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DENVER, Colorado — From the outside looking in, it might not have seemed like New England Patriots punter Bryce Baringer had his best game of the season.
He finished with eight punts for a total of 303 yards, with each one averaging 37.9 yards. And since he was punting from deep many times, it seemed like he was setting up the Broncos with prime field position. However, it seems that Baringer actually executed the game plan he was given with one goal in mind: don't let Marvin Mims touch the ball.
"Mims, he's a game wrecker," Baringer exclusively told Patriots Wire following New England's 10-7 win in the AFC Championship. "You can put him up there with our guy (Marcus Jones). He's everything you want in a returner. He's fast. He catches the ball really naturally."
So, the combination of Mims along with the snow coming down fast left Baringer with only one option.
"So once it got really (expletive) out, and we were punting into that wind, the last thing we want is Marvin Mims touching the ball," he explained. "And at the end of the day, I know the yardage doesn't look right, but there's other things that people don't see, that don't get accounted for. And I credit a lot of it to Springs (Jeremy Springer), Tom (Quinn), and Vrabes (Mike Vrabel) for just keeping us right in that situation and just understanding. We know how hard it was to kick in that, and our defense, like I said, was playing really well. So that was the game plan."
However, there was one punt from Baringer that put Denver in a position to potentially take the lead or at least tie the game at 10 late in the game. After a quick three-and-out by the Patriots, Baringer came out to punt from New England's own 7-yard line. They needed a decent kick to pin the Broncos back. However, the punt only sailed 23 yards, going out at New England's 33-yard line, putting Denver in field goal range to start the drive.
"It doesn't look good on the stat sheet, but 19 (Mims) doesn't touch the ball. I personally count that as a win," Baringer explained. Obviously, 25 yards isn't ideal. I mean, I won't lie. I was griping about the spot. A couple of us were."
However, he had faith in his defense, which delivered. And with that, they forced Lutz to attempt a 45-yard field goal, which, as Baringer said, was not a given due to the bad conditions. And it was ultimately blocked by Leonard Taylor.
And for anyone who had something to say about his game, he made it clear that he's not listening.
"In playoff football, I do not care about average. I just want to win the game," he said. "And if that means I hit a punt 25 yards, I hit a punt 25 yards. And fans might be upset about it, but when I come on the sidelines and were happy 19 (Mims) didn't get his hands on the ball, it's good."
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Bryce Baringer’s punts served a bigger purpose than field position
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He finished with eight punts for a total of 303 yards, with each one averaging 37.9 yards. And since he was punting from deep many times, it seemed like he was setting up the Broncos with prime field position. However, it seems that Baringer actually executed the game plan he was given with one goal in mind: don't let Marvin Mims touch the ball.
"Mims, he's a game wrecker," Baringer exclusively told Patriots Wire following New England's 10-7 win in the AFC Championship. "You can put him up there with our guy (Marcus Jones). He's everything you want in a returner. He's fast. He catches the ball really naturally."
So, the combination of Mims along with the snow coming down fast left Baringer with only one option.
"So once it got really (expletive) out, and we were punting into that wind, the last thing we want is Marvin Mims touching the ball," he explained. "And at the end of the day, I know the yardage doesn't look right, but there's other things that people don't see, that don't get accounted for. And I credit a lot of it to Springs (Jeremy Springer), Tom (Quinn), and Vrabes (Mike Vrabel) for just keeping us right in that situation and just understanding. We know how hard it was to kick in that, and our defense, like I said, was playing really well. So that was the game plan."
However, there was one punt from Baringer that put Denver in a position to potentially take the lead or at least tie the game at 10 late in the game. After a quick three-and-out by the Patriots, Baringer came out to punt from New England's own 7-yard line. They needed a decent kick to pin the Broncos back. However, the punt only sailed 23 yards, going out at New England's 33-yard line, putting Denver in field goal range to start the drive.
"It doesn't look good on the stat sheet, but 19 (Mims) doesn't touch the ball. I personally count that as a win," Baringer explained. Obviously, 25 yards isn't ideal. I mean, I won't lie. I was griping about the spot. A couple of us were."
However, he had faith in his defense, which delivered. And with that, they forced Lutz to attempt a 45-yard field goal, which, as Baringer said, was not a given due to the bad conditions. And it was ultimately blocked by Leonard Taylor.
And for anyone who had something to say about his game, he made it clear that he's not listening.
"In playoff football, I do not care about average. I just want to win the game," he said. "And if that means I hit a punt 25 yards, I hit a punt 25 yards. And fans might be upset about it, but when I come on the sidelines and were happy 19 (Mims) didn't get his hands on the ball, it's good."
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Bryce Baringer’s punts served a bigger purpose than field position
Continue reading...
