A watched pot never boils. And the longer I stare at the numbers waiting for a Pittsburgh Steelers punter to break one of the longest droughts in history, the less likely it seems to occur. Corliss Waitman is tracking to fall short of Bobby Joe Green’s 64-year record for single-season gross punting average, but he’s on pace to set another notable punting record.
Net average.
The less-discussed cousin of the punting world, net is the key number. The difference between how far the punt landed and the opposing return. A 50-yard punt is the gross. A 10-yard return creates a 40-yard net.