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Detroit's Sam Martin is having one of the greatest seasons ever by a punter.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- Only six teams are gaining fewer yards than the Detroit Lions. Only four are going three-and-out more often.

This is an offense that has been clutch, to be sure, but also wildly inconsistent. And all these short drives could be killing them -- but, they're not.

There's a lot of reason for that, of course. But being able to flip field position at a historic pace has to be chief among them.

Sam Martin is netting 45.4 yards per punt this season, which puts him on pace to shatter the NFL record with five weeks to go. Johnny Hekker currently holds the mark at 44.2 net yards per attempt.

"It's been a pretty good year," a humbled Martin said. "I mean, I had a bad game in Houston. Other than that I've felt pretty good about my season so far."



As he should.



Martin is averaging 48.9 yards per punt overall, which is fourth in the league. But that's not a very good measure by which to judge punters, because the best ones don't just kick the ball as far as they can. The best ones can also minimize returns by angling the ball to one side of the field or the other. Sometimes they go for more loft, sometimes less.



And that's what sets Martin and the Lions apart. He's always had a big leg, but now that he's in his fourth year, he's expanded his arsenal of strategic punts. He declined to get specific -- "I can't tell you all my secrets" -- but they've done the job. He's limited returns to just 5.5 yards per attempt, which is sixth best even though he's also hitting the ball further than most.



"He's got some pretty unique things he can do with that ball in his hand and his foot, you know," coach Jim Caldwell said. "Oftentimes he's working on some things like for weeks and weeks and weeks, long before you see them out on the field, but he's working at them. Every single day he's out there doing something a little different, trying to get a little bit better feel for what he does.



"He's obsessed with it, and I think you're seeing that he's improving as a result of that."



Martin acknowledged he has different clubs in his bag these days, though said most of the credit for his huge numbers goes to his gunners' ability to cover the traditional ball. Johnson Bademosi was signed this year specifically because of his ability at that position, and he's paired with Don Carey, one of the best gunners that special teams coach Joe Marciano has ever seen.

They are considered two of the best in the league. So pair them with one of the biggest-legged punters in the league, and it's no wonder Martin is closing in on one of the greatest seasons ever by a punter.

"I got a few more clubs that I use," Martin said. "For the most part, the numbers you see have come from more traditional punting. They're coming from just being more consistent than anything. I've hit a few different types of kicks in there, but for the most part, I've just been hitting good balls and our cover guys are covering like crazy. Even the oh-crap balls, those guys cover it well. And then my good balls they pretty much smother."

And that's gone a long way toward helping a team that is mediocre on both sides of the ball -- 26th in total offense, and 15th in total defense -- take a 2.5-game lead in the NFC North with just five to play.