Bombs away: Scott sensational in season-opening win

Back when the Green Bay Packers conducted training camp practices on Clarke Hinkle Field located alongside Oneida Street, the best players made the “All-Oneida Team.” It was a fictitious roster made up of under-the-radar players who had strong training camps.

Punter J.K. Scott would have made that team as a rookie last summer, when the fifth-round draft pick kicked bomb after bomb on the practice field. As was true for many All-Oneida Team members, who made meager contributions once on the roster – assuming they even made the roster – Scott had a disappointing first season.

Scott would have made the All-Oneida Team again this summer. This season, however, might wind up with a different ending. Scott had a sensational season debut in Thursday night’s 10-3 victory over the Chicago Bears. His nine punts averaged 47.6 yards, including five that pinned the Bears inside the 20-yard line. Scott saved his best for last with a 63-yard punt. Combined with a penalty on the return, Chicago started its do-or-die final drive on its 14. Four feeble plays later, the Packers were celebrating a hard-earned victory in coach Matt LaFleur’s debut.

“He was outstanding. He was consistent,” LaFleur said on Friday. “I think we had five punts where he punted it inside the 20-yard line, not to mention at the end of the game, the 63-yarder. That was a heck of a punt. Really happy for JK. He did a great job.”

On the surface, Scott had a dismal rookie season. Last year, 32 punters had at least 32 kicks. Scott ranked 23rd in that group with a 44.7-yard average and tied for 26th with a 38.8-yard net average. Making matters worse, the man Scott replaced was Justin Vogel, who finished seventh with a team-record net average of 41.6 yards in 2017.

However, the stats don’t always tell the full story. According to Pro Football Focus, his average hang time of 4.52 seconds was No. 1 in the league, his 27 fair catches were second and his opponent return rate of 28.2 percent was fourth. So, Scott hit the mark in three key categories that should give him the potential to take a big Year 2 leap forward.

That leap started in training camp this summer and continued on Thursday. His net average was 43.6 yards and his average hang time was 4.49 seconds.

When the Packers needed him to clinch Thursday’s game, Scott delivered. In the victorious locker room, just before LaFleur was awarded the game ball, LaFleur praised the play of the special teams. A Packers.com video shows his teammates chanting, “JK! JK!” That was a first, the former Alabama standout said.

“Everyone was just really excited after the game,” Scott said on Friday. “Everybody was in there dancing around. It was probably the most excited I’ve ever seen our team. I was just happy to celebrate with everyone.”

With both offenses being stymied by the defenses, field position was critical. The Bears’ only points came on a Scott punt from his own end zone that he inadvertently kicked to the middle of the field.

With the game potentially on the line, Scott was able to tune out the pressure.

“That’s the question: How do you tune it out? You’ve got to have the mind-set of this is the same as practice. You can only control what you can control,” Scott said.

Scott took control over two things during the offseason. First, it was training smarter rather than harder. Scott’s production tanked as his rookie season went on, a byproduct of overtraining. Second, it was taking a deep breath and trying to treat every punt like he’s on the practice field.

“In the offseason, my main focus was on hitting really relaxed,” he said. “I remember having games in college where I would hit 40-yard balls, straining, and then we’d get to the 50-yard line and I’d be tall, I’d raise my drop, I wouldn’t swing as hard and I’d hit the ball out of the back of the end zone. It’s being relaxed is really where your power zone is and where you’re really successful and consistent. That was the biggest thing is being comfortable and being relaxed and not straining, but also not being lazy and being aggressive.”