Yesterday Belichick made the move from always consistent, Ryan Allen, to big leg, Jake Bailey. Why did he do it?
Throughout the summer, Bailey has shown some ridiculous hang time with his punts. While that’s fun to time and observe, I don’t think it had much to do with the decision being made.
Earlier this season I wrote a quick comparison piece about the two punters. Going to as many open practices as I could, I do feel they were pretty even. With that being said, why the decision to go with the rookie? Why make the decision now?
I think it really just comes to contracts at this point. While neither player is putting much of a dent in the budget, Bailey is locked up for 4 years at relatively cheap money. Allen, on the other hand, was making good money for a punter and was only signed for this year. So how did Allen get here? After having an incredible Super Bowl, he tested the free agency waters. Not getting any impressive offers, he then returned to the Patriots on a one year deal. According to multiple reports, Allen was offered a multi-year deal with the Patriots but opted for just a one year deal. Time will tell if this was a good move on Allen’s part. As of today it isn’t looking so good.
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