Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh speaking with an official during an NFL game.
The New York Jets are back at .500 after losing to the Detroit Lions in Week 15.
One of the main culprits from that loss was punter Braden Mann who allowed a punt return touchdown in a tight contest. On the Badlands podcast, the two co-hosts made it clear after the game that they had seen enough.
“Fix your special teams,” Joe Caporoso said emphatically on the Badlands podcast. “I don’t know how many weeks I have to come on this podcast and say they need to replace the punter. The punter is killing them every single week. He lost them the New England game and in the first Patriots game he directly set up multiple points.
All he is doing is killing them with field position. It’s an easy position to upgrade and they upgraded last year with Thomas Morstead who is still a better player than Mann now in the division [Miami Dolphins] and they refuse to upgrade it. It is killing them. That has to get fixed tomorrow. Get a new punter in the building tomorrow. You missed on the pick, it’s dumb to draft a punter, find a different way, it’s over, fix it. He is one of the worst punters in the NFL, fix it.”
Braden Mann Cost the Jets vs. The Lions
So far this season there have been three punt return touchdowns through 15 weeks of the 2022 regular season.
Two of those have come against Gang Green this season.
The first one was in near walk-off fashion in a 10-3 loss versus the New England Patriots on November 20. It was the only touchdown of the game.
The second one came in this 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions on December 18.
Both return touchdowns came on questionable punts by Braden Mann. The Lions’ one was a line drive from the back of the end-zone.
“If you’re that worried about it [a potential great punt return] punt it out at the freaking 38 if you have to,” Connor Rogers exclaimed on the Badlands podcast. “Tell the defense to hold them to three here. You’d rather that than a low-hanging kick. Honestly, you never want to discredit a return but that was one of the easiest punt returns I’ve ever seen in watching the NFL. It was wild. He just caught it and ran. There was no one around him to make a tackle.”
Kalif Raymond punt return to the crib! 🔥
📺: #DETvsNYJ on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ t.co/nW0d7KOLXR
On the first drive of the game, the Lions took 14 plays and 8:05 off the clock. They went 73 yards and went for it on fourth and goal before getting stuffed by the Jets’ defense.
Gang Green was backed up in their own endzone and couldn’t move the ball so they had to punt. Mann sent a line drive which was collected by Lions wideout Kalif Raymond at the 46-yard line.
He went untouched and effortlessly jogged into the endzone for the game-changing touchdown.
One Last Chance to Save His Jets Career
The Jets will play on a short week versus the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football. That means if Gang Green was going to make a change at punter it would have happened already.
According to the latest NFL transaction report, the Jets didn’t host any players for a workout and they didn’t bring anyone in for a visit on Monday, December 19.
That likely means Braden Mann is going to at least get one more shot to prove himself before the team considers alternate options.
General manager Joe Douglas is getting a lot of rose petals thrown at his feet for his recent free agency and draft class. However, the one that is still haunting him is the 2020 NFL draft.
That was JD’s first draft class and one of the main contributors from it is Braden Mann. With how many punters are available, punter is one of the most replaceable positions in the NFL.
If someone stinks, there are millions of other available individuals that can step in and take his job. For whatever reason, Gang Green has refused to do so over the last few years but it might finally be time to make a change.