PurplePTSD: Vikings Replace Colquitt With Jordan Berry

Press release from the PurplePTSD:

K. Joudry

2021-09-03

It looked like the Vikings were just pulling off some more roster shenanigans when they released Britton Colquitt. It even looked like the Vikings brought Colquitt back. Instead, they’ve opted for former Steelers punter Jordan Berry.

Berry – a six-year veteran – has spent his entire career in Pittsburgh. On average, Berry’s best season actually happened in 2020. He had a 45.8 average per punt. For comparison, Colquitt averaged 45.1 yards a punt.

Here is what the Vikings.com article had to say: “Berry has appeared in 91 regular-season games with a career average of 44.4 yards per punt. The 45.8 yards per punt by Berry in 11 games last season was the highest average of his career. In seven playoff games, Berry has averaged 40.1 yards per punt.”

Many fans overlook the punter position. There’s no debating that it isn’t as important as corner, edge rusher, or QB. Nevertheless, it’s one of the positions that becomes supremely important once the player begins to struggle. You can notice when a punter doesn’t do his job.

Zim continually preaches about the importance of complementary football. The basic idea is that all the phases of football are interconnected. If the special teams doesn’t do a good job of punting the ball, then the defense will have a tougher time defending. Field position is supremely important for a Mike Zimmer team.

Berry will need to have thick skin to succeed in Minnesota. Zim can be terse with his specialists. After the opening preseason game, Zim was blunt in his assessment of Colquitt, noting that the veteran’s struggles gave him reason for concern. Well, Berry has been brought in as the replacement. Let’s collectively hope that he can not only give us longer punts, but also allows us to pin the opponent in their own 20 on a consistent basis.

This press release was produced by the PurplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.