Seahawks P Michael Dickson says he might drop-kick a FG in Pro Bowl

It took all of one month for fan interest and excitement to swirl around rookie punter Michael Dickson. That’s not to say interest wasn’t already there from the Seahawks’ front office – general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll traded up to select Dickson in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft – but after an offseason that saw the departure of Pro Bowl veterans, fans were calling for cornerbacks and linemen, not specialists.

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“He was just too unique of a player,” Schneider said of the pick in April. “He can do stuff with the ball that we haven’t seen yet.”

It didn’t take long to prove it. In May, a video that captured Dickson hitting an 80-yard punt at rookie camp circulated online. In a preseason game against the Vikings three months later, Dickson kicked a 56-yard coffin-corner punt to pin Minnesota at the 3-yard line. He continued to impress throughout the regular season, averaging 48.2 yards per punt.

Now, Dickson can count himself among Seattle’s Pro Bowl players. He made the trip to Orlando this week with his girlfriend and agent, joining teammates Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson for Sunday’s game.

“It really is just unbelievable,” Dickson told 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny, Dave and Moore on Friday. “It hasn’t really sunk into me yet. I’ll definitely look back on this in the offseason and use it as motivation to try to get here again next year.

“I watch Bobby and Russ all year just be the professionals that they are and the focus they have every week, and (have) looked up to them the whole season and really tried to take their mentality and use it in my position. Seeing them here just proved that that worked, and to be here with them is the best thing about it really.”

While Seahawks fans saw Dickson take a few risks on the field – including a nine-yard run out of the end zone to seal a win against Detroit in Week 8 – there’s one thing they didn’t get a chance to see: a drop-kick field goal.

Will Dickson get a chance to try it this Sunday?

“Yeah, we talked about it,” Dickson said. “We might do it. But I’m just letting them know it’s either going to be really pretty or it’s going to be a complete shank to the side. I’ve warned them before. We messed around with it a bit today after practice and had a little competition between me and the long snapper from the AFC.”

Even if he doesn’t get a chance to try a field goal, Dickson said it’s something he’ll be focused on this offseason.

“We hadn’t really looked at doing the drop kicks that much or worked out a solid enough plan to do that in the game,” Dickson said. “This offseason I’m going to be working on both (drop-kicking and place-kicking). I really hadn’t had a chance to work on place kicking, but I want to be able to be a solid back up if it ever came down to that.”

Hear Dickson’s full interview with Danny, Dave and Moore in the audio clip embedded above or download a podcast here.

You can hear Danny, Dave and Moore every weekday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on 710 ESPN Seattle.

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