NFL: What is the shortest punt in modern NFL history?
As crazy as this statistic will sound, former Washington Football Team quarterback Joe Theismann owns the record for the shortest punt in NFL history. That might come as a shock to many NFL fans. Theismann was one of the best quarterbacks of his generation. He won the NFL MVP Award in 1983, and he made the NFL Pro Bowl twice. He also led Washington to a Super Bowl victory.
Still, Theismann was a team player. He did whatever his coach asked. So when he had to replace starting punter Jeff Hayes during the Bears vs. Redskins game in 1985, Theismann did his best to step up. Unfortunately, the star quarterback is not a punter.
Joe Theismann: The worst NFL punter in Washington Football Team's history
There's no doubt about the fact that Joe Theismann was a tremendous quarterback for Washington. But he was not on the team to punt footballs, and he demonstrated that truth against the Bears in the 1985 NFL season. Theismann had to punt against Chicago after the team's starting punter had gotten injured earlier in the game.
Starting punter Jeff Hayes hurt his thigh on a kickoff that was returned for a 99-yard touchdown by Chicago's Willie Gault. Hayes' injury changed the whole complexion of the football game. The momentum was snatched away from Washington, and the team never recovered.
Ed Sherman of the Chicago Tribune did an interview with Theismann about the punt. Theismann said that head coach Joe Gibbs came up to him and quarterback Jay Schroeder. The coach asked, "Can you kick?" Both quarterback replied by saying yes.
Schroeder reported to Ed Sherman that he had not punted a football since his junior year in high school. Washington's head coach Joe Gibbs ultimately selected Theismann to punt. The quarterback took the snap and shanked the punt off the side of his foot.
The ball traveled a total of one yard over the line of scrimmage. Gibbs might have subsequently realized that he should have went with Schroeder. After the Joe Theismann punt, the momentum of the game never shifted back to Washington's side.
The Chicago Bears scored 45 unanswered points against Washington in this 1985 meeting. Washington lost to the Bears 45-10, and the game remains infamous because the Theismann punt might go down as the shortest one in NFL history.
In this game, Washington's offense struggled, and the defense fell on their faces after the injury to Jeff Hayes. It is crazy to think that the punter position could drastically impact an outcome of an NFL game. But in 1985, Washington proved that punter Jeff Hayes was one of the most valuable players on the team.