New Tampa Bay Buccaneers punter Michael Koenen has hidden value

Look at the football field as you would a game of chance. Where every yard gained in field position is like tilting the odds a little more in your favor.

So it makes sense that the farther an offense has to drive, the fewer points it tends to score. This was, in fact, a mathe­matical reality for the Buccaneers defense in 2010.

And it explains why Michael Koenen is a rich man today.

Of all the hundreds of free agents on the market last month, the Bucs targeted a punter and kickoff specialist to the tune of $19.5 million over six years. The deal makes Koenen one of the highest-paid punters in the NFL, and it makes the Bucs a better team in 2011.