I actually think his muffed punt was an example of how losing affects your psyche and adds stress that hurts performance. Because there has been a TON of criticism of our special teams by both the fans and the coaches. Now 99% of that criticism was legit, but it still has an impact. The team is trying to win its first game. The coaches have drilled into the special teams return guys that we need to be more productive in returning kicks. We are on the road against Michigan. You go to field a punt near midfield. It bounces in front of you but you still think you have a chance to "make a play" like the coaches have been asking. You have personally been criticized as a player for being too timid and tentative. So f$ck it. Time to make a play. Oops! Shit! Doh!Or try to field a bouncy punt with the opponents in your face? ;-)
Having said that, you make a good point here. TL wasn’t productive, but apart from the bad punt recovery attempt, there isn’t a lot to complain about from an out of position standpoint.
I felt sorry for him actually.