Oakland Raiders punter Chris Kluwe is one of the most outspoken players in sports and now that he is gone from the Minnesota Vikings he is competing over the summer with Marquette King for the starting punter job.
Kluwe released a book this summer and writes about the tough training camp battles fought by players as well as what it's like to play in the preseason and how he dealt with competing for his job in the past with the Vikings. Kluwe writes about working on punting with King and how it is to compete against teammates for a job and the tough business of the NFL.
Kluwe finishes with: "What do I know? I know that I am ultimately responsible for my actions. I know the type of person I want to be. I know, were the situations reversed, how I would want to be treated, because I was on the other side of the equation. I was the young rookie, competing with everything I had for a place on the 53. I know that I want to win my spot now because I am the best, competing against the best competition I could possibly find, not because I let a guy struggle when I could have easily helped him out. I know that in a violent sport, filled with uncertainty, I will eventually fail, but it will be my choice, my failure, not because I let someone else fail in my place."
Click here for the Going Long column with Chris Kluwe.
McKenzie was the one who brought in King last year and although he has a big leg, he felt it was necessary to also bring in Kluwe after he was released by the Vikings for his outspoken nature. Lechler leaves some large cleats to fill and Kluwe had an excellent season last year in his personal career, although he ranked 22nd in the NFL in average yards per punt. King was stashed on injured reserve last season and if he shows that he still has a booming leg, he could be the starter.
Kluwe is more solid than powerful and he had the 17th best net average in the league last season and finished 31st in the league with 18 punts inside the 20. Although the stats aren't jumping out like crazy, punting is a tough job and the Raiders may decide to stick with the more experienced player as they head into a very important transition season in the franchise. Obviously that choice isn't as hard as the one for quarterback with Matt Flynn and Tyler Wilson, but it could add up to more wins depending on which way it plays out.
The Raiders have had a stalwart in Lechler and now they will need a new ambassador for the punting position heading into next season. The team is expecting improvement after trading Carson Palmer and signing players like Mike Jenkins, Tracy Porter, Charles Woodson, Nick Roach and Kevin Burnett and the team is also very excited about its rookie class, including first round pick DJ Hayden.