Stout aimed to strengthen his leg, which was already very strong, in the off-season leading up to his third season. He did sprinting-style speed training for 2 1/2 months in hopes of getting his lower body more explosive.
Stout improved his net punt average, but still placed 20 thin the league. Stout changed things up this past offseason. He went to a beach.
Stout, who had taken just two weeks of vacation, flew to San Diego where he met with his personal punting coach, as well as Detroit’s Jack Fox, and Las Vegas A.J. Cole, and others. Fox broke the NFL record of net average (46.2 yard) in last season.
What is their routine?
Stout told us to “go to the beach and punt” so that we could have fun. I feel great being around guys who are like that. “Being around happy people not only makes me love punting, but also helps me to fall more in love with the sport.”
The biggest change was simply that we punted more. The more punting, the less time spent getting rusty.
Stout explained, “Punting is about your body’s feeling. I had to learn how to punt after speed training.” You have to be in tune with every muscle fiber in your legs. You have to make sure that it fires in exactly the same way, or you will shank the ball.
I tried many different things. “I feel that experimenting with punting will help you discover what works for you.”
Stout believed that his leg strength would allow him to change the punting game. The Ravens were amazed by his strength when they drafted him out of Penn State, in the 4th round in 2022. You could tell the difference.
Stout was inconsistent despite the fact that he threw many punts in his first three years.
Baltimore is too cold and windy to hang my signature. Stout stated that it was too windy and too cold. The boomerang is still effective.
Koch’s work in San Diego included incorporating more punts to his arsenal, something he mastered throughout his career. Koch changed the game not only by hitting big punts but also by using directional punts with different spins and trajectories.
Koch was Stout’s special teams consultant for his first three years. Stout studied Jacksonville Jaguars’ punter Logan Cooke this offseason. He cited Cooke as the best punter in the game today at curving “boomerang punts.”
“I was like ‘How can you implement that? Stout stated that it took months. It’s not a simple punt that you can do anywhere and with consistency. It took a lot of time to get it right. “In Year 4, many things are starting to click.”