Update |
Michael Dickson enjoyed a stellar personal start to his NFL career but could not stop Seattle from losing their season opener.
The Seahawks went down 27-24 to the Broncos in Denver on Monday morning (AEST) with Dickson earning rave reviews.
In the ‘Rapid Reaction’ feature on the Seahawks’ website, Seattle’s rookie punter was said to have ‘done nothing to quiet the hype surrounding him in his first regular-season game after becoming a fan favourite in pre-season with his booming punts and uncanny placement’.
“Dickson averaged 59.0 yards on six punts, including a 69-yard boot that went out of bounds at the 6-yard line, and a 57-yard punt that went out at the 13-yard line,” it read.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, disappointed by the loss, beamed when asked in the post-game press conference to describe Dickson's first NFL regular season game.
"Oh my gosh," the veteran coach, who led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory in 2014, told reporters.
"What a kicker, man. I don't know what his numbers wound up but he's a fantastic part of our team and we're just getting warmed up with him."
Some commentary on social media was already suggesting Dickson should be considered for an NFL rookie of the year honour.
Others were talking about the opportunities he will open up for the Seahawks offence because of the security he offers punting Seattle to safety.
Original Story |
Michael Dickson will live his dream when he makes his NFL debut on Monday morning (AEST).
Dickson, from Kirrawee, will make his first NFL appearance for the Seattle Seahawks when they travel to Denver to face the Broncos in their season opener.
The 22-year-old decided to skip his final year of college and declare himself eligible for the NFL draft in April.
Seattle selected Dickson in the fifth round of the draft, taking him with the 149th pick. The Seahawks traded up seven places to take Dickson, handing the 156th and 226th picks to Denver for the right to move up the draft.
The punter from the shire earned the Ray Guy Award in his final season with Texas as the best college punter in the US. He was later named the Texas Bowl MVP in his last game as a Longhorn.
Dickson has been so impressive in pre-season that Seattle let go their longest-serving player, Jon Ryan, who has been the Seahawks’ punter for the last decade.
Ryan was released in late August before he was quickly snapped up by Buffalo.
The 36-year-old Ryan lost a head-to-head battle with Dickson after two pre-season games.
Dickson led all NFL punters with an average of 51.7 yards per punt in pre-season.
