But no one will ever recall the good things Williams did in that contest. The world will only remember that he allowed one bouncing ball on a punt to graze his uniform, creating a live ball that was recovered by New York, and that he fumbled while returning another punt. Each led to scores, without which the Giants would not have won the game and advanced to Super Bowl XLVI.
“It shows you the influence of the punt return,’’ observes Blackmon.
Returning punts is not for everybody. Not all fast, shifty, and even courageous candidates are created alike. The job takes a certain je ne sais quoi that makes the people who excel at the art among the most admired in the sport.
People, for example, like …
Billy “White Shoes’’ Johnson.
“He was probably the best I’ve seen,’’ says Gil Brandt, the legendary Cowboys personnel director in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. It’s hard to quarrel with that nomination, Mr. White Shoes being the punt returner selected for the NFL 75th anniversary team.
But there have been a few others who have risen above the pack, among them Eric Metcalf, David Meggett, and Deion Sanders. In today’s era, we have the jaw-dropping Devin Hester, who has taken 12 punts to the House in his six years. Now we have another sensation in Cardinals rookie Patrick Peterson, who brought four punts back for touchdowns.
“Patrick Peterson,’’ marvels Blackmon, the former Boston College star. “Somebody molded him from clay and put him into some kind of weird machine. He’s 220 and he runs a 4.2? C’mon.’’
“He’s very special,’’ acknowledges career punt returner Kevin Faulk. “But look where he went to school.’’
Yes, Kevin, he’s a fellow LSU Tiger.
So what does it take to do this job properly? Besides being fast, elusive, and explosive? Besides having excellent hands? Besides having the ability to make a very fast and difficult decision about whether or not to catch the ball or signal for a fair catch?
“You have to be nuts to do it,’’ insists Blackmon, who certainly sounds rational enough.
“I refused to return punts in high school,’’ Blackmon explains. “I saw enough guys getting killed, left and right, doing it.’’
Things changed when he got to BC.
