Punt!
Punt!
Phil Turner speaks to two-time All-Pro punter, Brett Kern, about the global game, his experience playing in the UK and whether Harry Kane could make it in the NFL…
The NFL is not an organisation to be shy about its expansion plans. Nineteen years since the Europe series kicked off with a 13-10 win for the New York Giants over the Miami Dolphins in Wembley, the sporting behemoth is taking games to London, Munich, Madrid, Paris, Rio, Mexico City and, for the first time, Melbourne.
Punting is one of American football's odder specialities. Eleven players stand around waiting for one man, working alone, to boot the ball (or pigskin) as far and as precisely as possible, ideally without it drifting into the end zone for a touchback – granting the defending team possession. A ‘good punt’ welcomes hang time to let the coverage team get downfield, and placement to pin the returner inside their own 20-yard line.
Brett Kern turned that role into a 15-year NFL career built almost entirely around the five-or-so seconds it takes to hoof the ball up-field. Undrafted out of Toledo in 2008, he began with the Denver Broncos before being picked up by the Tennessee Titans in 2009, where he'd stay for 13 seasons and become the franchise's all-time leader in punts, gross average and net average. Three Pro Bowl selections (2017-19) and two All-Pro honours later, he closed out his career with a brief stint at the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring in 2023.
The former punter played at Wembley Stadium during his 15-year NFL career and, like most players, believes the league's international growth is to be encouraged. But is a trip to the other side of the world a game too far?
“The NFL going to Australia? That's insane.”
Q&A
Phil Turner: You played at Wembley with the Titans. What was that like?
Brett Kern: “Growing up as a big soccer fan, I understood the magnitude of playing there. I actually went over to the stadium the day before just to get the awe factor out of the way. I didn't want to be distracted on game day, so I walked through the halls, looked at all the photos from the great games and concerts and soaked it all in.
The travel itself was hard, though. I don't sleep on planes very well, so I basically stayed awake for nearly 24 hours getting there and then flew straight home after the game.
PT: Did the UK crowd feel different?
BK: Definitely. Everybody cheered for everything! A running back could gain a yard, and it sounded the same as a huge pass play. And everywhere you looked there were jerseys from different NFL teams. It felt like the whole league had turned up.
PT: What do you make of the NFL taking a game to Australia?
BK: That's insane. Even for a West Coast team, you're talking about a 14 or 15-hour flight. That's a tough trip. I know with Europe now the teams have worked out a routine… when to travel, where to stay and how to prepare – making sure everything’s the same as it would be at home, even down to the toilet roll. For most of them I think it becomes a fun experience. But going out all that way… It’s just too far. Some of these guys have never left the US.
PT: Harry Kane has said he'd love to kick in the NFL one day. Could he do it?
BK: You watch him play a through-ball from deep, and the precision is world-class. He obviously knows how to strike a ball. I've seen footballers come into our facility and kick 60-yard field goals without much trouble because they've got the power. So yeah, why not?
PT: Occasionally the punter is the last line of defence. Ever make any big hits?
BK: Ha! My goal was always to hit such a good punt that I didn't have to. I've got a goalkeeper's body, not a Derrick Henry body; I was just trying to be a bump in the road to slow them down until someone bigger arrived.
PT: Did you ever get the chance to run any trick plays?
BK: The biggest was probably a fake punt in the AFC Championship Game against Kansas City in 2019. I think Tony Romo even called it on commentary because everybody knew we were too far behind to punt. Somehow, we still managed to pull it off, and the ball landed in Amani Hooker’s hands for a first down, which was pretty cool. Unfortunately we still lost the game.
PT: Finally, who's the best player you played alongside?
BK: I've been lucky enough to play with some incredible guys, including wide receiver Randy Moss – who set the NFL single-season record with 23 receiving touchdowns alongside 98 receptions and 1,493 receiving yards in 2007 – but I'd probably say Derrick Henry. For someone that big, nobody catches him, and it usually takes two or three players to bring him down. Watching him every day was special.
