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          NFL Nation

          Chas Henry is NFL's 'Punter of the Week'

          • Dan Graziano, senior NFL national reporterSep 11, 2012, 10:58 PM
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              Dan Graziano is a senior NFL national reporter for ESPN, covering the entire league and breaking news. Dan also contributes to Get Up, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Sunday NFL Countdown and Fantasy Football Now. He is a New Jersey native who joined ESPN in 2011, and he is also the author of two published novels. You can follow Dan on Twitter via @DanGrazianoESPN.
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          Mark Simon of ESPN Stats & Information is back this year with his wildly popular "Punter of the Week" feature. Well, all right. I guess "wildly popular" is stretching it a bit. I know I like it, though, and I'm pleased to inform you all that this year's first winner is from the NFC East.

          Philadelphia Eagles punter Chas Henry, who boomed three of his six punts at least 60 yards in the Eagles' 17-16 victory over the Browns in Cleveland, is the Punter of the Week for Week 1. From Mark:

          Henry set an Eagles record, averaging 55 yards on his six punts, and finished with a net of 42.0 (the Eagles punt coverage unit didn't have the best of days).

          Henry's 55-yard average was the highest gross average by a punter with that many kicks since Shane Lechler averaged 56.5 yards against the Jets last September 25.

          Henry exceeded the best day of his career by an average of nearly five yards (he averaged 50.3 yards per punt against the Redskins on January 1, 2012. He averaged 42.9 yards per punt last season, with a net of 36.9.

          Henry finished with the second-best gross average of the week (minimum three punts). Thomas Morstead of the Saints averaged 55.6 yards per punt.

          Not bad for a guy who, as recently as a couple of weeks ago, was pretty sure he wasn't even going to make the team. It was an upset that Henry beat out veteran Mat McBriar for the punting job, and when it happened I assumed it was because McBriar was still hurt. Turns out, it may well have been that Henry has taken a huge leap in his second season. If this is what the Eagles saw in practice, it must have been an easy decision.