Lachlan Edwards is continuing his U.S., continental and hemispherical globetrotting again this offseason.
"My brother, Ben, is getting married in February," the Jets' Australian-born punter related at the end of the season. "I'm in that wedding, so we're going back, me and my girlfriend, for a full month."
That's this month, of course, so all the best to the Edwards family on their festive occasion.
Then it'll be back to Texas, Lac's adopted home state, to resume his offseason workouts as he heads into his fourth NFL season. And he said he'll invite his kicker and snapper, Jason Myers and Thomas Hennessy to his home.
"We'll get all the boys together for a full week," he said. "We usually do that before we come back for OTAs so we're fresh."
But this year Edwards will also be spending time in Texas' next-door neighbor, Oklahoma, because that's where Darren Bennett is hanging out now. Bennett, the patron saint of Aussie punters, pulled up his San Diego stakes to continue his "Punting and Kicking Services" in the Sooner State while also serving as a volunteer coach for his son, Thomas, and the other footmen at Tulsa University. Edwards: "He's been invaluable to my career."
The Best Photos of the Specialists During the 2018 Season
It's all in a bid to continue Lach's improvement as the Jets' punter once he returns to North Jersey. In 2018, for the second straight season, he improved his NFL rankings in both his gross and net averages. For the second straight year, he set the franchise's net record.
"And that's not even my best," Edwards said of last season. "This year was pretty similar numbers to last year. Overall not a bad year for me personally, but I could do a lot better."
How so?
"It's just probably staying locked in on every punt," he said. "We did have some pretty horrible winds this year, which I haven't had previously. The Minnesota game, I think, was 37-mile-per-hour gusts — that's hard for anyone, hard for quarterbacks. Chicago was windy as well. Then it just got cold. Playing in the Northeast, I'd better get used to that. If I don't, that'll be my head on the line."
Yet Edwards knows that, with a great offseason working on his strength, great coverage such as the effort led last year by Charone Peake and Trenton Cannon, and the elimination of those few off punts that creep in, "I think I've got a really good base to go from here." Wherever here is for Edwards in a given month.
Lachlan Edwards' Punting Progress
I-20—Inside-the-20 punts. NFL—Rank among qualifying punters. *Franchise record.
Season | Gross | NFL | Net | NFL | I-20 | NFL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | 43.1 | 28th | 37.3 | 30th | 24 | t-17th |
2017 | 46.6* | 11th | 40.5* | 19th | 33 | t-3rd |
2018 | 45.9 | 9th | 40.8* | 13th | 23 | 18th |