GREEN BAY PACKERS SPECIAL TEAMS COACH SHAWN SLOCUM - Ingles

01/26/2011

Shawn, can you just talk about how Masthay really developed this season?

SHAWN SLOCUM: First of all, we go back to when he got here last spring, and he was in great competition, and he went through a real growth process there. I think competition brings the best out of players. And then we got into training camp, he won the job. We start the season and he had to learn how to be an NFL punter.

And one of the things we talked about was that it's his job to keep the effectiveness of the returner under control and I think as the season went on, I thought he got better and better with that. I think it's evident with how we played against Chicago and how he performed against Chicago with 16 punts in two ballgames with the effectiveness of Hester.

I think he's also learned to deal with the weather elements that we've got in Green Bay. And, fortunately, in the Super Bowl we've got a controlled environment. So I expect him to be good in that game.

Shawn, when you talk about how he had to learn to become an NFL punter, what are some of the biggest things that, when they come out of college, the mechanics and techniques you have to work on?

SHAWN SLOCUM: I'll tell you, the first thing is the football. The footballs are guarded, and by design, they are tried to be made exactly the same. And they rotate throughout the game. And you start with one ball. The key, I think, back in the old days, guys would fix the footballs up to fly a little better. But that's a big deal. It's slicker most of the time and it travels a little bit differently.

We play a lot of games in the NFL toward the latter part of the season when the weather is really an issue. In college, most of the seasons are over, with the exception of the bowl games, by mid‑November. So playing in December and January is definitely an issue for a kicker or a punter. Those things as well as just the skill level, the pressure that comes from the punt rushes, and the talent of the returners. It's all different.

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