Hey, why is everybody laughing? Dolphins' special teams coach finds no humor in ‘Butt Punt'
MIAMI GARDENS — The man in charge of the best blooper of this NFL season doesn’t see what’s so funny.
Danny Crossman, special teams coordinator for the Dolphins, was asked Tuesday if — given the fact the Dolphins overcame the folly to beat the Buffalo Bills 21-19 on Sunday — he could allow himself a chuckle out of the “Butt Punt” that has the rest of the league laughing.
“Absolutely zero amusement and 100 percent critical mistake that has an opportunity to possibly lose a football game,” Crossman said. “So yeah, it never will get a smile from me.”
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With 1:37 remaining and the Dolphins up 21-17, Miami faced a fourth-and-11 from its 1-yard line. Thomas Morstead was sent in to punt from his end zone but his kick hit the backside of blocker Trent Sherfield and, luckily for the Dolphins, ricocheted through the end zone for a safety. Had the ball settled in the end zone, it would have been a live ball and a possible Bills touchdown.
Linebacker Duke Riley, who plays on special teams, saw the positive side of it, saying that because Morstead got off a booming free kick on the ensuing play, Buffalo had to take over on its 23-yard line and cover more ground to move into field-goal range, compared to if Morstead took a one-step approach and rushed a punt that may not have gone past midfield.
“Thomas had one of the best punts I’ve ever seen on a kickoff,” Riley said. “The ball stayed in the air so long and then the returner gave us extra time by running, trying to chase the field, so it honestly worked out in our favor, as crazy as it sounds.”
The Bills quickly drove downfield but ran out of time when Melvin Ingram hauled down receiver Isaiah McKenzie in bounds at the Miami 41, killing the final few seconds.
Crossman, who said the Dolphins never considered taking an intentional safety because of the score, disagreed with Riley’s view.
“I think the yardage that you're going to defend would be somewhat similar,” Crossman said. “It's a momentum play also, which you don't ever want to give up.”
Crossman would not say whether the error was due to Morstead being too far forward, Sherfield being too far back or a combination of both.
“Well, you know, anytime you're in those situations, there's a couple of techniques, things that can change for everybody,” Crossman said. “So when you're punting from the 1, you're punting from the 2, there's certain techniques that everybody has that have to change. And obviously and unfortunately, we did not get all those variants of techniques accomplished on that play, which is what led to that negative play.”
Hal Habib covers the Dolphins for The Post. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' special teams coordinator: I'll NEVER laugh at ‘Butt Punt'
