Raising Zona
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Veteran player could solve Arizona Cardinals’ punting woes

By Jim Koch

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 25: Jeff LockeDETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 25: Jeff Locke #18 of the Minnesota Vikings runs the ball out the end zone late in the fourth quarter during an NFL game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on October 25, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. The Vikings defeated the Lions 28-19. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 25: Jeff LockeDETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 25: Jeff Locke #18 of the Minnesota Vikings runs the ball out the end zone late in the fourth quarter during an NFL game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on October 25, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. The Vikings defeated the Lions 28-19. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) /
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The punting position has been a problem for the Arizona Cardinals, but maybe the recently-released Jeff Locke could provide help

Arizona Cardinals’ general manager Steve Keim knows how to build a football team. His being voted Pro Football Talk’s NFL Executive of the Year for both 2013 and 2014 is solid proof of that.

When it comes to evaluating punters however, Keim for some odd reason doesn’t have a clue. Ever since Dave Zastudil’s departure in 2014 (a player who was inherited from the previous regime), Arizona’s punting game has been a disaster. And the Cardinals’ front office has done nothing to remedy the problem.

An intriguing option has become available thanks to the Indianapolis Colts. Jeff Locke, an NFL veteran of four seasons, was released by the club before he ever got a chance to punt for them in a regular-season contest. The 27-year old, signed as an unrestricted free agent just this past March, was jettisoned for an undrafted rookie free agent named Rigoberto Sanchez.

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Locke may have become available at just the right time for the Cards. The club’s two current candidates for the gig, Matt Wile and Richie Leone, have failed to impress. Besides that, the two combined have just four games (all by Wile) of NFL experience. By comparison, Locke has appeared in all 64 games over the past four campaigns for the Minnesota Vikings.

Keim’s previous choice for the position, Drew Butler, was a disaster who remained with the squad entirely too long. Trying to rectify that mistake with two inexperienced band-aids doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Not when someone with the game experience that Locke offers is there for the taking.

The team’s special teams struggles in 2016 have been well-documented. 42-year old kicker Phil Dawson was brought in to replace the much-younger Chandler Catanzaro (who missed 11 kicks). The punting was bad, the return unit was terrible and even the long-snapping caused headaches.

Signing with Arizona would be a homecoming of sorts for Locke. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany but his family migrated to the United States. The 6’0″, 209 pounder attended Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, Arizona.

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