The praise that rookie punt returner Myles Price has been garnering in the aftermath of his NFL debut is very much deserved.
Let’s just say he certainly looked the part
After signing with the Vikings an undrafted free agent this spring, Price slowly started to separate himself from some of his peers this summer. He solidified his spot on the roster by winning the competition to be the punt returner.
“I knew at some point I was going to get my opportunity,” Price said. “As soon as I got it, I said, ‘Don’t give it back.’ ”
That seemed to be Price’s mentality on Monday night at Soldier Field as he did his part to help the Vikings earn a 27-24 win over the Chicago Bears.
“He was able to make a guy miss at the point of attack and get to the second level where his blockers were,” special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said. “We stole a lot of the hidden yardage in that game.”
In the end, Price finished with four punt returns for 68 yards, showing a combination of shiftiness and explosiveness in space. That number is not insignificant when considering journeyman receiver Brandon Powell served as the punt returner last season and logged 164 yards total.
Minnesota cornerback Marcus Sherels makes New Orleans defensive end George Johnson miss during a punt return in the first quarter of an NFC playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday Jan. 14, 2018. (Pioneer Press / John Autey)
There’s an argument to be made that Price is already the best player the Vikings have had in that role since longtime punt returner Marcus Sherels.
What makes a great punt returner?
To figure out the answer to that question, the Pioneer Press tracked down Sherels, who still owns a bunch of franchise records, including most punt return touchdowns in a career (5), among others.
“It’s a position that not a lot of guys want to play,” Sherels said with a laugh. “There’s a lot of pressure being out there on an island.”
If anybody would know, it’s Sherels, who did it for the better part of a decade. A defensive back at Minnesota, his journey with the Vikings started in 2010 after he was invited to rookie minicamp on a tryout. He remembers arriving at Winter Park and seeing his last name was misspelled on the depth chart.
After garnering few reps on defense at his first practice, Sherels approached former special teams coordinator Brian Murphy and told him he wanted to join the competition at punt returner.
“He was like, ‘Sure. Whatever,’ ” Sherels said. “He didn’t even really know who I was at the time. I ended up doing it, and I was catching them fine. He kind of liked what he saw and they signed me.”
Never mind that Sherels went on to become the GOAT punt returner for the Vikings. He admitted there was a feeling-out process despite finishing with 2,480 punt return yards.
“I would be back there like, ‘Please don’t drop it. Please don’t drop it. Please don’t drop it,’ ” Sherels said. “My mindset kind of changed as I got more and more comfortable. I wanted those opportunities. I went in knowing I could change the game.”
Asked how he perfected his craft, Sherels credited the countless hours he spent with former special teams coordinator Mike Priefer. They would stay late after practice to get extra reps in. They would also watch tons of film to learn tendencies of opposing punters.
“He really believed in me, so we put a lot of time in it,” Sherels said. “That’s what it takes to be great at it.”
Though a willingness to work is extremely important to success at the highest level, Sherels said the key to having staying power as a punt returner is consistently being able to make the initial defender miss.
“I think where I kind of stood out was with my quickness,” he said. “I was pretty good at making people miss, and then I could use my vision to read where to go once I had the ball in my hands.”
There’s also some fearlessness required.
“You’ve also got to be able to take a hit and get back up no matter what,” Sherels said. “There were a bunch of times I didn’t make the right decision with the fair catch, and I got blown up because of it.”
As he was sitting at home this week watching the Vikings play the Chicago Bears, Sherels found himself glued to the screen whenever a ball was booted skyward.
“That’s still my favorite play to watch,” he said. “It brings me back.”
What did he think of Price in his NFL debut?
“He looked good,” Sherels said. “He had some juice. I’m excited to watch him. I think he’s going to keep getting better and better.”
Minnesota cornerback Marcus Sherels makes New Orleans defensive end George Johnson miss during a punt return in the first quarter of an NFC playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday Jan. 14, 2018. (Pioneer Press / John Autey)
Related Articles
J.J. McCarthy misses Vikings practice to be at birth of his son
Vikings place Blake Cashman and Ty Chandler on injured reserve
Vikings safety Harrison Smith gives update on his personal health issue
J.J. McCarthy named NFC Offensive Player of the Week
The Loop Fantasy Football Report Week 2: First week waiver frenzy ahead
Leave a Reply