Punters aren't the most appreciated players in the NFL, but there's a scarcity of stars at the position who can consistently stick and do the singular, high-pressure job they're tasked with on the gridiron.  

EA Sports' Madden 16 revealed its top five punters on Sunday. Leading the way is Indianapolis Colts first-team All-Pro Pat McAfee, whose prowess makes life difficult for adversaries who already have to deal with stud quarterback Andrew Luck and Indy's explosive passing game.

Below is a list of the top five punters and the notable attributes that make them elite in the eyes of Madden creators:

Top 5 Punters in 'Madden 16'

Rank	Player	Team	Overall Rating	Notable Attributes
1	Pat McAfee	Indianapolis Colts	95	97 Kick Power, 92 Kick Accuracy, 88 Awareness
2	Johnny Hekker	St. Louis Rams	93	97 Kick Power, 97 Kick Accuracy, 79 Awareness
3	Matt Bosher	Atlanta Falcons	92	92 Kick Power, 97 Kick Accuracy, 83 Awareness
4	Thomas Morstead	New Orleans Saints	91	95 Kick Power, 91 Kick Accuracy, 86 Awareness
5	Sam Martin	Detroit Lions	91	96 Kick Power, 95 Kick Accuracy, 80 Awareness

Checking in at No. 3 in Madden 16 is Atlanta Falcons punter Matt Bosher. Only Hekker matches the 97 kick accuracy Bosher boasts, and such precision is particularly useful when trying to finagle a punt inside the 20.

Bosher is in line for another big year in 2015—and may not be leaned on quite as heavily. The Falcons have a new coach in Dan Quinn whose experience in Seattle figures to upgrade the defense. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has a zone-blocking scheme capable of fixing Atlanta's rushing woes too.


(bleacherreport.com)

Atlanta Falcons punter Matt Bosher has no shortage of fans. Heck, most of you want to cut William Moore and give Bosher the starting nod at strong safety. But all joking aside, Bosher's leg strength is beyond belief.

Pro Football Focus highlighted special teams players this week. On Wednesday, they focused in on punters. Give the article a read, if you have a moment. It appears Bosher led the entire league in hang time last season.



His average hang time on "open field punts," of which he had 22, was nearly five seconds. Those are the punts where Bosher was between the Falcons goal line and 40 yard line; basically where he has ideal field position for punts with a lot of hang time. But wow. Just wow.  Think about that football, flying through the air for 4.67 seconds - it's glorious. Men have conquered countries in less time.

We are witnessing Bosher's prime. Overall, Bosher punted 67 times in 2014. He amassed 3,000+ punting yards, punting 4.2 times a game. His longest punt was a career best 66 yards.


(thefalcoholic.com)

Falcons special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong said punter Matt Bosher is working on some technical fixes to improve his consistency.

“There are some things we talk about but obviously I can’t share (the details),” Armstrong said. “He’s well aware of what’s happening with his situation. We got some good work on that (Monday).”

Bosher kicked a punt out of bounds for 29 yards in the Week 8 loss against the Lions. The mishit gave Detroit a first down at Atlanta’s 44-yard line and the Lions scored on Golden Tate’s 59-yard touchdown three plays later to cut its deficit to 21-10.

Bosher said hes’ always getting feedback from a group that includes Armstrong, assistant coach Eric Sutulovich, kicker Matt Bryant and long snapper Josh Harris.

“Coming off the bye week, you get a chance to refocus, shore up a couple things and make sure the second half the season we have everything squared away so we can take opponents’ returners out of the game and take care of our business,” he said.

Bosher’s net punt average 39.8 yards ranks 13th in the league. Opponents are averaging 7.5 yards per return against the Falcons, who rank 11th-best in that category.

“Things people don’t pay attention to, (such as) punt coverage for no gain, that’s a positive,” Armstrong said. “Field position is a team stat. Say our offense goes and moves the ball for three first downs and then we punt the ball and tackle people inside the 20-yard line. That’s field position. The more we do the little things the right away, the big plays show up.”


(ajc.com)

Punters often are overlooked in the NFL, but such isn't the case with Matt Bosher.

The Atlanta Falcons appreciate Bosher's ability to have an impact on games, which is why they rewarded him with a contract extension.

The Falcons signed Bosher to a five-year extension through 2019, as reported by ESPN's Field Yates. The deal includes a $2.5 million signing bonus and $5.95 guaranteed.

The Falcons also extended long-snapper Josh Harris through 2018, according to Yates. His deal included a $500,000 signing bonus.

Special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong emphasized Bosher's importance when he addressed the media following the season-opening win against New Orleans. Bosher was ESPN Stats & Information's punter of the week for his performance against the Saints.

"I think the best thing we did was Bosher really doing a good job of controlling the field position with the touchbacks," Armstrong said last week. "And I thought also he did a nice job of hanging the ball on punts. That kind of contained them with fair catches and that type of stuff. When you talk about coverage, we really covered one kick because Bosh was on fire and really did a nice job placing it and hanging it."

Bosher has been consistent since joining the Falcons as a sixth-round draft pick out of Miami (2011).

"He's done a really good job for us," Armstrong said of Bosher. "Very professional; works on it year-round. Tough is the one thing that jumps out with him. When I look for a kicker or punter, I'm looking for a guy that's not a typical kicker, but he's got some toughness to him. And he's got some legitimate toughness to him. He doesn't back down from anybody. That's kind of the guy we were looking for when we got him.

"He does a hell of a job for us on the kickoffs. As you know, he'll go down and cover as well. ...The other thing that nobody ever talks about is he's holding (on field goals), and he never did it before he got here."


(espn.com)

Everyone loves Matt Bosher. If we put aside his punting (for now), Bosher is well-known for his entertaining and hard-hitting prowess as a tackler, and he has put together several memorable plays without the mention of his punting leg. In addition, Bosher remains one of the better kick-off men in the league, ranking in the top-5 in touchback percentage in 2013, and that makes him extremely valuable.

From a punting perspective, 2013 was a good year for the 26-year-old Bosher, as he finished ninth in the NFL in punting average (46.6 yards per punt) and the overall unit finished sixth in the league in net punting (41.1 yards per punt). This is an area where the Falcons should not worry unless there is an injury to Bosher.


(fansided.com)

JUPITER, Fla. - At the Square Grouper, Jupiter Boosters hosted a fundraiser for their new turf football stadium.  And one of the celebrity bartenders was former Warrior and current Atlanta Falcon Matt Bosher. The punter just bought a house in his hometown and called that a dream of his. Of course another is to keep his job in the NFL, which, as a punter, is a year round effort.

The booster club is just 20 thousand dollars shy of their goal for the new field. They're expecting to start construction in a few weeks.




(cbs12.com)

FLOWERY BRANCH -- Falcons punter Matt Bosher is having a strong season, but nine of his 12 games this season have been indoors.

He could impress Pro Bowl voters with a strong outdoor outing when the Falcons (3-9) face the Packers (5-6-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Lambeau Field. 

“The nice thing is that it should be cold enough not to snow,” special-teams coordinator Keith Armstrong said. “You just have to manage the wind. I don’t know if it’s going to be cloudy or sunny. He’ll face all of the elements that we typically don’t get.”

Bosher has averaged 46.0 yards on 48 punts and has a net average of 40.3, which ranks tied for seventh in the NFC behind St. Louis’ Johnny Hekker (44.0), New Orleans’ Thomas Morstead (43.0), San Francisco’s Andy Lee (42.9), Detroit’s Sam Martin (41.5), Philadelphia’s Donnie Jones (41.2) and Carolina’s Brad Nortman (40.7).

Morstead was the NFC’s Pro Bowl punter last season.

“He’s representing himself well,” Armstrong said. “He’s putting the work in, and it’s showing up on game day.”


(ajc.com)

Atlanta's Matt Bosher leads league with average of 49.9 yards per punt.







(sacbee.com)

proCane Texans WR Andre Johnson (80)

Bears proCane KR Devin Hester (23)

proCane Falcons P Mat Bosher

proCane Colts WR Reggie Wayne (87)

proCane Browns WR Travis Benjamin (80)

proCane Cardinals DE Calais Campbell (93)

We get into the regular season version of this particular feature with a player you may not think too much about, unless he somehow has a bad performance.
Kickers, long snappers and punters are guys you don’t hear too much about, but in my experience, they have some of the best personalities in the locker room.

Punter Matt Bosher is no exception — and neither are his teammates Matt Bryant and Josh Harris, who also make up the team’s specialists positions.
I waded into their corner of the locker room this week to pose the question of what we need to know about his teammates to Bosher, and while he stuck with the guys he knows best, we dig up some great nuggets.

Here are five things Bosher would like you to know about his teammates, in his own words:
• “Matt Bryant isn’t as grumpy as he looks. You just have to get to know him.”
• “Matt Bryant, his family has raised miniature horses his entire life. For real.”
• “Josh Harris was so scared the first time he did standup paddleboarding in southern California that he actually didn’t fall.” (There were Great White Sharks in the water at the time, Harris adds).”
• “Kevin Cone enjoys eating copious amounts of candy. … Copious amounts of candy, underlined and bold.”
• “Matt Bryant does not enjoy when he does not tee off well (on the golf course). Matt Bryant is 2-for-3 when playing Josh and I in breaking a club.”


(atlantafalcons.com)

PK Matt Bryant (back) worked out with the trainers and is expected to be available against the Saints. P Matt Bosher kicked field goals in practice with Matt Bryant out with a back injury. Matt Ryan took on Bosher's usual duties as the holder.





(globalpost.com)

Falcons coach Mike Smith share some of the highlights from his film review session of the 34-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I thought P Matt Bosher did an outstanding job punting the football even though we didn’t cover as well as we would like. His hang times were outstanding. (He had a hang-time of 4.7 seconds on his second punt of the game.) I think he’s going to continue to be a weapon for us punting the football.”


(ajc.com)

There were some tough calls, indeed. Here's the 25th rated players (tie):

No. 25 (tie): PK Matt Bryant and P Matt Bosher

Bryant: Season 12; Age: 38; Height: 5-9; Weight: 203

Bosher: Season 3; Age: 25; Height: 6-0; Weight 208

The kicker and the punter are on the list because both are tough hombres.

The diminutive Bryant, who booted the game-winner over Seattle in the divisional round of the playoffs, is still clutch. Also, he’ll stand up for the team in the heat of the battle like he did last season at Carolina's Greg Hardy last season.

He set the franchise record for most points in a single season (138) and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. Bryant’s 49-yard game winning field goal against Seattle was the 15th game-winner of his NFL career and his sixth as a member of the Falcons.

Since joining the Falcons in 2009, Bryant has made on 31 of 41 field goal attempts from 40 yards or longer.

Bosher punts and handles the kickoffs. He’s on the list because he doesn’t mind mixing it up as a tackler. He had four special teams tackle in addition to breaking his own franchise record for net punting average (40.7 yards) and he set a franchise record for most touchbacks in a single season with 45.

Last year, Bosher punted 60 times for 2,827 yards (47.1 yard average). Bosher, who appears to have a Pro Bowl trip or two in his future, placed 22 kicks inside the 20-yard line.

In part because of Bosher’s hang-time, the Falcons’ punt coverage team has consistently been one of the top units in the NFL over the last five seasons. In 2012, the Falcons held opponents to 9.3 yards per return.

The Falcons special teams units, under the directior of coordinator Keith Armstrong, led the league in fewest penalties with seven.


(ajc.com)

ProFootballFocus.com's analysis of each play of every game in the NFL is respected around the league, so when they release their season-ending lists of the best players in football, everyone reads it. The Falcons didn't have any players on the year's All-Pro list or All-Rookie team, but PFF's All-Sophomoreteam featured two second-year Falcons.

Joining Julio Jones on the All-Sophomore team is a Falcon who hasn't yet started getting many accolades, but put together a solid season for the Falcons. Punter Matt Bosher, drafted in the sixth round, helped the Falcons finish ninth in the NFL in average yards per punt and only 26 of his 60 punts were returned. Bosher also serves as the team's kickoff specialist.


(atlantafalcons.com)

In all, as many as 212 players will participate in the AFC and NFC championship games on Sunday – four teams, 53 players per team. When including players not on the active rosters of the four teams playing for a shot at the Super Bowl, however, the total jumps to more than 250.

The schools represented on the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens range from college football's elite (Alabama, Ohio State, Texas and Florida) to those situated far outside the national picture (Hillsdale, Bellhaven, Lane and Indiana).

Here are the eight schools most represented by the four teams playing Sunday for a trip to the Super Bowl:

1. Miami (Fla.): 12. P Matt Bosher, OL Harland Gunn, DL Micanor Regis (Atlanta); LB Tavares Gooden, RB Frank Gore (San Francisco); DL Vince Wilfork, DL Marcus Forston (New England); LB Ray Lewis, OL Bryant McKinnie, RB Damien Berry, WR Tommy Streeter, S Ed Reed (Baltimore).

2. (tie) Oregon: 7. WR Drew Davis (Atlanta); RB LaMichael James, FB Will Tukuafu (San Francisco); TE Ed Dickson, DL Haloti Ngata, QB Dennis Dixon (Baltimore).

2. (tie) Florida: 7. LB Mike Peterson (Atlanta); DL Ray McDonald (San Francisco); DL Jermaine Cunningham, RB Jeff Demps, TE Aaron Hernandez, LB Brandon Spikes (New England); WR Deonte Thompson (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Alabama: 6. OL Mike Johnson, WR Julio Jones (Atlanta); DL Brandon Deaderick, LB Dont'a Hightower (New England); DL Terrence Cody, LB Courtney Upshaw (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Iowa: 6. DL Jonathan Babineaux (Atlanta); LB Jeff Tarpinian, TE Brad Herman, OL Markus Zusevics (New England); S Sean Considine, OL Marshal Yanda (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Texas: 6. OL Justin Blalock (Atlanta); CB Tarell Brown, OL Leonard Davis (San Francisco); OL Kyle Hix (New England); CB Chykie Brown, K Justin Tucker (Baltimore).

4. (tie) South Carolina: 6. DL John Abraham, DL Cliff Matthews, DL Travian Robertson, CB Dunta Robinson (Atlanta); S Emanuel Cook, CB Chris Culliver (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Ohio State: 6. OL Alex Boone, WR Ted Ginn Jr., LB Larry Grant, S Donte Whitner (San Francisco); TE Jake Ballard, S Nate Ebner (New England).
Another eight schools have five players on the rosters: Arizona State, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, UCF, Rutgers, Syracuse and Illinois.

Teams with four players: Oklahoma State, Marshall, Michigan, Fresno State, Utah, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Louisville, LSU and Georgia Tech.

Three players: Auburn, Wisconsin, Maryland, California, Wake Forest, Florida State, Penn State, Kansas, Purdue, Northwestern, Texas Tech and Arkansas.

Two players: Baylor, Michigan State, Stanford, Boston College, Clemson, Connecticut, ECU, Oregon State, Richmond, San Jose State, Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, TCU, UCLA, Notre Dame, Central Michigan, Delaware, Iowa State, Colorado, Tennessee State, Nebraska, Buffalo, Arizona and Washburn.

Luck of the draw plays a role, of course, but it's a bit surprising to see that schools like Virginia Tech, USC, Oklahoma and Texas A&M only have one player each on the four rosters. Not surprising? That one player represents schools like Prairie View A&M, Lane, Harvard, Weber State, Chadron State (Danny Woodhead), Hillsdale and Hofstra (which no longer has a football program).


(usatoday.com)

FLOWERY BRANCH — Special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong confirmed that kickoff specialist Matt Bosher mis-hit his final kickoff that allowed Seattle to throw a pass into the Falcons’ end zone as time expired Sunday.

He said that it was a human error.

Bosher also mis-hit two punts that were returned for 9 and 15 yards. He had a net average of 30 yards and failed to get good hang-time in order to limit the returns of Seattle’s Leon Washington.

“We did not punt the ball as well as we’d like to in terms of what we’re asking our guys to do,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “The last kick was not executed the way it’s supposed to be executed. It was not the type of play that we needed to have at that point in time.”

Armstrong noted that Bosher did have a fine squib kick against Oakland on Oct. 14.

Armstrong didn’t believe that Bosher, a second-year player, was under too much pressure in his second playoff game.

“He had an outstanding game last year against the Giants in the wind and cold up there,” Armstrong said. “He smashed the ball to a really good returner. I don’t think it was that at all. It’s like anything else … sometimes you’re going to have a bad day.”

Bosher will be on the spot against the 49ers, who blocked a punt against then-Falcons punter Michael Koenen in 2010 at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won 16-14 after some heroics by Harvey Dahl, Roddy White and Matt Ryan in the final 1:31 of the game.


(ajc.com)