Last Saturday, the biggest returnee Devin Hester was the first player in NFL history to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Hester’s incredible speed and outstanding ball sense helped him record 20 return touchdowns during his NFL career while also playing at a high level as a wide receiver. What is Hester’s connection to the Premier Lacrosse League?
It’s that easy: Zach GeddesThe All-Star is the PLL version of a returner who also plays a regular position – short-stick defensive midfielder.
The return game in lacrosse is the clear game. Geddes is the master of the one-man punt return style of the clear game because he is the fastest player on the field.
Take a look at this:
Zach Geddes is the best one-man clear or punt return clear player in the league pic.twitter.com/CRuiggd8Fh
— Hayden Lewis (@15haydenlewis) 9 August 2024
Geddes grabbed a bouncing ground ball off a shot that bounced off the iron and immediately rolled off the first defender who tried to control it, then turned on the jets so quickly that a riding attacker stopped riding because he knew he couldn’t catch Geddes before the center line.
Geddes maintained his high pace and left too much space for the defenders chasing him to close, leaving him enough room to shoot.
The result: a ground ball and a transition goal in less than 10 seconds.
The Winchester, Massachusetts native is the definition of speed and the Carolina Chaos utilize it to perfection.
With Zach Geddes on the field, short transition goals are always in sight pic.twitter.com/uqeWGzDNph
— Hayden Lewis (@15haydenlewis) 9 August 2024
In this clip, Geddes didn’t have the luxury of playing full court in transition, but that didn’t matter as he can accelerate from zero to 100 in a matter of seconds and still create magic when he gets the ball.
Ian MacKay realized Geddes was ahead of him and saw the open grass that the speedster could use to his advantage. After recognizing the situation, MacKay threw the rock and made the Roadrunner say “Meep Meep” before scoring a bouncer against the Maryland Whipsnakes.
The Chaos follow a simple plan: If the number 13 in red and black has green grass, let him run fast.
Geddes’ three goals in the last three weeks match the number he scored in his first two seasons in the league and his improved play has not gone unnoticed.
“He is very valued in our team because of how good he is as a player and how hard he works on the field,” said Pat Reschone of Carolina’s experienced SSDMs.
The respect he has earned is reflected in what the team allows him to do. Many SSDMs don’t have that much of a green light:
Is Zach Geddes the Devin Hester of @PremierLacrosse? pic.twitter.com/9qyTAZOAvX
— Hayden Lewis (@15haydenlewis) 9 August 2024
This may look like an exact copy of the first clip – because that’s essentially what it is.
At 5:44 of the third quarter, Geddes catches the ground ball from a shot. At 5:38, he celebrates his second goal against the New York Atlas. It only took Geddes six seconds to strike.
Not every punt return results in a touchdown, but the goal is to catch the ball and run it as far away from the end zone as possible to give your team the best field position. Likewise, transition play in the PLL doesn’t always result in a score, but the idea is to get the ball away as quickly as possible to give your offense plenty of time to act.
Geddes’ six points (5G, 1A) this season are tied with SSDM, another 2022 first-rounder who ranks third. Roman Puglise among the players in this position. The Georgetown graduate also shines on defense with five caused turnovers and 14 ground balls.
Sooner or later, PLL teams will have to devise plans against Geddes’ transition ability if he continues to score, just like NFL teams tried to use special teams to devise plans against kicking to Hester.
“I think he’s the best player in the world at his position,” said Chaos head coach and general manager Andy Towers. “He’s super reliable on the floor and of course he’s incredibly dangerous in transition.”
