Believe it or not, there is some punter controversy in the NFL. As ridiculous as that sounds, it’s true. Marquette King of the Oakland Raiders has caused a bit of a stir with NFL veterans. Care to travel down the rabbit hole? Then keep on reading.
Let Marquette King Have Fun
King Is King
Before getting into the mess of things, it’s important to acknowledge what King has accomplished this year. He’s averaging over 48 yards per punt (41.8 net), and has sunk 21 punts inside the 20 this year. Consider for a moment that King has only punted 44 times so far this season. That means that 48% of the time, King is flipping the field, pinning the opposition deep. Only Johnny Hekker and Jeff Locke have better percentages and neither man averages as many yards per punt as King does. However, his exceptional play isn’t why he’s making headlines.
Just Dance
Marquette King is having a phenomenal season, and it’s no secret to him. He knows when he booted the ball well, and he’s been known to bust out the odd celebration. Anyone who follows King on Instagram has known he’s a bit of a funny guy for a while now, but this year, he really let it fly.
Nobody’s sure when he first started celebrating, but his first notable celebration came in week four of this season against the Baltimore Ravens. After nailing a 55 yard punt, King decided to emulate Baltimore legend Ray Lewis by doing his famous dance. Doing this dance at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore was ballsy, but he didn’t stop there.
Last Sunday night against the Denver Broncos, King decided to trot after a booming punt. The Broncos reportedly thought it was amusing, and most of America took it for what it was, someone making a great play. However, there were some that aren’t so fond of King’s antics.
King’s Critics
If your punter celebrates like this, you should be penalized. @nflcommish pic.twitter.com/F6GBMi8aVb
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) November 7, 2016
Joe Thomas, arguably a future Hall of Fame left tackle, believes King should be penalized for his excessive celebration. There were reports of a tweet from King telling Thomas of the 0-10 Cleveland Browns to “stay in his lane”, but either it never existed or it has been deleted. However, King did respond in another tweet.
@joethomas73 Positive Vibes!
— Marquette King (@MarquetteKing) November 18, 2016
Interestingly enough, it wasn’t just Thomas that was critical of King. For those familiar with Oakland’s history, you know that King is only the latest in a long line of great Raider punters. The first was Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Guy, and recently there was King’s predecessor, Shane Lechler. The Raider Nation will remember Lechler fondly, as he was Oakland’s punter for 13 years.
King and the Raiders are traveling to Mexico City to face Lechler and the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. When Lechler was asked if he’d seen his successor dance after punts, and the All-Pro said “Unfortunately, I have.”
Maybe Lechler is bitter, or maybe he’s just old-fashioned, but it didn’t seem like the future Hall of Famer was very fond of King’s antics. And frankly, scrolling through some of the responses to Lechler’s comments and Thomas’ tweet, there are an unsettling amount of people that are very critical of King and his celebrations.
No Fun League
It’s funny. Everyone talks about how much they miss Hines Ward, Chad OchoCinco, and the old “characters” that would light up the screen every Sunday. But whenever someone tries to express themselves, fans throw temper tantrums. King is obviously a very entertaining, very creative guy with a monster leg.
People complain about how the rules are so harsh and they don’t let anyone have fun, and yet when someone comes along and expresses themselves, they get shunned? Marquette King should be your favorite punter, if he isn’t already.
King is among the very best in the league at his position, and he’s only 28 years old. Considering that Lechler is still booming punts and he’s 39, the Raider Nation and the NFL could be in store for a decade of King celebrations.
And also, he responded to a @LWOSRaiders tweet once, so our Raider writers are big fans.
The Nation would have the whole bridge turnt. https://t.co/TKF4xe9bmh
— Marquette King (@MarquetteKing) May 11, 2016
