Eric Metcalf Breaks Down Ray-Ray McCloud's "Muffed" Punt in the Super Bowl
One of the game-changing moments in the Super Bowl was when San Francisco 49ers punt returner Ray-Ray McCloud III attempted to chase down a ball that had struck his teammate.
The resulting moment was deemed a "muffed punt," but it's not as easy as that. Eric Metcalf of Dawg Check detailed why McCloud is not in the wrong in wanting to chase down the ball.
"It all depends, you know. It happens so fast because when you're back there as a punt returner. You're yelling, you know you're not going to catch it and you're yelling 'Peter, Peter' trying to get everybody away, and then all of a sudden it hits a guy's foot. You don't know how to react. You don't know how to react because you're you're just thinking, 'Oh, I got to do something.' It happens that fast where if it doesn't hit his foot, Ray Ray McCloud never has to go touch the ball. But at a split second, two yards in front of him, it hits his player's foot—and now he has to make a decision."
via Eric Metcalf, Dawg Check
Eric Metcalf knows plenty about returning the ball, as he spent many years in the league as a running back/wide receiver and kickoff/punt receiver. McCloud may have just needed to fall on the ball, but he attempted to chase it down resulting in the lost possession.
In big games, there are always random moments. The punt hitting someone's foot is just that super random moment that no one could have prepared for. McCloud was not responsible for the Chiefs winning, regardless of what people think.
