Before we forget all about last week's cheekiest play and leave it behind for good, I had to ask Vikings special teams players what they thought about it.
Vikings can laugh at the 'buttpunt,' but please appreciate special teams
They saw the memes, but they also know their job is hard.
September 30, 2022 at 4:38PM
OK, I didn't have to. But I did anyway.
The topic, for those who might not be following along, was what quite simply became known as the "buttpunt" as it was reduced to a video loop and meme on social media.
The upshot: With the Dolphins leading the Bills 21-17, a Thomas Morstead punt from deep in his own end zone caromed off the rear end of teammate Trent Sherfield and went out of the end zone for a safety.
While most fans found it hilarious, Dolphins special teams coach Danny Crossman on Tuesday grumbled that he finds "absolutely zero amusement" in the play.
What if you are a little more detached from it, though? I sought the expert opinion of second-year Vikings safety Cam Bynum, who played 230 special teams snaps last season.
"I saw it, yeah. I saw it all over Instagram," Bynum said on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast. "When you are backed up in the end zone, do not back up. The punter is going to be right behind you, extra close. That's one thing our coaches always stress."
But can you laugh about it?
"It was just funny," Bynum said. "I saw the pictures, all the memes. It was hilarious. It would have been funnier to see it live."
Bynum did offer some additional perspective, though, on just how hard it is to compete on the often overlooked special teams plays.
"Physically, being out there, those are the hardest snaps you'll get in a game," Bynum said. "It's a long play, like a 15 to 20 second play. ... Special teams it's 100% no matter what you're doing."
Is what happened to the Dolphins pretty much a nightmare scenario? I engaged Vikings rookie Brian Asamoah — who has played 48 snaps this season, all on special teams — on that subject.
"Yeah, I would say so. Especially punting from your own end zone," he said. "But things happen, and you find ways to learn from it."
That's all we can hope for in life, right?
As for Morstead and Sherfield? They surely learned from it — and had a little more fun with it later in the week.
Maybe we can just say this: Given that the Dolphins hung on to win 21-19, sometimes all's well that ends well.
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
