Punt God Needs to Learn a New Skill in Buffalo

He can punt a ball 80 yards, but there is a new skill that Buffalo Bills' 6th-round draft choice Matt Arazia is going to need to learn, in order to land the starting job.

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You don't just get handed the name "The Punt God".  That's the kind of name that needs to be earned.  And Bills' rookie punter Matt Arazia did just that during his four years at San Diego State by being named the Ray Guy Award winner (Best College Punter) in 2021, an Unanimus All-American (2021), MWC Special Teams Player of the Year (2021) and a First Team All-MWC player (2021).  He finished his senior season by averaging 51.19 yards per punt, which broke the NCAA record.

So you could most definitely say that he earned his nickname, "The Punt God".  But, punting isn't the only trick in his bag.  Ariza also was a placekicker at San Diego State.  As a redshirt freshman, he made an Aztec-record 22 field goals, which nabbed him an honorable mention All-Mountain West nod. He has a career-long field goal of 53 yards.

And if that's not enough, he can also handle kickoff duties, setting career highs with 9 kickoffs in a game, 9 touchbacks in a game, and a kickoff average of 66.8 yards.

So what can't the Punt God do?  Well, with all that he did accomplish on the field, there is one skill that he never got to master, which usually comes as part of the job as an NFL punter.  Holding.  While he was busy punting and kicking, he never got to be the one to hold for PATs and Field Goals.  One skill incumbent punter Matt Haack does have on his resume.

So while it is widely assumed that the Punt God will take over as the starting punter for the Bills, he may need to get a literal firm grasp on the holding portion of the job before it's handed over to him.