Chargers whether they were in San Diego and Los Angeles in
recent years.Seahawks punter Michael Dickson gets a strong honorable mention on
the rookie front. He had a net average of 42.5 yards per punt to help Seattle
win many field position battles on their way to the postseason. RENTON, Wash.
(AP) ¡ª When safety Marquise Blair was drafted in the second round by the Seattle
Seahawks, he brought with him to the NFL the reputation as a big hitter.That¡¯s
what happens when you¡¯re ejected twice from college games for targeting.So it
shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise that one of the most notable moments from Seattle¡¯s
preseason opener centered on Blair and riding that fine line between what¡¯s a
legal hit and what will draw a flag in the NFL.¡°I¡¯ve been working on it since I
left Utah, I¡¯ve been working on moving my
shoulder
Jarran Reed
Color Rush Jersey ,¡± Blair said. ¡°I¡¯m going full speed out there, it¡¯s
whatever they see.¡±In drafting Blair, the Seahawks are hoping they¡¯ve found the
next version of Kam Chancellor ¡ª a big safety with the strength and size to be a
force against the run but the skills to also defend the pass. And it didn¡¯t take
long into his first NFL preseason game to see the thumping he could add to the
secondary.It was the fourth quarter and Denver¡¯s Drew Lock attempted to hit Nick
Williams downfield. Blair came across and rocked Williams as the ball arrived,
soon followed by a flag. It was a hit that drew oohs, but also a review to see
if Blair was subject to ejection.Blair appeared to avoid making helmet contact
but his mistake was making the hit with his right shoulder, instead of his left.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll said the teaching point in that instance was for
Blair to have tried making the hit with his left shoulder so his head was
further away from the contact with the receiver.¡°The cool thing was that he was
there. He made a great break on the football, his timing was excellent, his
toughness was demonstrated. Now there is a little technique issue to make sure
that doesn¡¯t happen again,¡± Carroll said.Not surprisingly, doing drills to
replicate that play was one all of the Seahawks¡¯ defensive backs were doing on
Sunday.¡°That flag is all about inches,¡± Seattle safety Bradley McDougald said.
¡°If he goes two inches lower then it¡¯s a
clean
Nick Vannett
Color Rush Jersey , legal play. We can¡¯t let that flag or the referees
diminish how we play the game. We just have to practice, drill those things at
practice, getting the right strike range, the right target area and stay there
and rep it enough that it becomes second nature.¡±Blair was ¡°scrambling¡± as
Carroll described it in the preseason opener. He was flagged for the hit on
Williams and made the incorrect read on a pass play going after the quarterback
when he should have stayed on the receiver releasing off the line. He also made
a perfect, legal hit along the sideline later in the fourth quarter and added a
tackle for loss.He played 36 defensive snaps, the most of any player in
Seattle¡¯s secondary.¡°Some plays I was getting lined up wrong, my technique
sometimes. I¡¯m just working on it and getting better,¡± Blair said.NOTES: Carroll
said T/TE George Fant has a second-degree ankle sprain and will be aiming to try
and get back for the season opener. Fant was injured when he was rolled up from
behind on Thursday and was in a walking boot at practice Sunday. Fant has
regularly been used as an extra tight end. ¡ QB Geno Smith underwent surgery to
remove a cyst from his knee and was a spectator at practice on Sunday. Carroll
said Smith is hopeful he¡¯ll be ready to play next Sunday against Minnesota, but
said it could be a stretch to expect that. Smith¡¯s uncertainty was why Seattle
signed J.T. Barrett to add another arm for training camp.