How do we know Marquette King has made the leap from faceless punter to legit NFL name brand?
Well, this tweet sums up the transformation rather nicely:
Raiders' Marquette King might be the first punter to do the weekly media conference call. He opened the call by saying, "The King is here"
— Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNFL) December 20, 2016
HOT TAKE: King was sending a message by serving as the representative to speak to the Indianapolis media ahead of Saturday's matchup between the Colts and Raiders. FURTHER SUBTEXT: All season, King has crept upon the turf of Colts punter Pat McAfee, who entered this season as the NFL's unquestionable leader in CPP (charisma per punt). DEEP BACKGROUND: McAfee even took exception with this writer (um, that's me) after I wrote earlier this season that King was "making punters great -- not again -- but for the first time."
I like to think that McAfee's tweet revealed that King was on his radar. Consider Saturday's showdown between the Colts and Raiders as the big stage for a royal rumble of punter personality. Two men enter the field, only one could walk away with the title of, um, COOLEST PUNTER. That'll work as a placeholder.
And now, just for fun, let's shine a light on each man's greatest hits. First, as dancers:
And now, as an athlete:
Puntermania I. Saturday should be fun.