Detroit Lions WR Kalif Raymond has many reasons to nix fair catch calls

Three times during the Detroit Lions’ 16-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 16, punt returner Kalif Raymond caught the ball with almost no room to maneuver.

He got 4 yards on one of those returns. On another, he ended up with negative mileage. In total, he picked up 3 yards on his three attempts, averaging 1 yard per return, while also claiming fair catches on two other punts.

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Many Lions fans have probably asked: Why not more equitable catches?

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It turns out there are many reasons.

Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp acknowledged Thursday that fans might prefer to see a good catch in those cases, but he’s still in favor of a return.

“Because he gave it back and got 1 yard…that was a yard better than a fair catcher. Or he got 5 yards on one, that’s 5 yards better than a fair catcher,” Fipp said. “We’re fighting for every blade of grass, and so if we get 5 yards, it’s better than taking a good catch.”

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Raymond echoed Fipp’s idea, but also had a few additional reasons to try to bring her back without much room.

“On the one hand, I trust my guys, so I’m going to take every opportunity I can,” he said. “You miss 100 percent of the pitches you don’t swing at, and I trust my guys to know that I’m going to swing at every one, because I know [they] work.”

Raymond also said he was ready to take the hits that come with this aggression.

“I’m willing to sacrifice the possibility of getting hit rather than just catching the ball and undoing the work they put in, the 40 yards they ran down the field,” he said.

Raymond’s aggressiveness exemplifies many of Detroit’s organizational philosophies, particularly the willingness to fight for every yard and the trust in his teammates to put their bodies on the line for the team’s success.

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So even when the one-yard returns don’t look so good on the stat sheet, Raymond is confident he’s making the right plays.

“If I can make one guy miss — which I haven’t done all the time — but if I can, there’s 10 other guys blocking for me,” he said.

This line of thinking manifested itself in Week 4. Against the Cleveland Browns, Raymond lined up for six punt returns, calling a fair catch on one and returning the other five. Four of those returns didn’t yield many yards, but one did — Raymond broke one for a 65-yard touchdown that gave the Lions a 26-10 lead, putting the game away for good.

Raymond said teams have been playing the Lions’ punt return unit differently since that touchdown — although he wouldn’t reveal precisely how.

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But even though the teams seem to have plans against the Lions, Raymond doesn’t plan to do much differently.

“At the end of the day, these 10 guys are still blocking, and I’m still going to be aggressive. And hopefully one of those plays, one of those one or two yard returns [turns into] that 70-yard touchdown,” he said.

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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions Kalif Raymond Stays Aggressive on Fair Catch Calls