Blake O'Neill Article (Great John Baxter Quote)
I know, I know, I know, another FREEP story. To avoid giving them any unwanted clicks, I have provided the best parts of the short article here. IMO, Michigan hasn't had a punter like this since Zoltan, who was one of those once in a great while punters. O'Neil's ability to pin opponents deep should not be overlooked and his presence has definitely been felt early on this season. Only this coaching staff would find a diamond in the rough graduate transfer punter out of Weber State...
http://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverine…
Baxter Quote:
“Punter is the hardest position on your whole football team to find,” Baxter said Wednesday. “Punters are becoming kind of like an endangered species because there’s no skill set in anywhere in any sport you play in this country that has you drop a rhomboid spheroid flat and try to hit it with your foot. … What do you do when the current farm isn’t yielding the crops you need? You expand your farming area.”
Harbaugh Quote:
On his Monday radio show, U-M coach Jim Harbaugh said: “I can’t say enough about the way he’s able to make good decisions and has one of those legs where he can pinpoint where he’s puts it out at. It’s been a tremendous weapon.”
O'Neil Quote:
“When a father and son go out to play catch in the front yard (in Australia), they punt it to each other when they’re 5 years old,” Baxter said. “In this country they throw it to each other.”
Happy Thursday and Go BLUE, spayed the Wildcats!
EDIT: Added the extra "l" to O'Neill
October 8th, 2015 at 9:14 AM ^
when the offense struggles is a good punter and good defense. When the offense runs with consistency, I think we will very hard to beat.
October 8th, 2015 at 9:18 AM ^
October 8th, 2015 at 9:23 AM ^
Only in my previous life
October 8th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^
"Weapon of Choice" was used several years ago by Brian with Tate Forcier. Would love to see someone who does video editing put together a bunch of O'Neill punting clips (and model shoots) to this song.
October 8th, 2015 at 12:18 PM ^
Is that pic SFMK?
October 8th, 2015 at 1:19 PM ^
is it just me or is blake lookin' a little van der beeky in that pic?
"When a father and son go out to play catch in the front yard (in Australia), they punt it to each other when they’re 5 years old, even though I. DON'T WANT. YOUR LIFE.”
October 8th, 2015 at 6:46 PM ^
October 8th, 2015 at 9:15 AM ^
also here is a michigan daily alternate to the freep
https://www.michigandaily.com/section/football/notebook-tuley-tillman-c…
October 8th, 2015 at 9:15 AM ^
I wonder if we could also find some punters in New Zealand and South Africa. Those are two other countries with consistently impressive rugby teams.
Rugby obviously isn't a big sport in America, but it seems to require the type of punting that is really effective on a football field, as well as the physicality to take a hit.
October 8th, 2015 at 9:24 AM ^
Dammit, another good looking Aussie import! My wife is still wearing her South Sydney Rabbitohs shirt that she bought after Lloyd brough Russel Crowe in for a game. I've tried talking with an Australian accent, ordering Fosters, and posting numerous koala pictures but she has this hangup for Aussies.
October 8th, 2015 at 10:03 AM ^
October 8th, 2015 at 10:10 AM ^
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October 8th, 2015 at 2:06 PM ^
Fair enough.
#CulturePWNED
October 8th, 2015 at 9:16 AM ^
Traveling in a fried-out combie, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie . . .
October 8th, 2015 at 9:17 AM ^
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October 8th, 2015 at 9:19 AM ^
Article on why Zoltan left the Pats:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1757144-economics-101-why-zoltan-mes…
October 8th, 2015 at 9:20 AM ^
I love that we have this guy... I honestly find our punting plays to be some of the most exciting this season. As good as our defense is... when Blake can pin the opponents's deep... it just positions us so well for so many things, e.g. safeties, panicky opposing QBs, opportunities for Peppers to field returnable punts, short fields for our offense, etc.
October 8th, 2015 at 9:25 AM ^
With how stout the run defense is, even just being in a position where a safety is a concern screws with the offense. O'Neil plus our defense is a great combination.
October 8th, 2015 at 9:23 AM ^
October 8th, 2015 at 10:13 AM ^
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October 8th, 2015 at 10:54 AM ^
Michigan is only going to have O'Neill for one year. But, let's go with what we know so far...all of Mesko's stats are from his MGoBlue Bio and O'Neill's are from ESPN:
Mesko holds the school records for most punts (season and career) (80 and 243) and yardage (season and career) (3,436 and 10,325). Mesko's career punts downed inside the 20 was 32% (76/243). Mesko is currently 2nd in career punt avg. at 42.5.
O'Neill's career stats (currently) 83 punts for 3,592 yds, 43 yds. per punt average with a long of 74 yds. His one season at Weber St. he totaled 62 punts for 2,737 yds and a 44 yds. per punt average. This season he stands at 11/21 inside the 20 for a 52% avg. let's check back into that at the end of the season. I don't have a career percentage on this.
So the argument can definitely be made for O'Neill being comparable and possibly better than Mesko, it would have been nice to O'Neill kick for four years here. He probably would have come close to or even broke a few of those records.
Clearly I have nothing better to do today....
October 8th, 2015 at 12:47 PM ^
Agreed. It just sucks that we only have him for this season. It would be incredibly awesome to have him around next year when the offense should start humming.
October 8th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^
We must take all of their punters and horde them from the rest of the college football world.
Everyone...TO AUSTRALIA!
October 8th, 2015 at 10:33 AM ^
Because they have it on tape now, opponents will have to be prepared for the fake. Gone are the days when you could be 99.999% sure that a Michigan punter was going to punt the ball, often into the endzone if he could reach it.
October 8th, 2015 at 10:37 AM ^
the guy is a beast.
October 8th, 2015 at 11:31 AM ^
How many other schools' football coaches would speak of a "rhomboid spheroid" - or even understand what that means?
The Michigan Difference.
October 8th, 2015 at 11:41 AM ^
I think he means prolate, not rhomboid.
October 8th, 2015 at 12:23 PM ^
Similar article, bu not FREEP and has video.
http://michigan.247sports.com/Board/59424/Contents/Baxter-Improving-Spe…
October 8th, 2015 at 12:29 PM ^
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October 8th, 2015 at 12:43 PM ^
October 8th, 2015 at 1:04 PM ^
Baxter is the only coach I want on this staff who's a "lifer"...the guy is just pure awesome.
Everyone else I want to keep as long as we can keep...but realistically you want A+ coordinators that either grow at your school or get promoted to bigger and better things elsewhere.
But Baxter...that guy, he can be here for as long as he wants as far as I'm concerned. Not that anyone is concerned with my opinion.
October 8th, 2015 at 1:09 PM ^
October 8th, 2015 at 3:46 PM ^