This space is reserved for video of my world record fake punts, Including my 64yd TD fake-punt pass to Jamal Anderson (Falcons)
The 4th down Fake Punt: (draft version from 1999)
This is the most important play in
Football and highly underrated and
underused. Why? Few
punters have the
skills
to execute a basic football play other than just kicking the
football.
The 4th down play
is the only offensive
and defensive play in
the game. The
offense has
already used
3
downs toward a first
down and 4th is your
best chance to get a 1st
down. It is the only time where
its
11
players vs 10 at
the
line of scrimmage. The punter plays QB
and
safety.
Instead of a
negative
emotion of
4th down, the
fake
punt
injects
a
possible
1st down
instead of a
punt
return. The 4th
down
offensive
opportunities are unexplored
in the minds of
most
coaches in football and if seriously explored,
will
change
their
game
dramatically.
Effectiveness:
In Pro football the 4th down play can be
33% effective. My career 4th down
conversions are 13/14 or
93% effective with
2/2
called back, 7 passes,
7
runs.
Why? A predesigned 4th
down
play
is
the only play in
the
NFL
not
significantly
defensed. No one
expects the
punter
to
have a pro QB arm and
a
sprinter with a
pre-designed set
of
plays
and the
decision
just to punt.
Given my
specialty in
Hang-Time,
turnovers
on punt
return
muffs are
high and net yards per
punt
are high.
Explosive and Exciting:
The 4th down offensive playset can add an
explosive
element to
the
offense.
With
a
spread out
defense
and
coverage
gone awry,
the
opportunities for
long
plays and
extended
drives adds a
level of
explosiveness
and
excitement to the
game. Further
NFL commentators and
those watching the games
know how important a possible game-changing
play can be.
Defensive Breaksdown:
The defense now has to spend their time
in practice defending against the 4th down and
its
possibilities.
No
defenses in the
NFL are properly
prepared for
pre-designed
4th down
plays, with unique
squads designed to
create
mis-matches.
-11 players on Offense vs 10 players on
Defense
The 4th down offense's 11 players vs. the
defenses' 10
players
leaves
one on
one
coverage. If
the defense
decides to
rush, they risk
losing their
coverage on
the
elegible receivers.
4th Down Offense:
- Plays - (Not Included Here)
- The Punter/QB may call any number of
offensive
plays, 4th down
plays, or
punt.
The 4th
down
special team can
include
2 wide
receivers,
2 tight ends,
1 running back and
the
punter.
These 6
possible eligible
receivers, if
uncovered
or if there
is a space
on the field
that is uncovered,
leaves open
opportunities for
passes
and
runs. You can even
switch
to shot-gun,
call motion
or read the
defense and audible a
play. There are
hundreds of
offensive
4th down plays
in my
playbook.
4th Down Special Team:
- My QB arm strength is important
here.
I have
upwards of 80%+
career
completion ratio
and from
shot-gun
even
higher.
I can
normally throw a
45-50
yard bullet
without a
check step.
I also
have recorded a
very low interception
ratio in my QB
experience in JHS, HS,
JR
College,
College
and
Semi-Pro. As
QB
I
have been the
starting quarterback in JHS,
HS, JR College and Semi-Pro, on many
occasions
my head
coaches and I deciding or electing to
become
2nd string QB and
starting
Punter.
-Speed is important here. Not only
is it a disgrace that punters/kickers are slow
and weak. I am
quite the
opposite.
In
order
to be able to
run
to
the
open
space for a
first
down,
scramble for
time
for a pass, or
to
stop
the punt
returner,
speed is required.
I have had not much
more than 3 recorded
punt run backs in 12
years of play and 1
recorded blocked punt at
Westlake HS, 1989 vs. Thousand Oaks
HS.
All
3 of the run backs I caught the punt
returner at the end
zone.
Decision making:
Given the wide open nature of the 4th
down and the fact that there will be open
opportunities for a first
down, 100% good decision
making can mean a near 100%
conversion
ratio.
Punting:
I have been the starting punter in JHS,
HS, JR College, CPSLO and Semi-Pro. My
experience and
expertise
in hang time have
been
my
forte. As
I
have
gotten
older, I've
gotten
better with
all time bests
in 1996
71
yds long,
no roll,
and
in
1999-2000
5.47 sea level best hang time
with my
sights
at
5.6-5.8.
My first handful of punts at
two PKS kicking
camps
bests
were
5.27 sec in
1997
and 5.38
sec. in
2000. I
also
have
a good
relationship with
my coach and camper,
Luis
Aguilar, of KC with
switching to his one
step
punt style in 1997
through 2002 giving me
camp
bests in getoff
time. Rating a 3rd
best in avg.
get
off of
1.29 sec. of 25
punters
at PKS in
2000.
Slight injuries
and over practicing in
1999-2001
hampered my
ability to
rank highly
on the last days of
tryouts. In
2001'
I moved my company to
Las Vegas NV to begin
tryouts for the XFL
camps, given their rule
change to no fair
catches.
The greatest fake punt ever:
It was against our cross town rival, Ventura JC, JC is big in CA, late in the game, winning 45 to 3. Our team was ranked 5th in the nation, we had Jamal Anderson, Freddie Bradley (Chargers)(broke OJ simpsons TD record at JC, 60 some TD's) and Curtis Marsh (Jojo) another pro and me in punt formation. Standing on my 26 yard line, out of nowhere, apparently in retribution for a year earlier, Anderson describes, he called a fake punt. Jamal Anderson was my "personal protector" on the Punt Team. He calls a swing pass to the right, just shy of the LOS. He will take it from there, apparently. I take the snap, throw an immediate pass to him, he turns upfield, (our team sideline was on the right and Ventura on the left), Jamal takes on everyone in open field, apparently 5 guys get runover by Jamal. Immediately after my pass, I start sprinting down the field on the left side of the field, no one is there but me, at a full speed angle on the punt returner, sprinting full speed some 70 yards to the opposing teams 20 yard line, never seeing Jamal Anderson, I de-cleated the punt retuner, he flew backward with his feet 5 feet in the air, separating his shoulder. The timing was so perfect, I passed Jamal, hitting the punt returner, just as Jamal cuts off of that hit, to make the end zone. No one on our side of the field saw me on the other side of the field, except for Ventura's sideline. I tumble 3 or 4 times, roll into a sprint and catch Jamal at the End Zone. That may be the only play where the punter and punt protector start on one side of the field, and are the remaining 2 in the opposing End Zone.
What happened the day after is the Head Coach, Bittner, Special Teams coach, Me, Jamal, Corey Tucker QB, who apparently may have a copy, saw this play in the film room and we all finally saw what happened. You wouldn't think Jamal would take this play for his promo tape for no reason? Jim Bittner said to me "I need you to lead for the full backs with hits like that" and Jamal told me, "without your block, I didn't think I was going to make it"... the punt returner was waiting for him...
The 2nd best fake punt ever:
This fake punt is not the 2nd best fake punt ever simply because of the yardage or whether it was a TD or not, but because of the situation. It was in Semi-Pro football, against the #1 ranked Semi-Pro team in the Nation (of 3,000 teams), the Southern California Dolphins. We were the 2 year champions of our division. Every offensive and defensive lineman on their team was over 300 lbs. During this game, they knocked out our 1st and 2nd string QB's, I was playing 3rd string this game. Late in the game, losing 50 to 3, standing on my 35 yard line, every player on the defense was yelling "watch out for the fake punt", "fake punt", "fake punt", they knew I was the backup QB, they saw me in pre-game passing better than our starters. Our head coach calls a fake punt. He called a 10 yard speed out by the left tight end. I throw a perfect pass, he runs for 30 yards for a first down. This was the longest play of the game. The following and last series, with no QB's left but me, I became the starter. With 2 minutes left, from shotgun, I throw 2 of 3 perfect passes driving for the end zone. On about the 20 yard line going in, it was 4th down, with a call for a pass into the end-zone. The center snaps the ball to the dirt, and I fall on it. Game over. This goes to show 2 things, 1) you can't stop the perfect pass on a fake punt even if your the best team in the world 2) If I was the starting QB in this game, against the #1 team in the nation, I could have scored TD's against them.
