Has Marquette King FINALLY made the Raiders consider a fake punt?

The play that sealed the win for the Oakland Raiders on Sunday came from none other than punter Marquette King. And no, it wasn’t in the form of a coffin corner punt or even a booming 70 yarder that switched field position. Instead, it came in the form of a botched snap turned 27 yard scamper.

Raiders fans all knew that King is an athletic punter from the fact that he was originally a wide receiver in college. After failing to get much playing time at wide receiver, King decided to focus on punting and the rest, as they say, is history.

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But while we all know of King’s athletic prowess, this is the first time we’ve seen it on display. Ever since he joined the team, I’ve been waiting for the coaches to put those abilities to use. I mean, not many teams have a punter with the ability to run the way King does.

Not only did King get the first down on a botched play, he did so with ease and until he was forced out of bounds, no one even cam near him. His quick thinking and athleticism are the reason this game ended looking more like a blowout than it really was.

Now that his abilities have reaped such huge dividends, perhaps the coaches will stop ignoring the unique option they have in their arsenal. Jack Del Rio has earned the nickname Black Jack Del Rio for his gambling tendencies this season.

Well, if you’re going to go for it on 4th and 3, perhaps one of the options you want to consider is a fake punt.

Sure, teams will be more ready for it now that they’ve seen him run, but they won’t be any more ready for that than a run up the gut like the Raiders tried at one point on fourth down this season with Jalen Richard taking the carry and failing to get the first down.

This is a team that isn’t good enough to simply eschew an option that gives them a clear competitive advantage. Who knows what King’s unique abilities could do for the Raiders. Teams have never had to prepare for a player like King. Punters more often than not are awkward, slow and ill prepared to do much other than kick the ball or throw a wobbly spiral.

Now that we’ve seen what Marquette King can do because the game forced it out of him, I want to see what he can do because the coaches scripted a play that accentuates his abilities.

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