Chiefs' Matt Araiza explains how his natural punting style could put opposing teams at a major disadvantage
Kansas City Chiefs punter Matt Araiza earned the nickname "Punt God" during his time at San Diego State University because he boasted unrivaled leg talent. His 51.4 career punt average still ranks as the best in FBS history. That leg strength hasn't changed during the Chiefs' training camp practices. The ability to flip the field in […]
Kansas City Chiefs punter Matt Araiza earned the nickname "Punt God" during his time at San Diego State University because he boasted unrivaled leg talent. His 51.4 career punt average still ranks as the best in FBS history. That leg strength hasn't changed during the Chiefs' training camp practices.
The ability to flip the field in an instant isn't the only talent Araiza brings to the table for the Chiefs. He also punts the ball with his left foot, which is a fairly rare find across the NFL. Many teams bring in free-agent left-footed punters on the practice squad when they know they're facing a lefty punter on a given week, just so they can get that type of look during the practice week.
Matt Araiza's natural advantage on Sundays
Araiza's left-footedness was part of the reason the Chiefs opted for Araiza over UDFA P Ryan Rehkow according to Dave Toub, along with Araiza's consistency and age. But why does being a lefty punter give Araiza an advantage?
I asked the newcomer about it on Monday following the team's padded practice session.
"I've punted with a lot of guys in the NFL," Araiza began. "A lot of guys come to San Diego during the offseason to train and the one thing I think I have over everyone is how much my punts move. I've caused a ton of drops here, and I'm looking to see that on Sundays. I think that will be great. Someone muffs a punt, that is a huge game-changing play. So yeah, that definitely does go on being a lefty."
Araiza further explained how the rotation of the ball can really put opposing return specialists through the ringer as they're trying to make a catch.
"Being a lefty, the ball rotates a different way," Araiza explained. "And so especially when the ball starts moving, you know it'll tail at the last second, and guys who aren't used to let these sometimes they're not even close to it like five yards away."
During the practice week, we've actually seen Kansas City use a JUGS machine when they're focusing solely on punt return work because they want to give return specialists a look comparable to the one they'll face most often during the regular season. However, Araiza says that players like Mecole Hardman and Skyy Moore have told him just how challenging it is to field his punts during practice.
"They have told me that, but I mean you can see it when they kind of give up on (fielding the punt)," Araiza concluded.
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