are pretty small. Think about it...

In order to consistently time it so you are getting to the returner just as he catches the ball AND you are going at/near full speed, you would have to be looking over your shoulder long enough to find the ball and judge it's speed and trajectory. But if you're looking over your shoulder at the ball, you aren't seeing either the returner or any potential blockers, not to mention other teammates you might be in danger of running in to.

You can time it somewhat by watching the returner's eyes and body, but that is still pretty difficult and if you time it wrong, you're in trouble. If you get there too early, it's a penalty. If you are a step late, all the returner has to do is a quick side step and you fly right past him (remember, you're going at/near full speed).

That means getting to the returner just as he catches the ball going full speed is largely a function of a combination of several factors... your speed, the distance of the punt and the hang time of the punt. How often are those going to come together just right?

Obviously, at some point Hannemann is going to make a mistake and fumble the ball. It's also true that if he fair-caught every ball, at some point he would make a mistake and muff one. The question is, what is the difference in the likelihood of those two events, and does the opportunity cost of a big return outweigh the potential harm? So far, Hannemann has shown that he's reliable as far as catching the ball and making the first guy miss - that means the difference in likelihood of the two fumble events is probably smaller than it might be for others. But, he hasn't shown the propensity yet for getting off a good return - so the opportunity cost of a potential big return is still pretty high.