Carlson, Cole Important to the Raiders' Success

The Las Vegas Raiders have the best special teams duo in the NFL. Daniel Carlson and AJ Cole are elite at their positions.

Dec 25, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders punter AJ Cole (6) runs the ball as place kicker Daniel Carlson (2) blocks against the Kansas City Chiefs on a fake kick play during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

If there is any position that the Las Vegas Raiders never seem to have trouble with, it is their placekicker and punter. The Raiders have had some great kickers and punters in their historic franchise. When one leaves, the Raiders always have an answer, and it is the right one.

Now, it is not any different. The Raiders have one of the best punters and kickers in the NFL in AJ Cole and Daniel Carlson, respectively.

Special teams, especially when it comes down to punters and kickers, are overlooked positions. They both play a huge role in the game. A punter could flip the field for his team. And a kicker could give a team a win with a clutch last-second field goal or a long field goal that gives his team 3 points instead of having to punt the ball.

The Raiders have questions at other positions on their team, but not on special teams with Carlson and Cole holding it down.

On a recent episode of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast, our Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. talked about the role that special teams have on an NFL team.

"I think Raider Nation has taken them for granted," Carpenter said. "I think the Raiders have the best kicker and best punter in the NFL. If I am [Tom] Telesco -- and I believe he 100 percent agrees with me -- if I could switch out Carlson or Cole for anyone in the league, I am not moving them. First of all, they are two fantastic human beings. Just great guys. I enjoy them both. ... They are really good guys and are tremendous at what they do. They are tacticians.

" ... Tom McMahon, who a lot of people believe is the best special teams coach in the NFL, would not trade either one of them. Good guys, and they fit in the locker room. You see a lot of times where kickers and punters do not mix. They are on their own, and they are not really part of the team, you know because they practice kind of on their own. ... It is that way everywhere, but those guys make the conscientious effort to be part of the team. And the team loves them both. They are just as much part of the team."

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