The Hawk’s Nest – Blocking Punts

By: Ahmad Hawkins |

The Hawk’s Nest

With Ahmad Hawkins

Hawkins plays professionally for the Nashville Kats in the Arena Football League. This season, he earned Defensive Player of the Year honors from the ALF Writers Association thanks to an oustanding season. He tied an AFL record with 13 interceptions, including two that he returned for touchdowns. In the end, 12 of the picks led to points (9 TDs, 2 TD returns, 1 FG) for the Kats. Hawkins, a first-team All-AFL selection at defensive back, finished with 65 tackles, 13 interceptions, 6 pass break-ups, and 3 fumble recoveries.

Hawkins played from 1997-2000 at Virginia where he played both receiver and defensive back He had a team-high 4 INTs in 2000 and is legendary in Hoo circles for the go-ahead touchdown catch in the 1998 comeback win at Virginia Tech. His “Hawk’s Nest” column will appear game week Wednesdays on TheSabre.com.

In the last edition of The Hawk’s Nest, we discussed the important steps that have to take place en route to producing a successful punt return. In this week’s edition, we will discuss how to block a punt. As you know, Virginia Tech excels in this category and Virginia’s Josh Zidenberg has blocked three punts in his career so it could be an area to watch this weekend.

...