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Michael Dickson and Cam Johnston vie for NFL Pro Bowl, Ben Simmons, Sixers go next level

Rookie sensations Michael Dickson and Cam Johnston are locked in an all-Aussie battle for the NFL Pro Bowl while Ben Simmons takes his game to a new level and Liam Hendriks earns a big pay day.

Ben Higgins and Michael Randall
6 min read
December 5, 2018 - 10:09AM
Aussies Abroad: NBA, NFL wrap.
Aussies Abroad: NBA, NFL wrap.

There’s an all-Australian battle brewing in the NFL.

Michael Dickson and Cam Johnston are not only vying to be the game’s No.1 punter they are also fighting for a single place in the end-of-year Pro Bowl.

As both Seattle and Philadelphia play in the National League, only one punter is chosen for the annual All-Star game.

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Dickson currently leads the NL vote with more than 70,000 votes.

Fans can vote for their favourite players with Aussies urged to get behind our stars.

It wouldn’t be the first time an Australian has punted in the Pro Bowl with Matt McBriar earning two trips - 2006 and 2010 - when he was a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

Philadelphia Eagles punter Cam Johnston.
Philadelphia Eagles punter Cam Johnston.
Seattle Seahawks punter Michael Dickson.
Seattle Seahawks punter Michael Dickson.

It has been a big week for Dickson, the Seahawks rookie moved to the league’s No.1 mantle in both punt average and net average following the win over San Francisco.

The Sydney Swans Academy product averaged 49.8 yards and 46.5 net yards on four punts against the 49ers.

Dickson leads with NFL with 48.7 average yards per punt and 44.2 average net yards per punt, while sitting seventh in total yards.

Johnston is equal in average yards on the season (48.7) and isn’t far behind in second for net average (42.8) after just two kicks in the Eagles’ win over Washington on Tuesday (AEST).

Of course, Dickson and Johnston aren’t the only two Australians plying their trade in the NFL.

Lachie Edwards is having a fine season despite the New York Jets’ struggles.

Lachie Edwards punts against the Tennessee Titans.
Lachie Edwards punts against the Tennessee Titans.

After six punts, averaging 44.5 yards (37.8 net), the Melbournian sits eighth in the league and average yards per punt, 13th for net average and third overall in total yardage.

In Pittsburgh, Jordan Berry averaged 51 yards on four punts but the Steelers feel to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Finally, Adam Gotsis continues to be a key member of Denver’s feared defence, with the Melbourne-born defensive end laying three tackles in the win over Cincinnati.

It could have been an even bigger day but for a bad bounce as he tried to recover a fumble by the Bengals.

HEADBAND OF BROTHERS

Philadelphia’s new ‘Headband of Brothers’ Aussie Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler has the 76ers within three games of top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Since Butler was traded from Minnesota to the Sixers last month, Philadelphia has been on a tear, winning nine of 11 games with the four-time NBA All-Star.

And it is clear Simmons loves playing with his new teammate, who decided to don the headband after seeing the Aussie wear it in practice.

Coach Brett Brown called them “defensive brothers”.

Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons wearing matching headbands.
Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons wearing matching headbands.

Coach Brett Brown called them “defensive brothers”.

“They’re blood brothers — that band to me signifies a bonding, a defensive bonding,” Brown said.

“I’ve asked Jimmy to put Ben under his wing and really help Ben be all he can be defensively.

“So that’s what it is. It’s a bonding of defensive brothers, the headband.”

Whatever it is, it’s helped the Sixers keep opponents under 100 points in each of their past three games, with Simmons propelling them to a 103-95 win over Memphis Monday, thanks to 19 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two steals.

The two steals helped him win a friendly wager between he and Butler, who had nothing but praise for the Aussie.

“I’m telling you whenever he’s playing like that, he’s a hell of a player on both ends of the floor,” Butler said.

“And, to tell you the truth, tonight I think he had two steals, I owe him a little something because he had more steals than I did.

“We talked about that before the game, but when he’s being aggressive like that, not only on the offensive end, but on the defensive end, he’s changing the game for us.”

EXUM BATTLES FOR GAME TIME

Poor Utah Jazz young gun Dante Exum’s game lines are beginning to look more and more like out-of-favour Milwaukee Buck Matthew Dellavedova’s.

Exum has played just nine minutes in the past three games after the Jazz made a move for sharpshooter Kyle Korver.

Coach Quinn Snyder said of Exum after a 101-91 win over the Brooklyn Nets Thursday: “The way for him to keep getting better is just to keep competing. Take his shots when he’s open, attack, defend — and make mistakes.”

Dante Exum in action for the Utah Jazz against the Brooklyn Nets.
Dante Exum in action for the Utah Jazz against the Brooklyn Nets.

Since then, he sat on the bench for the entire game in a 119-111 win over Charlotte Saturday and then had one points in two minutes in a 100-102 loss to Miami … kind of hard for him to do what the coach asks if he isn’t getting an opportunity.

Teammate Joe Ingles has also struggled in the past week, restricted to single digit points against the Nets (7) and Hornets (6) before managing 11 against the Heat.

Did Exum’s Jazz teammate, headband Joe Ingles put too much pressure on himself with his self-proclamation as the best shooter in the league?

He’s shooting 37.9 per cent from the three-point line — still good by NBA standards — but it’s his lowest since his rookie season in 2014-15 and well below the 44 per cent he shot last campaign.

Dellavedova hasn’t taken the floor in the past two tilts, reduced to a cheerleader as the Bucks sit second in the East.

But he’s staying positive.

“I am definitely staying involved; I know my opportunity is going to come and I will be ready when that comes,” Dellavedova said.

That opportunity will either come through injury — or a trade.

Teammate Thon Maker has managed to break back into the rotation, playing double digit minutes in three of his last four games, drilling a pair of three-pointers on his way to nine points in a 134-136 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday.

“He (Maker) is just ready to go and he brings a great energy,” Dellavedova said.

“He has been working a lot on his three-point shot and he has been a lot more vocal.”

Delly might not be finding much time on the court, but he is having some fun off it, getting up close and personal with a giant bobblehead of Milwaukee MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo.

It spawned a couple of clever photoshops from eagle-eyed Twitter users, who combined his love for a beer and a smashed avo on toast.

San Antonio point guard Patty Mills sandwiched a pair of quieter six-point efforts, with a 17-point explosion on 7-10 shooting in a thrilling 108-107 win over Chicago and a 15-point, six-assist effort as the Spurs blew away Portland 131-118.

Aron Baynes’ Boston Celtics have begun to turn things around, winning four of their past five, the big fella’s best game coming in a 128-95 win over Cleveland where he dropped 10 points to go with nine rebounds and three assists.

Philadelphia is yet to provide an update on rookie Jonah Bolden’s leg injury, while fellow first-year player Ryan Broekhoff has seen just seven minutes of court time in the Dallas Mavericks’ past four games.

HENDRIKS’ BIG PAY DAY

ONE of the MLB’s great stories Liam Hendriks has signed a multimillion-dollar contract to stay with the Oakland A’s.

Perth’s Hendriks, who could have been a West Coast Eagles father-son pick, has reportedly snared a $2.15 million, fully guaranteed deal to spend a fourth season in Oakland.

Hendriks’ career was at a crossroads in late June when he was designated for assignment to the A’s Triple A affiliate.

He fought his way back to become an integral part of Oakland’s run to the post-season - its first since 2014 - and carved out his own slice of history, becoming the first Australian to start a playoff game.

That didn’t go so well for him - he gave up a two-run homer to New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge in a 7-2 spanking - but he finished the season pitching 24 innings with 22 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.13, better than his career mark of 4.72.

Fellow Aussie Todd Van Steensel’s dream of making it in the big league is alive after he joined the San Diego Padres last week.

Sydney-sider Van Steensel has spent a decade bouncing around baseball’s minor leagues after he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as a 17-year-old.

The 27-year-old reliever dominated across the past two seasons with the Minnesota Twins AA affiliate Chatanooga Lookouts working a 10-4 record and giving up just 24 earned runs in 102.2 innings. Opponents hit under .200 against him throughout that period.

In five years with the Lookouts, he appeared in three All-Star teams and won two titles, leaving him shocked at the Twins decision to cut him earlier this year.

*Each week, Ben Higgins and Michael Randall will look at the Aussies making waves in the big US leagues.

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/american-sports/michael-dickson-and-cam-johnston-vie-for-nfl-pro-bowl-ben-simmons-sixers-go-next-level/news-story/e736042a6f7e2c814a7b6d8d9fa15649