The GOAT punter (gabbiest of all time), Pat McAfee, turned the big 33 yesterday, and while this list may seem a day late, the truth is I needed a day of remembrance as I mournfully reminded myself that Ryan Grigson forced McAfee to quit football before his 30th birthday. Ryan Grigson, noted Brand hater.
Still, Pat is as public a persona as ever and a great ambassador for the most important players on any field: punters, kickers, long snappers. In honor of the The Brand living on another year, here is an unordered list of the best tackles by kickers and punters in the last 10 years.
Mason Crosby – Jan. 3, 2016
Mason Crosby earns a spot on this list not for laying the wood, so to speak — Cordarrelle Patterson is, like, 230 pounds, after all — but for one of the clutchest kicker tackles ever. Patterson was almost home free; one miss by Crosby and the Vikings go up two touchdowns. But Crosby stuck his pesky arm in there and not only brought Patterson down, but forced the fumble that the Packers recovered. Of course, Green Bay would lose anyway, but Crosby gave them a chance
Side note: my dad made an almost identical touchdown-saving tackle at Wheaton College in 1982. Unfortunately, the only thing that he ripped out was his shoulder, and after several botched shoulder replacements, he is unable to lift a basketball high enough to shoot it.
Pat McAfee – Oct. 20, 2013
Today’s honoree has become synonymous with punters who step out of their box, largely due to this hit on Trindon Holliday. To be fair to Holliday, it was a helluva a return and McAfee is a tank by punter standards. 6-foot-1, 230 McAfee laying out 5-foot-5, 165 Holliday is not exactly David overcoming Goliath. But it’s Pat’s birthday week so the legend lives on as the quintessential kicker boomstick.
Neil Rackers – Oct. 23, 2011
Now, a bit of a caveat here — look at that score. Houston is up big so Neil Rackers is in full-on fuck-it mode. But credit where credit is due; Rackers came flying in like a discount defensive back and came close to a de-cleater. And Rackers was 35 then, so he was staring a cushy retirement dead in the face when he threw his body in there.
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Joey Julius – Sept. 24, 2016
A college entry now. Joey Julius has a bit of an unfair advantage since he fit 260 pounds into a 5-foot-10 frame. He played defensive line in high school while also being an All-State kicker/punter, so the hits are not exactly unnatural for him. As far as force behind the tackle, Julius’ shot here is the gold standard. And it pissed off everyone else in the Big Ten because he became a target for retaliation for the rest of his Penn State run. Seeing the hit below, you cannot exactly blame opponents for thinking he had the oomph to survive a shot or two himself.
We should note that Julius has been open about his struggles with eating disorders, but according to an article from late last year, Julius is doing well outside of football and has been in recovery for two years.
Matt Bosher – Dec. 23, 2018
This is the peak of the art form. Bosher is not overly big like McAfee or Julius, nor was he lucky or overzealous. Matt Bosher met Kenjon Barner in the hole, stopped him dead in his tracks, lifted him up and stuck his ass to the turf. No kicker/punter tackle has ever or will ever top this.
