Pittsburgh Steelers Sign Punter Adam Podlesh
By Kim Myers
Dec. 23, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA: Chicago Bears punter Adam Podlesh (8) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Bears defeated the Cardinals 28-13. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Steelers added yet another free agent to the team on Tuesday when they signed punter Adam Podlesh to a one year contract. The financial terms of the contract were not disclosed as of yet.
Adam Podlesh was drafted in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars out of Maryland. He punted for the Jaguars for four seasons, with a net punting average right around 40 yards. His longest career punt is 76 yards. He most recently comes from spending three seasons punting for the Chicago Bears, keeping his average right around 40 yards.
The Steelers have had just a craptacular time with finding a good punter since parting ways with Drew Butler at the end of training camp last year. They signed former Patriots punter Zoltan Mesko, who was famous for his “junior varsity punts” and cut mid-season. They signed Mat McBriar to replace Mesko and he basically wasn’t any worse so it worked out for the rest of the season. The Steelers finished 31st in punt average and net average for the 2013 season.
The Steelers had already signed Brad Wing to a reserve/futures contract right after the season so I guess this means we have a punting competition on our hands. How exciting! The Steelers would hope that their special teams get a whole lot more special this season as they can be the kiss of death if a punt is botched or returned. One would assume that there will be a new punt returner to go along with the new punter for 2014 since Antonio Brown primarily took care of those in 2013 and that’s unrealistic and unwise for your No. 1 receiver to be seeing that much special teams action.
What are your thoughts on the new punter signing Steeler Nation?
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