2017 Detroit Lions POD Awards: Special Teams Player of the Year

It’s officially award season, and we kick off our ceremonies with a highly contested category. The Detroit Lions had one of the best special team units in the league, thanks to the play of several different individuals. From kicking to punting to field goals and extra points, the Lions seemed to do just about everything at an above-average level. But the award can only go to one person, and your votes will decide.

Here are the candidates:

Matt Prater

Last year’s winner followed up 2016 with another solid performance this season. Prater finished a solid (but not outstanding) 30-for-35 in field goals, and only missed one extra point. However, it was his distance in 2017 that made him spectacular. Just three weeks into the season, Prater set the NFL record for 55+ yard field goals made in a single season. That’s just insane.

Jamal Agnew

The Lions rookie returner was so good in his punt return duties that he finished as a first-team All Pro, made just about every rookie all-star list and finished first in every statistical category related to punt returns.

He was first in yards (447), first in yards per return (15.4) and first in punt return touchdowns (2). Even when you factor in kickoff returns, no player had more than a single touchdown... except for Agnew.

Don Muhlbach

Muhlbach wasn’t even supposed to be here. He was supposed to be replaced by sixth-round draft pick Jimmy Landes. He was supposed to be kicking it on an island, enjoying all that long snapper money in retirement.

But at age 36, Muhlbach just did what he always does: long snap perfectly with no ceremony. Yet another season goes by where Muhlbach was invisible, the desired adjective for a long snapper.