Raiders P Shane Lechler broke his own single-season net punting average record in 2009. Photo by Tony Gonzales.
Oakland Raiders punter Shane Lechler broke his own record for net average yards punting in a single season. He also narrowly missed breaking Sammy Baugh's single-season record for gross punting average.
In 2008, Lechler's net punting average was 41.2. In 2009, his net average per punt was 43.9. Baugh's record for gross punting average stands at 51.4 while Lechler averaged 51.1 yards per punt during the 2009 season. It was the first time the 10-year veteran avaergaed more than 50 yards per punt in his career.
Also, 30 of Lechler's punts were downed inside the opponets' 20-yard line, the second-highest total of his career. Thirty-three of his punts were downed inside the 20 in 2008.
Lechler began and finished the 2009 season second in Raiders history in number of punts and total yards. So far in his career, Lechler has punted footballs a total of 36,811 yards - almost 21 miles.
Lechler's 47.3-yard punting average is the highest in NFL history for players with at least 250 attempts. He surpassed Baugh (45.1) and reached the qualifier of 250 punts during the 11/23/03 contest at Kansas City. In 2008, Lechler and San Francisco's Andy Lee became the first players in NFL history to record net averages of 40 yards or more.
Lechler picked up where he left off in 2008, recording at least one punt of over 50 yards in every game in 2009. Lechler recorded punts of more than 50 yards in every game in 2008 and had at least one punt of 50 yards or longer in 13 games in 2007. He set an NFL record with 33 straight games with a punt of 50 or more yards, the longest streak since the NFL/AFL merger in 1970. The streak extended from 11/30/03 vs. Denver until 12/11/05 at N.Y. Jets. During the record-setting streak, he topped 50 yards 65 times with 12 punts of over 60.
Lechler's 70-yard punt in the first quarter of the Raiders' September 20, 2009 contest at Kansas City versus the Chiefs marked the seventh 70-plus-yard punt of his career.
Lechler has been selected to play in his fifth Pro Bowl.
