cornerback
Jahdae Barron (#23) and running back
Tyler Badie (#28) serving as gunners trying to tackle
Tennessee Titans returner
Chimere Dike (#17) On punts there will be two offensive players on the punting team lined up close to the sideline. During a kick from scrimmage, only the end men, as
eligible receivers on the
line of scrimmage at the time of the
snap, are permitted to go beyond the line before the ball is kicked. These two eligible receivers on the kicking team―the gunners―are allowed to start running down the field as soon as the ball is snapped. The gunner's job is to try to get down the field as fast as the kicked ball and tackle whomever catches it. In the best case, they get there just before the ball and make the other team afraid to try to return it, leading to a
fair catch. When a team lines up to punt, the other team lines up in a defense that is designed to also receive a punt. There typically will be one player lined up about 40 yards back; he is the punt returner, the player designated to catch the punt. There will also be a few players lined up on the gunners; these players are called
jammers. If the defense lines up two defenders on each gunner, then they are hoping to slow the gunners down, catch the punt, and try to run the punt back for a long gain or even a touchdown. If there is only one defender lined up on each gunner, then the receiving team has extra players rushing the punter, and they hope to block the punt. If no defenders are lined up on the gunners, the punting team may throw the ball to one of the gunners to pick up the first down. Gunners typically play a similar role in kickoff coverage, in that like other members of the coverage group, they try to evade the blockers and tackle the kick returner. ==References==