Denver Native (Carol)
07-16-2009, 05:54 PM
http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=9147
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Sometimes it's a hard knock life for punters in the NFL.
When asked what he's doing in the offseason to prepare for the 2009 campaign, Brett Kern starts to answer before he's cut off by fellow second-year player Spencer Larsen.
"He plays a lot of golf -- about 36 holes a day, and that's it," Larsen laughs.
Kern shoots him a smile and a thank you before answering the question. In fact, the first part of his offseason consisted of a lot of golf -- and hanging out with his family.
"I've got a lot of catching up to do with the wife, so that was great," he said. "We found out we have a little one on the way."
The father-to-be has a lot to be excited about coming off his rookie campaign, where he played in all 16 games after earning the job as the Broncos' punter as an undrafted free agent. His gross punting average ranked fifth in the league in 2008, good for the third-best season in club history. That performance earned him all-rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly/PFWA and The Sporting News.
But that wasn't all -- he placed 13 punts inside the 20-yard line while only booting the ball for a touchback four times, tied for third fewest in the league. It was the least touchbacks by a Broncos punter since 1997.
Part of that performance was a stellar game in New York as the Broncos beat the Jets, the hottest team in the AFC at the time. He pinned four punts inside the 20-yard line in the contest, including one inside the 10 and one inside the five.
Still, even with those numbers as a rookie, Kern isn't satisfied.
"It was OK," he said of his 2008 perforamnce. "I know I can definitely get better. I know I can help the team out more with better punting and better holding for Matt (Prater) so that we get better as a special teams unit. There's always room for improvement, and there's always somebody out there that's better that you've got to catch up to."
So that's how Kern spent the rest of his offseason -- trying to get better. He said he has put on close to 20 pounds of muscle, trying to get stronger and get his leg stronger so he can improve his hangtime and consistency.
He said he has worked on his technique a lot this summer, from holding for the kicker to the drop before the punt and the punt itself.
But there's one other part of Kern's offseason that has been important -- "Developing great chemistry with the kicker on and off the field," Prater proudly exclaims.
Kern has also spent offseason camps building chemistry with special teams coordinator Mike Priefer.
"He's really knowledgeable and just a great guy to be around," Kern said. "He'll push you, but he'll also encourage you. He's got a great balance with it."
And the eighth-year coach has a history of helping punters find success in the league.
When Priefer was the assistant special teams coach in Jacksonville, punter Chris Hanson earned the first Pro Bowl selection of his career.
During his three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Priefer coincidentally helped Broncos rookie free agent punter Britton Colquitt's brother, Dustin, register the third-best net punting average and the sixth-best gross punting average in the NFL for that period. Dustin Colquitt's net punting averages for each of his three seasons under Priefer rank as the top three single-year performances in Chiefs history.
With that track record, Kern is excited about the possibilities for the 2009 season.
"He's the kind of coach that you like to play for, and you want to be successful not only for yourself but for him, too."
Now training camp is just around the corner, and Kern said he's ready to get going so he and the team can get where they want to go in 2009. It doesn't hurt that he's a little more comfortable this time around.
"You just kind of know what to expect," he said. "I was a deer in the headlights last year with camps like this, now I want to go out there and just keep improving every day and be the best that I can be."
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Sometimes it's a hard knock life for punters in the NFL.
When asked what he's doing in the offseason to prepare for the 2009 campaign, Brett Kern starts to answer before he's cut off by fellow second-year player Spencer Larsen.
"He plays a lot of golf -- about 36 holes a day, and that's it," Larsen laughs.
Kern shoots him a smile and a thank you before answering the question. In fact, the first part of his offseason consisted of a lot of golf -- and hanging out with his family.
"I've got a lot of catching up to do with the wife, so that was great," he said. "We found out we have a little one on the way."
The father-to-be has a lot to be excited about coming off his rookie campaign, where he played in all 16 games after earning the job as the Broncos' punter as an undrafted free agent. His gross punting average ranked fifth in the league in 2008, good for the third-best season in club history. That performance earned him all-rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly/PFWA and The Sporting News.
But that wasn't all -- he placed 13 punts inside the 20-yard line while only booting the ball for a touchback four times, tied for third fewest in the league. It was the least touchbacks by a Broncos punter since 1997.
Part of that performance was a stellar game in New York as the Broncos beat the Jets, the hottest team in the AFC at the time. He pinned four punts inside the 20-yard line in the contest, including one inside the 10 and one inside the five.
Still, even with those numbers as a rookie, Kern isn't satisfied.
"It was OK," he said of his 2008 perforamnce. "I know I can definitely get better. I know I can help the team out more with better punting and better holding for Matt (Prater) so that we get better as a special teams unit. There's always room for improvement, and there's always somebody out there that's better that you've got to catch up to."
So that's how Kern spent the rest of his offseason -- trying to get better. He said he has put on close to 20 pounds of muscle, trying to get stronger and get his leg stronger so he can improve his hangtime and consistency.
He said he has worked on his technique a lot this summer, from holding for the kicker to the drop before the punt and the punt itself.
But there's one other part of Kern's offseason that has been important -- "Developing great chemistry with the kicker on and off the field," Prater proudly exclaims.
Kern has also spent offseason camps building chemistry with special teams coordinator Mike Priefer.
"He's really knowledgeable and just a great guy to be around," Kern said. "He'll push you, but he'll also encourage you. He's got a great balance with it."
And the eighth-year coach has a history of helping punters find success in the league.
When Priefer was the assistant special teams coach in Jacksonville, punter Chris Hanson earned the first Pro Bowl selection of his career.
During his three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Priefer coincidentally helped Broncos rookie free agent punter Britton Colquitt's brother, Dustin, register the third-best net punting average and the sixth-best gross punting average in the NFL for that period. Dustin Colquitt's net punting averages for each of his three seasons under Priefer rank as the top three single-year performances in Chiefs history.
With that track record, Kern is excited about the possibilities for the 2009 season.
"He's the kind of coach that you like to play for, and you want to be successful not only for yourself but for him, too."
Now training camp is just around the corner, and Kern said he's ready to get going so he and the team can get where they want to go in 2009. It doesn't hurt that he's a little more comfortable this time around.
"You just kind of know what to expect," he said. "I was a deer in the headlights last year with camps like this, now I want to go out there and just keep improving every day and be the best that I can be."