Thomas Morstead life and biography

Thomas Morstead is an American football punter. He was a fifth-round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints, 164th overall, in the 2009 NFL Draft. He was the second punter taken overall. He played college football at SMU.

CAREER TRANSACTIONS

Signed to a four-year contract, 7/30/09; Selected by Saints in the fifth round (164th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft.

HONORS/AWARDS

2009: NFC Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 11), NFC Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 17).

2009- Won the punting job in training camp and went on to average 43.6 yards on 58 punts with 18 kicks being downed inside the 20. Also handled kickoff chores for 15 games and put 58 of 99 kicks into the end zone with 27 going for touchbacks. vs. Detroit (9/13): Punted twice in his NFL debut, averaging 48 yards per kick. Also handled kickoff duties and put six of eight kickoffs into the end zone with three of the kicks resulting in touchbacks. at Philadelphia (9/20): Averaged 52 yards on three punts with a long of 60 and put three of 10 kickoffs into the end zone with one touchback. at Buffalo (9/27): Punted five times for an average of 42.6 yards and pinned one of the kicks inside the Bills’ five-yard line. Also knocked three of his six kickoffs into the end zone with one being downed for a touchback. vs. NY Jets (10/4): Averaged 38 yards on five punts with two of them downed inside the 20-yard line. Also knocked all five of his kickoffs into the end zone with four going for touchbacks. vs. NY Giants (10/18): Averaged 45 yards on his four punts and put four of his eight kickoffs into the end zone. Made his first career tackle with a touchdown-saving stop on a kickoff. at Miami (10/25): Punted three times for an average of 45.7 yards and knocked five of his nine kickoffs into the end zone with three for touchbacks. vs. Atlanta (11/2): Averaged 44.5 yards on two punts and put two of six kickoffs into the end zone. vs. Carolina (11/8): Punted three times, averaging 38.7 yards with his final punt being downed at the two-yard line with DT Anthony Hargrove causing a fumble on the next play and returning it for a touchdown. Put three of five kickoffs into the end zone with two for touchbacks. at St. Louis (11/15): Averaged 37.3 yards on three punts and knocked three of five kickoffs into the end zone. at Tampa Bay (11/22): Turned in an outstanding performance, dropping two punts inside the five-yard line and averaged 48.8 yards on four punts. Also put six of seven kickoffs into the end zone, three of them going for touchbacks. Was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the Bucs. vs. New England (11/30): Averaged 43.3 yards on three punts and knocked all seven of his kickoffs into the end zone with four resulting in touchbacks. at Washington (12/6): Punted three times for an average of 33.3 yards, dropping one of his kicks inside the 10-yard line. at Atlanta (12/13): Punted once for 35 yards with a 35-yard net and put five of his six kickoffs into the end zone with four going for touchbacks. vs. Dallas (12/19): Averaged 50.3 yards on four punts with a long kick of 57 and knocked all four of his kickoffs into the end zone with one being downed for a touchback. vs. Tampa Bay (12/27): Punted four times for an average of 40.3 yards with one punt downed inside the 20-yard line. One of his five kickoffs reached the end zone. at Carolina (1/3): Had a stellar day, punting a career-high nine times for an average of 46.3 yards, downing seven of the kicks inside the 20-yard line with four of them inside the 10. Was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance. vs. Arizona (1/16 – Divisional Playoff): Averaged 42.8 yards on four punts, dropping one of the kicks inside the 20-yard line with a long punt of 66 yards and put seven of eight kickoffs into the end zone with three of them going for kickoffs. vs. Minnesota (1/24 – NFC Championship Game): Punted seven times for an average of 51.3 yards, dropping four of them inside the 20-yard line and knocked three of his five kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. vs. Indianapolis (2/7 – Super Bowl XLIV): Punted twice for an average of 44 yards with one of them downed at the six-yard line and put three of his six kickoffs into the end zone, but his biggest play came on a surprise onside kick at the start of the second half that was recovered by Chris Reis and led to a touchdown that put the Saints ahead for the first time in the game.

COLLEGE CAREER

A four-year letterman, Morstead handled both punting and kicking duties at Southern Methodist for his final three seasons and ranked among the nation’s top punters. During his career, he averaged 43.4 yards on 166 punts, with 59 downed inside the 20-yard line. Morstead departed ranked fifth in SMU history with 217 points – including a school-record streak of 78 straight PATs.

PERSONAL

Mechanical Engineering major. Attended Pearland (Texas) HS, where he received second-team All-District honors and was named Brazoria County Special Teams MVP as a senior, serving as both the kicker and the punter. Also lettered in soccer and was a member of the National Honor Society, adding Academic All-State honors.

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