GREEN BAY – The description of Packers punter Daniel Whelan's training camp thus far isn't complicated.
"He's kicking the crap out of the ball," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said, matter of factly.
Whelan's job, and the work he's putting in to do it, aren't quite that simple. But the second-year pro is both physically and mentally in a better place than a year ago when the Ireland native was new to the NFL and trying to beat out longtime veteran Pat O'Donnell to stick in Green Bay.
Physically, Whelan said he put on about 7-8 pounds of muscle over the offseason, pushing the weight on his imposing 6-5 frame to 236 – a full 20 pounds bigger than when he arrived in the spring of 2023 from the XFL.
He's done "growing" now, but he does feel a difference in his body and how he's punting the ball while preparing for 2024.
"My bad ball, if I mis-hit a punt, it hangs a little higher, goes a little further than it did last year, which is obviously good," he said. "Yeah, your A ball is great, but you're not going to hit that every time. It's all about that B-plus ball, and if that gets a little better each year, we're in a good place."
With a year under his belt, he feels better mentally, too, particularly with holding for placekicks, which he did in college at UC-Davis and in the XFL but admittedly not very well.
Last year in the battle with O'Donnell, he spent every extra available moment in the team hotel – or at home with his mom – repping holds to smooth out the details. He's proven adept at the skill on special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia's crew, saving a less-than-perfect snap here or there last season. Now he's been doing all the holding for the Packers' competition at kicker throughout the spring and summer.
"I'm way less nervous, and I feel confident," he said, comparing to a year ago. "I get a lot of reps every single day, even with Rich, bad-ball drills, working the consistency and tempo for the kickers.
"Holding is the biggest job. Punting is the job, but holding, you get the points. That's the most important part of the game, right? Winning the game? So, yeah."
Back to the punting, his inaugural season can certainly be classified as a success. He averaged 46.2 yards per punt, the second-highest single-season mark in team history behind Corey Bojorquez's 46.5 average in 2021.
Perhaps more important, he placed 18 of 57 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line, including multiple inside the 20 in three straight games in late November/early December.
Then all three of his punts in the Packers' wild-card playoff victory at Dallas were inside the 20 as well. The first of those pinned the Cowboys at their own 8 late in the first quarter and preceded a Jaire Alexanderinterception that set up Green Bay's second touchdown in the blowout win.
"I just started trusting everything – trusting my gunners, my protection, and then just calling my shots," Whelan said of the strong finish last year. "We cam together as a punt unit toward the end, and that helps me out as well."
Added LaFleur: "When you have a punter who's capable of pinning an opposing offense deep, that is a real weapon."
Whelan continues to work on that, along with hang time and directional placement on the open-field punts, plus other situational requirements – such as getting the ball out quickly when the punt unit is backed up, and understanding how to adjust to different rush concepts from the opponent.
It's all in an effort toward improving on the punt team's 39.7-yard net average last season. It was a respectable number, but one that marked the sixth straight season Green Bay has posted a lower net punting average than its opponents.
That'll have to play out over the course of the entire season, but for now, Whelan already looks prepared for his second year to get underway.
"I feel like I'm doing my job well right now," he said. "It's a growth mindset, so every day is going to be different, new challenges. As long as I'm progressing in that aspect and still hitting my ball and staying confident in my abilities, I'm going to be all right."
