Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders' dabbing punter Marquette King doesn't lack confidence: 'Nobody's better than me'

Published Dec. 14, 2016 8:37 a.m. ET

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Nunzio Ingrassia

Oakland Raiders punter Marquette King is a trailblazer at his position. Never before have we seen a punter dance after nearly every kick, making his reactions can’t-miss moments.

It’s not like King’s kicks aren’t cause for celebration, though. He’s top five in the NFL in punting average (48.2 yards), net yards per kick (42.6) and punts inside the 20 (27).

But what sets King apart from other punters isn’t so much his talent to kick but rather his penchant to celebrate.

“Nobody’s better than me, nobody looks better than me, and it’s whatever,” King told SB Nation. “After that, I don’t think about nothing else, I just do it.”

King has been the Raiders' starting punter since 2013, but we haven’t seen his post-kick celebrations until recently. So why did he wait so long to have a little fun on the field?

King said former Raiders head coach Dennis Allen didn’t want the antics, just the production.

“It was a struggle at first because, if I hit a good punt, it’s like they want me to walk off; and I feel like I’m going to just explode into confetti.”

But all that changed once Jack Del Rio took over in 2015. He wanted King to be himself, and the 28-year-old punter has become a star for moments like these:

King told SB Nation that he even adjusts his celebrations depending on the team he’s facing.

“Shoot, like if we play the Chiefs, I’m gonna do the little tomahawk. If we play the Broncos, I’m going to ride the Bronco.”

As long as King keeps booming kicks and the Raiders keep piling up wins, you probably won’t hear many in the organization complain about a little dancing.

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