Michael Dickson punts ball 45 yards into garbage can. What can’t the Seahawks’ rookie do?
What can’t Michael Dickson do with his foot and a football?
The first rookie punter selected for the Pro Bowl in 33 years was getting ready for Seahawks practice when coach Pete Carroll came up to him.
“Pete told me to try kicking a ball into a garbage can,” Dickson said Thursday.
Being a rookie, Dickson did what he was told.
What followed was Dickson’s latest wizardly with a ball.
While teammates were finishing stretching for the indoor practice three days before the Seahawks (8-6) play the Kansas City Chiefs (11-3) at CenturyLink Field, Dickson and placekicker Sebastian Janikowski had team staffers place a brown, plastic garbage can 45 yards away. The two took turns aiming for the can. Janikowski kicked off a tee and once out of Dickson’s hold of the ball. Dickson punted his jujst off the ground, a variation on, his favorite style from his days playing Australian Rules Football in his native country from age 8 to 18.
I videotaped Dickson’s second attempt (above). It was short and left of the can. Just my luck: I wasn’t recording when he quickly did his next one.
Because on his third try, Dickson punted the ball from just off the turf higher into the air, more like a golf wedge shot.
It plopped softly and directly into the can.
Janikowski roared. So did the staffers who were shagging the balls at the end of their kicks.
Carroll was standing about 15 yards from Dickson. The coach saw his rookie’s latest feat. And he sure heard the celebrating, even over Michael Jackson blaring Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ through the sideline speakers.
On his way off the field following practice, Carroll just shook his head in wonder at Dickson’s latest feat.
“And it only took him a few times to do it,” Carroll said.
The 67-year-old coach who’s seen a thing or three in football shook his head again.
So on top of leading being the NFC’s special teams player of the month for November for averaging a league-best 53.0 yards per punt with a net average of 47.4 yards, on top of leading the NFL this season in punt average (48.9) and net average (44.2), on top of his directional punts that are almost impossible to return—and on top of taking off from his own end zone late in the game Oct. 28 to gain a ill-advised first down running, also because Carroll had said he should some time—Dickson can loft a football off his foot 45 yards into a garbage can maybe 15 inches in diameter.
No wonder teammates call him “Big Balls Dickson.” It seems on the field he can do just about anything he wants.
Next maybe he’ll complete a pass in game. Or catch one.
As he walked by to begin practice I asked Dickson if he’s ever done the punt-into-a-garbage-can trick before.
“No,” he said, smiling. “Today was the first day.”
This story was originally published December 20, 2018 at 3:58 PM.
