Matt Dodge
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| No. 6 | |||||||
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| Position: | Punter | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | May 30, 1987 Morehead City, North Carolina | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 224 lb (102 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| College: | East Carolina | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2010 / Round: 7 / Pick: 221 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Matthew "Matt" Dean Dodge[1] (born May 30, 1987) is a former American football punter. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL draft. He is currently employed at Brighton Cromwell in Randolph, NJ and plays center field on the company softball team. He hit .600 last spring with a 35 home runs and 155 runs batted in winning him the MVP on the 2015 season. Also, he plays slot wide receiver on the company flag football team after being relieved of punting duties
Dodge was born in Morehead City, North Carolina, where he played at West Carteret High School before attending Appalachian State University. He later transferred to East Carolina University.
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.[2]
| Height | Weight | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1.87 m) |
224 lb (102 kg) |
34 in (0.86 m) |
9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) |
23 reps | ||||||||
| All values from Pro Day on March 25, 2010.[2] | ||||||||||||
New York Giants
Dodge was drafted 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. Dodge officially beat out Jy Bond for the punting job on June 21 when Bond was waived from the team.[3] Dodge was signed to a four-year contract on June 23.[4]
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 "Miracle at the New Meadowlands". Shortly after the winning touchdown, Dodge was strongly criticized by his head coach, Tom Coughlin, for failing to punt the ball out-of-bounds.[5]
On September 3, 2011, Dodge was released from the Giants.[6] The team had signed former New York Jet Steve Weatherford to compete with Dodge for the punting position and Dodge failed to win the job.
References
- ^ "Matt Dodge Pro Football Reference". pro-football-reference.com/. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ a b "Matt Dodge, DS #3 P, East Carolina". NFL Draft Scout. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
- ^ Garafolo, Mike (June 21, 2010). "Giants waive five players, including punter Jy Bond". nj.com. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
- ^ Garafolo, Mike (June 23, 2010). "Giants agree to terms with draft picks Mitch Petrus and Matt Dodge". nj.com. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
- ^ Vacciano, Ralph (December 20, 2010). "DeSean Jackson's punt return touchdown caps Eagles comeback, led by Michael Vick, against Giants". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
- ^ Schwartz, Paul (September 3, 2011). "'Tough, tough decision' to cut Giants punter Dodge". New York Post. Retrieved 2011-09-03.