"During a typical game, Ethan Evans, the punter for the Los Angeles Rams, is synonymous with disappointment. All punters are. No fan cheers when their team's punter jogs onto the field facing fourth and long. His job is to concede possession-to send the ball back into the control of the opposing team, and to put them in the worst possible field position. Punters, historically, have a bit of a suspect reputation, with their un-grass-stained uniforms."
"The Rams have one of the best offenses in the league, and their coach, Sean McVeigh, is no longer the conservative fourth-down play caller that he was early in his career-nowadays, he heeds the analytical models that encourage keeping the quarterback on the field for fourth down, trying to keep possession. Even coaches not on the cutting edge have shifted away from punting in short-yardage situations,"
Ethan Evans serves as the Los Angeles Rams' punter, a role that concedes possession while seeking to maximize opponent field position. Modern analytics and aggressive fourth-down decision-making have reduced the frequency of punts, as teams often choose to attempt conversions to improve win probability. The Rams' strong offense and coach Sean McVeigh's analytic approach have limited Evans's opportunities, with two or fewer punts in five of eleven games. One metric ranks the Colts' Rigoberto Sanchez as the best punter despite no punts until Week Three. Last Sunday, though, against the Seattle Seahawks, he was busy.
Read at The New Yorker
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