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NFL Wrap: Seattle Seahawk Michael Dickson brave move, Steelers bring joy to heartbroken city, another NFL record broken

IT was a move that went against his coaches orders but Aussie Seattle Seahawks punter Michael Dickson showed he’s the full package.

Andrew McMurtry
5 min read
October 29, 2018 - 5:25PM
Australian NFL star Michael Dickson can do anything.
Australian NFL star Michael Dickson can do anything.

AUSTRALIAN NFL punter Michael Dickson showed he’s the full package after an incredible move sent social media into hysterics again.

Held deep in their own end just before the two-minute warning and holding a 28-14 lead, the Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll instructed Dickson to run around in the end zone to waste time before stepping over the end zone line for a one-point safety score.

Dickson had other plans.

After the snap, Dickson looked to be executing the play and running deep in the end zone but he took a turn and secured the side a first-down.

And it’s spawned a new nickname from his teammates.

“They call me Big Balls Dickson now,” he said.

Dickson said he didn’t even know how far he had run but realised he’d passed the first-down marker at the 11-yard line.

It wasn’t until he made the move he realised he was on his own.

“Yeah, so I was meant to run to the right and soak up some time before we took the safety,” he said. “It was open. I thought, ‘Stuff it. Try and get the first down.”

As for the reaction on the sideline, luckily, it went down well.

“Everybody was just laughing,” he said. “Who does that? It was just a weird thing for me to do. So they were just laughing.”

Michael Dickson averages 46.3m per punt and sits ninth overall in the league.
Michael Dickson averages 46.3m per punt and sits ninth overall in the league.

Apparently the moment has been some time coming.

The US has been raving about how the Aussie can do anything, but it was a quick conversation in London last week the planted the idea.

“Pete came up to me and said, ‘When are you just going to run the ball?’” Dickson recalled.

“I said, ‘When are you going to ask me?’ And he said, ‘Sometimes there’s a gap. Just take it.’”

Carroll was excited by the play on the sideline and called it “the Aussie sweep”.

“We’ve been drawing that up for months, waiting for the chance,” Carroll said sarcastically. “No, that’s not what it was. That was us taking a safety.

“And that was a really terrific competitor, seeing the moment and seizing it. I thought Mike was smiling as he turned the corner.

“He knew he could take the first down, and he knew he was going have to take the hit. He was just thinking about taking care of the football. It was an incredibly beautiful play in a game. Sometimes you’ve got to improvise, and really good players seem to do it at the right time and I thought that was a fantastic illustration of what’s to come.”

The Seattle Seahawks traded up to get Dickson in the fifth round of the NFL draft, a rarity for punters.
The Seattle Seahawks traded up to get Dickson in the fifth round of the NFL draft, a rarity for punters.

The Australian star is the only player to be overlooked in the AFL draft but picked up in the NFL draft and has been called a “punting god” for his performances so far.

Not bad for a 22-year-old with seven games under his belt.

The US fans are continuing to go crazy for the Aussie star.

STEELERS BRING JOY TO GRIEVING CITY

Shaken by an unspeakable tragedy, this city needed something to ease its pain and the Pittsburgh Steelers brought some joy to their grieving community.

Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes to Antonio Brown, James Conner ran for two scores, and Pittsburgh beat the Cleveland Browns 33-18, offering some solace to an area in shock after a mass shooting.

The Pittsburgh Steelers fans stand for a moment of silence for the victims of a deadly synagogue shooting.
The Pittsburgh Steelers fans stand for a moment of silence for the victims of a deadly synagogue shooting.

The Steelers (4-2-1) overcame a slow start and their own mistakes to win their 15th straight at Heinz Field over the Browns (2-5-1), who have lost 25 consecutive road games — one shy of the NFL record.

Perhaps more importantly, the win delivered a few hours of comfort to Pittsburgh’s fans and Western Pennsylvania still in shock a day after a gunman stormed into the Tree of Life Synagogue and killed 11 people.

A moment of silence was observed before the game and several signs with the Steelers’ helmet logo — inlaid with a Star of David — were displayed by fans.

“We’re thankful for a victory, but we also understand that there are bigger things,” Roethlisberger said. “There’s life. I’m glad that we could give people maybe three hours of a break of maybe not thinking about it all the time, and that’s what sports does sometimes is it helps you to kind of heal. But it’s over and people are going to celebrate and enjoy this, but reality still sets in for a lot of people.”

Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner acknowledges fans as he leaves the field after the game.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner acknowledges fans as he leaves the field after the game.

The shooting was felt by all Pittsburghers, and was close to the Steelers.

Michele Rosenthal, the team’s former community relations manager, had two brothers, Cecil and David, killed in the attack.

“We love you Michelle and we’re thinking about you,” said Roethlisberger, who was not surprised that the city pull together.

“I know the Boston Strong thing, but it’s true everywhere. That’s what Pittsburghers are. We’re family. There’s so much love here in this town — for the sports, for each other, for all the different races, ethnicities, religions and everything we have.”

— AP

ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER RECORD

Indianapolis Colts place-kicker Adam Vinatieri became the all-time leading scorer in NFL history with a 25-yard field goal in his side’s 42-28 win over the Oakland Raiders.

Vinatieri, 46, passed Hall of Famer Morten Anderson’s mark of 2544 points.

“I want to congratulate you on breaking my all-time scoring record and also my all-time field-goal record. Great job. Very proud of you,” Andersen said in a video message on Twitter posted by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

With 10 points in the game, he now sits at 2550 points in his NFL career.

The record seems to be pretty safe for some time as the next closest active player is Seahawks kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who sits on 1844 points.

Just four weeks ago, Vinatieri broke the all-time mark for field goals, beating another of Andersen’s records at 565.

Despite his age, Vinatieri has not ruled out another year or more in the NFL, which would take him in the vicinity of George Blanda’s record of the oldest player in an NFL game at 48 years old.

“I don’t ever want to get to a point where it’s, ‘I should have hung it up a year ago,’” Vinatieri told NFL Network’s Judy Battista in a feature published this month.

“I’m not putting a time on it.

“If we get through the season and we’re trending up, team-wise, if we’re a playoff contender … I want another Super Bowl.

“If we’ve got a chance here (in Indianapolis) or anywhere else, I’d consider continuing. I’m not overly into moving my family, but if the Colts didn’t want me back and next year’s AFC or NFC champion said, ‘We need you,’ it would be interesting.”

— with PA

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/american-sports/nfl/nfl-wrap-seattle-seahawk-michael-dickson-brave-move-steelers-bring-joy-to-heartbroken-city-another-nfl-record-broken/news-story/c5445e410a57b39d623e34a29e59b48a