N.F.L. Punters Face a Perfect Pickle

One morning last December, Michael Dickson, the Seattle Seahawks’ punter, sat on the floor of his home and meditated. He slowed his breath and wiped his mind clean. He didn’t think of that afternoon’s matchup with the division rival Los Angeles Rams, or the fact that, if the Seahawks won, they would secure the N.F.C. West title. He didn’t think of anything at all.

“I try to bring that mindfulness to the punting world as well,” Dickson, 25, said in a phone interview last month. “I don’t want to get into the habit of trying to have the perfect game, just take it one kick at a time.”

Dickson was close enough to flawless that day, pinning the Rams within their 20-yard line on four of five punts, including on booming punts of 56 and 51 yards. With the Seahawks protecting a 4-point lead in the fourth quarter, he angled his hips to the right and then cross-fired left, sending a low, juddering ball toward a distant section of sideline. Cooper Kupp, the Rams’ top receiver, had to sprint the width of the field to gather the punt at the 11-yard line. He managed just one step before his momentum pulled him out of bounds.

The Rams’ subsequent drive stalled and led to a Seahawks touchdown on the next possession. Seattle went on to win, 20-9, in part because Dickson was nearly perfect, if overlooked.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/06/sports/football/nfl-punts-michael-dickson.html