Growing up during the 90s, one of the most popular cartoons out was X-Men. The team of mutants would come together to fight the evildoers of the world. Well, Raiders punter Marquette King believes he and other punters have something in common with Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops and company.
Talking to Silver and Black Pride, King compared punters to Professor X’s crew:
“I feel like every punter and kicker comes with something different, we’re all like X-men. You got Wolverine that fights with his claws, you got Cyclops that shoots fire with his eyes, everybody brings something different.”
King also added that his superpower would be power. That would make King very much like Beast who had superhuman strength.
But King is also aware that there are other things that he needs to work on. Directional punts and consistency are tops among those things, but King has one thing he knows will be different from last year:
“Confidence. It’s crazy, man. I know for a fact I would kind of be scared of what everybody would think if I hit a bad punt and I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t care what nobody thinks because this is what I do. I’m a professional at what I do and I know for a fact that if my coach tells me to do this or that, I can do it as long as I got it in my head that I’m gonna do it.”
Engaged in a battle with veteran Chris Kluwe, King will need all his confidence and superpowers to overcome a very good punter and claim the Raiders starting punter position. Replacing Shane Lechler, one of the greatest punters in NFL history, is no easy task.
And if he is unsure, maybe King can call Professor X to get in Dennis Allen’s mind and ensure he gets the job.
