Saints punter Morstead proving his worth

METAIRIE, La. ? Pads strapped on properly and helmet buckled tight, Thomas Morstead waltzed onto the Superdome floor on Sept. 13 for warmups, ready for his first-ever NFL game.

Only, everything didn't go as smoothly as he would have liked.

"I think the point that kind of relaxed me finally was coach wanted me to work on my hands all offseason and the punt we had in pregame right before we went in (to the locker room) against the Lions I dropped the snap," Morstead said.

"He came straight over to me and he said, 'You OK?' I said, 'Yeah, I'm good.' I felt kind of bad - I'm sure he was stressed out knowing that I had just done that."

But the day couldn't have gone any more perfect for Morstead or Payton. New Orleans defeated Detroit 45-27 and Morstead averaged 48 yards per punt.

He hasn't had a problem since, including on kickoffs, something the rookie punter was thrust into doing when kicker Garrett Hartley was suspended for the opening four games after violating the league's banned substance policy.

Morstead is tied for second in the NFL in touchbacks, producing nine in fewer than 30 attempts.

The crazy part? This is the first time he has ever kicked off in a game in his career.

"I would work on it in camps and stuff," Morstead said. "I didn't feel like I was athletic enough to be able to do it. I was able to kick a field goal a mile. But when I'd kick off, I didn't get any extra distance and most guys should be able to do that."

He changed his exercise and lifting routine, worked on his kicking motion and voila, soon became the Saints' kickoff guru.

How important is Morstead's leg? In New Orleans' Week 4 win over the Jets, he had four touchbacks in five kicks. New York's returner Leon Washington, 10th in the NFL in kickoff return average, was kept from breaking any returns. Jim Leonhard, the Jets' punt returner who is fourth in the NFL, had no return yards.

Yet, if you listened to blowback following New Orleans' April Draft, Morstead shouldn't have even been with the Saints. It was in the NFL Draft that Sean Payton and the Saints moved up to take Morstead despite already having a punter on the roster who fans loved.

"We felt good about his leg strength. You never know," Head Coach Sean Payton said. "When you draft somebody, you still have to see a bunch of other things take place, but to Thomas' (Morstead) credit, he's done that and I think that's provided obviously the field position."

It's not just the head coach Morstead is impressing.

"He's ahead of the curve when it comes to the approach to the kicking game," place kicker John Carney said. "His workout routine, his mental focus, he's ahead of the curve. It may say rookie next to his name, but he really trains and behaves as if he has been in the NFL for five years."

It all started for Morstead as a youngster, traveling with his family to England to visit relatives. His mother is from there and her family still owns land in a town called Beelsby, about four hours northeast of London.

"My uncle taught me (soccer) when I was eight or nine when I went to visit England," Morstead said. "I played rugby with my cousins and everything. That's kind of the first way I learned how to do it."

Through rugby he learned how to boot a mean drop kick and once he started playing football in high school, his coaches devised a play to take advantage of it.

And now he's in the NFL, where he's willing to do whatever it is he can to help. His punting and kickoffs have been a large part of why the Saints are 4-0.

He's willing to drop kick for points if called upon and he said if need be, he could kick a 60-plus yard field goal.

"I try to think of myself as a utility guy," Morstead said. "Hopefully I can do whatever they need me to do."

So far, so good.