New Orleans Saints Punter Thomas Morstead Must Be a Pro Bowler

The New Orleans Saints have the number one offense in the NFL throughout almost every statistical category.

But on the rare occasion in which Drew Brees and his offense fail to convert a first-down, Thomas Morstead and his undeniable punting skills must be called upon.

“The Leg” as to which most of his teammates refer him, is not presented with a lot of opportunities throughout the course of game based on Drew Brees ability to convert on 3rd downs so easily.

But when the alum from Southern Methodist University is needed, he never ceases to dissapoint.

Morstead has rendered an astonishing 43.7 net yard average for punts this year. That’s good for second in the entire NFL, let alone the NFC.

On average, his punts are close to the 50-yard mark. That’s giving the New Orleans Saints defense a whole half-field to defend the end zone, just by Morsteads’ leg alone.

In my opinion, I consider Morstead the player that Saints fans can trust the most on either offense or special teams, excluding Brees of course.

Besides punting, it is arguable that number six is the best onside-kicker in the entire league.

I obviously do not need to remind Saints fans of the heroic onside-kick in Super Bowl XLIV. A kick that was booted perfectly to catch the Indianapolis Colts off-guard, giving Brees and company a short field after the Chris Reis recovery.

That kick completely changed the game, giving New Orleans momentum throughout the second half and contributed to the winning of their first Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Morstead has proven he still has that ability.

In Sunday’s game at Minnesota, Coach Sean Payton called another onside-kick after a Saints’ scoring drive.

The kick was perfect, giving linebacker Will Herring and special teams ace Courtney Roby easy opportunities to jump on the ball.

Unfortunately, the two aforementioned players got a bad read on the ball, erasing the perfect kick by Morstead.

The strength of Morsteads’ leg can also be measured by the fact that the Saints have more touchbacks this year than any other team in the entire NFL. That alone proves Morsteads’ capability and strength that he possesses.

He has proven, game in and game out, that he deserves to be representing the NFC as the number one punter in the conference. It is unfortunate that he doesn’t as many opportunities as other punters in the league, but Coach Payton can rely on him with an unprecedented amount of trust.

Depending on the results, whether Morstead made it to the Pro-Bowl or not, he undoubtedly deserves to be represented because he is one of the most reliable, powerful, and talented punters in the modern era of the National Football League.