Pat O'Donnell preparing for second year in NFL with stop in Daytona Beach

PatODonnellCanes
DAYTONA BEACH — Pat O'Donnell's road to the NFL took him through Daytona Beach for workouts with Dan Lundy and One on One Kicking, and now that he's established the Chicago Bears punter appears intent on keeping his offseason stops on the calendar. 

O'Donnell made a recent trip to Daytona Beach to workout alongside Lundy, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos, former Spruce Creek and current Mercer kicker Jagger Lieb and former Seabreeze and current Saint Anselm punter/kicker Shane Grayson.

"It's always great to get back to your roots and work with the guys that you are used to working with," O'Donnell said. "Dan Lundy is a great guy, and it's great to work alongside guys like (Kansas City Chiefs kicker) Cairo Santos."

O'Donnell is a physical specimen.

He stands 6-foot-4, weighs 220 pounds, ran the 40 in 4.6 seconds and did 23 reps of 225 pounds at the NFL Combine last year.

That, along with his booming leg, was enough to convince Chicago to use its sixth-round pick on him.

As a rookie, the former Miami Hurricane finished 23rd in the league with a net average of 37.7 yards per punt.

That's a number he would like to see improve.

"I'm just trying to be more consistent," he said. "And, I think,  any time you can be more consistent, you will see your numbers increase."

That doesn't mean that O'Donnell hasn't been working on adding a little flash to his game. During the offseason, he has posted several trick punt videos to social media — including one that shows him booting the ball over a house and into a garbage can.

"That's just having some fun," he said laughing. "And it's a way to keep the fans excited about the season."

As for O'Donnell, he said he doesn't need much to get him going heading into the season. The Bears have a new coach in John Fox, and there has been some overhaul to the roster.

"I'm excited," O'Donnell said. "There is a lot of energy in the locker room. We start back up July 29, and I think everybody is ready to get after it."


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(news-journalonline.com)
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