Miami Shakes U Like A Hurricane: A Miami Hurricanes Podcast
Oct 5, 2026 · 21 min · 12 segments
On this week's Monday Morning Game Balls episode of The Call Sheet, we honor defenses getting great at punch-out turnovers, a new twist on the onside kick and the NFL's three remaining undefeated…
Kevin SmithHost
Everybody know what I'm talking about when we say the peanut punch? We're talking about the ability now of defenders as they come into a play when the ball carrier is wrapped up and kind of fighting for extra yards, to not try to tackle him, but simply to try to punch the football out, and we are seeing defenses get great at that.
Kansas City had taken a 30 to 27 lead a- a- on a field goal that gave them, you know...
They kick off to Vegas with about a minute and a half left, just under two minutes, and they get a turnover on a beautifully executed peanut punch by one of their members of the kickoff team as the Raiders ball carrier is wrapped up by two or three other guys fighting for a couple extra yards.
Man, here, here comes the defender, and boom, literally just punches the football out.
I, like, I- I, you know, I, I didn't, I haven't played football in a long time, but when I played football, there was no turnover circuits that defenses did.
And really, we didn't start doing them, I didn't start doing them with our coaching staff till maybe, I don't know, maybe 10 years ago.
"Hey, if there's an interception, here's how we, here's how we block it." But, and, and then, you know, everybody had kind of this rudimentary strip drill that they would work on, where you'd kind of listlessly have one of your defenders emerge, and somebody acts like the ball carrier.
You know, oftentimes it's, like, some big-ass lineman who has no idea how to protect a football.
And all right, the lineman's gonna hold onto the ball, and the linebacker's gonna come up from behind him and rip it out.
Now, that was about as far as defenses went In terms of quote unquote teaching turnovers for a long time.
But now, turnover circuits are huge parts of practice plans, and the emphasis on this particular skill, punching the football out, when you're in one of two positions.
Like what happened with Vegas and KC, you're coming to a play where a ball carrier is already restrained, for lack of a better term.
He's not tackled, he's not on the ground yet, but your teammates have him pretty well bottled up, and now you don't have to worry about taking him to the ground.
Everybody know what I'm talking about when we say the peanut punch? We're talking about the ability now of defenders as they come into a play when the ball carrier is wrapped up and kind of fighting for extra yards, to not try to tackle him, but simply to try to punch the football out, and we are seeing defenses get great at that.
Kansas City had taken a 30 to 27 lead a- a- on a field goal that gave them, you know...
They kick off to Vegas with about a minute and a half left, just under two minutes, and they get a turnover on a beautifully executed peanut punch by one of their members of the kickoff team as the Raiders ball carrier is wrapped up by two or three other guys fighting for a couple extra yards.
Man, here, here comes the defender, and boom, literally just punches the football out.
I, like, I- I, you know, I, I didn't, I haven't played football in a long time, but when I played football, there was no turnover circuits that defenses did.
And really, we didn't start doing them, I didn't start doing them with our coaching staff till maybe, I don't know, maybe 10 years ago.
"Hey, if there's an interception, here's how we, here's how we block it." But, and, and then, you know, everybody had kind of this rudimentary strip drill that they would work on, where you'd kind of listlessly have one of your defenders emerge, and somebody acts like the ball carrier.
You know, oftentimes it's, like, some big-ass lineman who has no idea how to protect a football.
And all right, the lineman's gonna hold onto the ball, and the linebacker's gonna come up from behind him and rip it out.
Now, that was about as far as defenses went In terms of quote unquote teaching turnovers for a long time.
But now, turnover circuits are huge parts of practice plans, and the emphasis on this particular skill, punching the football out, when you're in one of two positions.
Like what happened with Vegas and KC, you're coming to a play where a ball carrier is already restrained, for lack of a better term.
He's not tackled, he's not on the ground yet, but your teammates have him pretty well bottled up, and now you don't have to worry about taking him to the ground.
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