According to Pro Football Focus, the Indianapolis Colts had the 5th best special teams unit in 2016, as the team was led by the ‘All-Pro’ duo of legendary kicker Adam Vinatieri and ‘The Boomstick’, punter Pat McAfee.
Both players remained among the league’s best players at their respective positions and anchored the Colts special teams units once again:
"Sep 25, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee (1) raises his arms to signify a field goal by Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri (4) against the San Diego Chargers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports5. Indianapolis ColtsPat McAfee put together arguably the best career of any punter in the PFF era (since the 2006 season), finishing with a bang in 2016 by earning the top grade at the position and allowing an average starting field position of 23.7 yards on kickoffs. He’s been among the top-three punters in overall grades each season since 2012, and his retirement leaves a huge hole on the Colts’ roster. Replacing him with former Vikings punter Jeff Locke represents a major downgrade, as Locke has never finished above 26th in PFF’s punter grades, and has only kicked off six times his entire career. Luckily for Indianapolis, the venerable Adam Vinatieri keeps on ticking, and in 2016, he finished third in PFF’s grading on field goals and extra points, hitting 27 of 31 attempts. Vinatieri missed just nine kicks the last three seasons combined, and in all likelihood, will be a Hall of Famer once he finally decides to follow McAfee’s (15 years Vinatieri’s junior) path out of football."
While Vinatieri is 44 years old, it’s actually McAfee who shockingly retired at the peak of his playing career this offseason in order to pursue an entertainment career with Barstool Sports.
Obviously, it’s a major blow to the Colts special teams success, as McAfee was not only among the league’s best punters, but also the greatest punter in Indianapolis’ franchise history.
The recently retired McAfee, not only handled punts on fourth downs, but also kicked off and flawlessly executed handling duties for Vinatieri on field goal attempts.
The Colts signed 5th-year veteran Jeff Locke to replace McAfee as the team’s punter, but there’s no question that he represents a considerable downgrade at the position–through no fault of Locke’s own, as McAfee had ‘big punting shoes’ to fill:
"Having been a 2013 5th round pick of the Minnesota Vikings, the 27 year old (Locke) is coming off a season in which he had 74 punts, averaging 42.6 yards per punt, as well as 39.0 net yards per punt.To put in perspective, his 42.6 avg. yards per punt ranked 29th in the NFL among punters, whereas his 39.0 net yards per punt avg. ranked 25th respectively.For comparison purposes (and to pour salt on Colts fans’ wounds), retired All-Pro punter Pat McAfee had a 49.3 avg. yards per punt (1st) and 42.7 net yards per punt average (3rd)."
It’s also still possible that the Colts could still select a punter in the later rounds of this year’s NFL Draft to provide competition at punter, as Locke doesn’t appear to be necessarily a ‘lock’ at the position–pun intended.
Nevertheless, Vinatieri returns for the Colts, so at least half of the team’s ‘All-Pro’ tandem will be returning. The 22-year veteran is coming off another high level season in which he successfully made 27 of 31 field goal attempts (87.1%) and all 44 of his PAT attempts–breaking league history in the process.
The future Hall of Fame kicker has aged like a fine wine and should be set to go for another exceptional season kicking for the Colts.
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Despite McAfee’s significant loss, one thing that should help the Colts special teams cause next season is that new general manager Chris Ballard has emphasized improving competition among the team’s entire 53-man roster, which means that the other special teams players (backups) should theoretically be improved as well.
Specifically, the Colts were more ‘top heavy’ on the depth chart in recent seasons, which means the team could receive a boost in their special teams blocking (both sides) and coverage units going forward.