Watching Philstavious Dowdell return a punt or kick is similar to watching a jazz virtuoso perform a transcendent saxophone solo.

He has the skill set you’d expect. Dowdell is plenty fast, clocked at 11.1 seconds in the 100 meter dash, and he’s sure-handed fielding the ball. But it’s the improvisations, the tiny accents and flares that make for a true masterpiece.