Among the myriad of questions the Steelers face in the wake of their playoff exit at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, there’s one question that might not get a lot of attention, but will be key as the Steelers make an array of off-season decisions;
Can the Steelers rely on Brad Wing to be their punter in 2015?
When training camp began this past July, the hope was that Wing, an Australian punter who starred at LSU, would compete with veteran Adam Podlesh for the job. That plan did not come to fruition as Podlesh never made it to Latrobe due to his decision to remain with his wife as she dealt with serious complications during her pregnancy this Summer.
The decision by Podlesh to be by his wife’s side was noble and inspiring, but also put the Steelers in a bind. Instead of having a camp-long battle for the position, Wing was essentially given the job without the pressure of having to truly earn it.
Considering the revolving door of punters that have come and gone since Daniel Sepulveda was released in 2011, you can understand why the Steelers hoped that Wing would run with his opportunity. After all, just last year alone, the Steelers had four different punters (Drew Butler, Brian Moorman, Zoltan Mesko and Mat McBriar) who were given opportunities to handle the job.
That group failed miserably. In fact, the Steelers ranked 31st in the NFL in punting average (41.1 ypg) and net average (35.7 ypg) last season.
The Steelers put their faith in Wing to improve those numbers considerably in 2014, but unfortunately, the talented Aussie was not nearly as reliable or consistent as the Steelers hoped. Once again the Steelers ranked near the bottom in both punting average (43.0, 28th in the NFL) and net average (38.2, 25th in the NFL) along with ranking 28th in the league for kicks downed inside the 20 (20 total)
Though the field position game is often overlooked, having a top flight punter can have a tremendous impact on games. Some of the best in the league like the 49’ers Andy Lee, the Ravens Sam Koch or the Colts Pat McAfee are routinely helping win the field position game for their teams, giving them a subtle, yet critical advantage.
If Steeler fans needed a painful reminder of this, they need to look no further than their Week 4 home loss to the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Clinging to a late fourth quarter lead, Wing’s 29-yard punt from his own 17 set up the Bucs in Steeler territory with 40 seconds left, and contributed mightily to the winning scoring drive.
You can’t blame Wing alone for the loss, but that play certainly stood out during the Steelers fourth quarter collapse.
Now the Steelers will almost certainly look to bring in competition for the punting duties in 2015. The free agent market is limited, but one of the best in the game, the Titans Brett Kern, is an unrestricted free agent this off season. Though the Steelers clearly have issues with the salary cap ahead, bringing in a proven veteran like Kern makes a lot of sense, especially if the Steelers don’t believe Wing can improve dramatically in 2015.
The other option is to draft a punter, but this year’s draft prospects are fairly lackluster. Michigan State’s Mike Sadler and Baylor’s Spencer Roth are two of the most likely to get drafted, but neither are considered NFL locks.
Regardless, after a mediocre season from Wing, the Steelers will have tough decisions to make in terms of who will be their punter in 2015.
