Matt Dodge
No. 6
Position:Punter
Personal information
Born: (1987-05-30) May 30, 1987
Morehead City, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
College:Appalachian State (2005)
East Carolina (2006–2009)
NFL Draft:2010 / Round: 7 / Pick: 221
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Punts:72
Punt yards:3,222
Punting yard average:44.8
Player stats at NFL.com

Matthew Dean Dodge[1] (born May 30, 1987) is a former American football punter. He was selected by the New York Giants in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Early life and college career

Dodge was born in Morehead City, North Carolina, where he played multiple sports including football and soccer at West Carteret High School before attending Appalachian State University. He also dabbled in bodybuilding.[2]

As a freshman at Appalachian State, Dodge was the punter for the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA National Championship-winning team.[3] He later transferred to East Carolina University and become their punter for the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons. As a senior, he was named Second-team All-American after ranking second in the NCAA in yards per punt (45.8).[4]

Professional career

Pre-draft

Dodge was projected to be drafted in the seventh round or signed as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2010 NFL Draft.[5]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 1+1⁄2 in
(1.87 m)		 224 lb
(102 kg)		 32 in
(0.81 m)		 9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		34 in
(0.86 m)		9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)		23 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[6][5]

New York Giants

Dodge was selected by the New York Giants in the seventh round (221st overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft to replace long-time Giants punter Jeff Feagles, who had just retired.[7] Dodge beat out Jy Bond for the punting job on June 21 when Bond was waived from the team.[8] Dodge was signed to a four-year contract on June 23.[9]

Dodge's first professional punt was blocked in a Monday night preseason game against the New York Jets. During a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on December 19, 2010, Dodge had a 36-yard punt that was returned by DeSean Jackson for a touchdown as time expired, giving the Eagles a 38−31 win in a game later called "The Punt" by Giants fans and "The Miracle at the New Meadowlands" by Eagles fans. Shortly after the winning touchdown, Dodge was publicly criticized by his head coach, Tom Coughlin, for failing to punt the ball out of bounds.[10]

On September 3, 2011, Dodge was released from the Giants[11] in favor of former New York Jet punter Steve Weatherford.

Dodge tried out with multiple NFL teams including the Chicago Bears until 2013, but did not receive a contract. Dodge recalled in 2016 that he "punted okay but they could tell that I wasn't sold out for it and they looked at me and were like, 'Matt, do you want to do this?' Like, they asked me straight up, 'Do you want to do this? Because you can't pretend.' At that time I was like, 'I really don't.' And it was a very freeing feeling. It released me from the grasp of the NFL machine as being the best part of my life."[2]

NFL career statistics

Year Team Punting
GPPuntsYdsNet YdsLngAvgNet AvgBlkOOBDnIns20TBFCRetRetYTD
2010NYG 16723,2223,2226944.834.8100000365351
Career16723,2223,2226944.834.8100000365351

Personal life

Dodge married his wife Allison in July 2015.[2]

During his NFL team tryouts, Dodge resumed bodybuilding and entered various competitions along with working as a personal trainer. He later became a wealth management consultant and author.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Matt Dodge Pro Football Reference". pro-football-reference.com/. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "After botching the punt, ex-Giant Matt Dodge getting a kick out of life". Foxsports.com. Fox Sports. January 28, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Matt Dodge". ECUPirates.com. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  4. ↑ "2009 Punting Stats | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Matt Dodge, East Carolina, P, 2010". Draft Scout. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Matt Dodge Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  7. ↑ "2010 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  8. ↑ Garafolo, Mike (June 21, 2010). "Giants waive five players, including punter Jy Bond". NJ.com. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  9. ↑ Garafolo, Mike (June 23, 2010). "Giants agree to terms with draft picks Mitch Petrus and Matt Dodge". NJ.com. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  10. ↑ Vacciano, Ralph (December 20, 2010). "DeSean Jackson's punt return touchdown caps Eagles comeback, led by Michael Vick, against Giants". NY Daily News. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  11. ↑ Schwartz, Paul (September 3, 2011). "'Tough, tough decision' to cut Giants punter Dodge". New York Post. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
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