The 5 best punters in the history of the LA Chargers

Nobody likes punting. When the punting unit rolls out onto the field it means the offense did not do its job and the team is purposefully giving possession away to the opponent. For that reason, punters (and the punting unit as a whole) often get overlooked.

While it is not a popular part of the game, punting is certainly an important part of the game. LA Chargers fans know this all too well as there have been many moments, mostly negative, during punts that have completely swung games. And in turn, these moments swung entire seasons.

That being said, there have been some talented punters with strong legs who have spent time with the Chargers. It may not be as glamorous as a top-10 quarterbacks list, but let's dive into the best punters to ever do it for the Bolts.

Criteria for selection

Comparing punters based on merit is much tougher than comparing other positions on the team. After all, punters really only do one thing and a lot of their success depends on the unit around them and its ability to get to the returner.

That being said, there are some metrics we can look at to compare all-time great punters. The easiest is accolades given out by the league. Punters who receive Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods are going to rank high on this list.

Tenure matters as well. Those punters who stuck around on the Bolts for longer are going to rank higher than someone who may have been really talented but was on the team for a short time.

The top 5 punters in Chargers history

5. Dennis Partee

Dennis Partee ranks third in franchise history in total punts as he booted a total of 519 punts in 111 games played for the Chargers. Partee makes the list simply because of his long tenure with the Bolts but his numbers compared to his peers on this list are not that great.

Partee has the worst net yards per punt (26.5) and second-worst yards per punt (41.3). Granted, his poor net yards per punt were also impacted by the special teams unit around him but it has to factor into the rankings. Partee does not have any inside-the-20 stats, as they were not recorded when he played.

4. John Kidd

John Kidd ranks fifth in franchise history in total punts but his punting stats give him an edge over Partee. Kidd is the only player on this list who averaged fewer yards per punt (41.2) but he does have the third-best net yards per punt (35.8). In addition to that, Kidd also has the third-best inside-the-20 percentage at 27.9%.

Kidd is the only punter on this list to make the Super Bowl with the Chargers as he was with the team from 1990 through the 1994 season. Kidd left the Chargers after his five years with the team and played through the 1998 season.

3. Ralf Mojsiejenko

Ralk Mojsiejenko is one of just two punters in Chargers history to be named to a Pro Bowl. Mojsiejenko was named a second-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in 1987 for his efforts. Granted, the Chargers were second-to-last in points scored, so Mojsiejenko had plenty of chances to boot the football away.

The one great season is enough to propel him to third on this list but it is not enough to get him any higher. Mojsiejenko's tenure with the Bolts was too short to rank him any higher as he spent just four years with the team. In terms of total punts, Mojsiejenko ranks fourth in franchise history with a massive gap behind the top three.

It is worth noting that Mojsiejenko has the highest touchback percentage and lowest inside-the-20 percentage of any punter on this list.

2. Mike Scifres

Mike Scifres is a familiar name to younger fans as he spent most of the 2000s and half of the 2010s as the punter for the Chargers. Scifres was drafted by the Chargers in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft and he played for the Bolts through the 2015 season.

Even though Scifres has the most games played by a punter in franchise history (195, which is 51 more than second place) he actually ranks second in total punts. Scifres benefited from playing during a time when the Chargers were great and did not need him to punt often.

Scifres long tenure is not the only reason why he ranks No. 2 as he was a legitimately good punter as well. Of the punters on this list, he has the best net yards per punt and the best inside-the-20 percentage at 38.8%. To compare, Jeff Feagles has the most punts inside the 20 in NFL history and his career percentage was only 32.3%.

1. Darren Bennett

Darren Bennett played 51 fewer games than Scifres yet managed to finish his career with 15 more punts. That is the perk of playing for the Chargers during the late 1990s and early 2000s, which is perhaps the worst stretch in franchise history.

Bennett was a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro with the Chargers, making him the only punter in franchise history to be voted to an All-Pro team. While his tenure did not last as long as Scifres, his ceiling was higher and that earned him the top spot on the list.

Plus, Bennett is one of the coolest stories in recent NFL history. He did not come to the NFL until he was 30 years old and already had a 12-year Australian rules football career. Bennett tried out for the Chargers in 1994 and impressed the team enough for him to play in NFL Europe in the spring of 1995. This led to him becoming the Chargers' full-time punter.

The top 5 punters in Chargers history by total punts: