Nice story on Saints' new punter

[SaintsFanatic]

After reading this I certainly wish him the best of luck on Sunday!

Want somebody to root for this in weekend's Saints-Falcons game? On the rare occasion when the Saints drop back to punt, resist the urge to change the channel or re-fill the dip bowl, and tip your glass to Mr. Glenn Adam Pakulak.

Ninety players will suit up for Sunday's NFC South Division battle at the Georgia Dome.

None will be happier than Pakulak, the Saints' freshly signed first-year punter whose appearance Sunday will culminate a six-year quest to earn a regular job in the league.

"I never gave up hope, " he said this week, a few days after signing a free agent contract with the team. "I've always believed in myself and thought if I put my mind to it, something eventually would crack."

Earlier this week, it finally did. Pakulak beat out three more experienced competitors during a tryout to become the Saints' third punter in as many games.

Pakulak, a LaPeer, Mich., native, lands on his first NFL regular-season roster as a 28-year-old rookie, a modern-day NFL version Roy Hobbs.

His story is testament to the audacity of hope, his career a case study in perseverance.

Born and raised in the "thumb" of Michigan by working-class parents, Pakulak played four positions at LaPeer East High School, but none of them well enough to attract a Division I offer.

"I was just raw, " he said. "All these kids go to these kicking and punting camps. I never did that stuff. I played three sports in high school, and I had a strong leg. So the coach put me back there, and I kicked the crap out of the ball."

So he took his powerful left leg to Rochester College, an NAIA school of about 1,000 students near his hometown, where he spent a year playing baseball and basketball. But he quickly aspired to grander ambitions and began to hunt for an opportunity at a bigger program.

He landed at Kentucky, where then-Coach Hal Mumme gave him a chance to play for the junior varsity team. Pakulak paid his own way for two years and eventually beat out several other punters in the program.

By his junior year, he'd earned a scholarship, a starting job and a reputation for head-hunting return men with his strapping 6-3, 225-pound frame.

By his senior year, he was chosen All-SEC over more heralded punters Dustin Colquitt at Tennessee and Donnie Jones at LSU, and he was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, given annually to the nation's top punter.

Despite his lofty credentials -- and being ranked second among punters by Mel Kiper Jr. -- Pakulak was overlooked on draft day. Forced to sign a free agent contract with Seattle, he never got a chance to punt. The Seahawks cut him before camp opened, opting instead for veteran Tom Rouen.

Thus began a six-year odyssey that took him to 11 states and two separate stays in Amsterdam. Along the way, he was cut eight times: once each by the Seahawks, Steelers, Falcons and Bears and twice by the Raiders and Titans.

Between camps he stayed with friends and worked part-time jobs to make ends meet. Personal trainer. Construction worker. Golf course attendant. "I've done just about everything, " Pakulak laughed.

In the fall of 2004, he even worked a short stint at a bar on Bourbon Street during his stay with pal Kliff Kingsbury, who played quarterback on the Saints' practice squad.

"I can't remember the name of the place, " Pakulak said. "I was the door guy for about a week and a half. You stand outside and say, "Hey, come on in and check out our place!" . . . Just trying to make some money."

Pakulak practiced at LaSalle Park, right across the street from the Saints' training facility in Metairie. He even ran pass routes for Kingsbury after hours at the team complex.

Four years later, he stood in the same facility and marveled at the fickle finger of fate.

"Everything comes full circle, " he said.

Somehow, despite the humbling releases and empty excuses -- "You just need to work on your consistency" -- he never lost confidence. Despite the long plane rides home and lonely nights of practice, he never abandoned his dream.

"I just wish -- and I'm not saying this in a cocky manner -- I just wish I wasn't that good at it because then maybe I could have quit, said, 'Oh, I just wasn't good enough to do it, time to move on to something else.' But I punted against guys like Dustin Colquitt and Donnie Jones in the SEC, and I was the leader of the pack and All-SEC. Those guys have been in the NFL four and five years, respectively, and I'm still poundin' nails in roofs at home in Michigan. I'm thinking, Man, when am I going to get my break?"

Sunday he gets his chance.

"It's going to be awesome, " Pakulak said. "It's to the point now where I have nothing to lose. I've been trying to get into the league for six years. I'm going to go out, have fun, do what I've always been able to do and, hopefully, kick the crap out of the ball."

And if he doesn't, well, Pakulak understands the harsh nature of the business as well as anyone. As an unproven journeyman, he knows the only sure thing about his job status is its tenuousness.

That's why he asked his family and friends to stay away from Atlanta this weekend. He used some of the cash from his first real NFL check to buy his parents the Sunday NFL Ticket so they can watch him on their satellite back home in Michigan.

If things go well, he might fly some family and friends to New Orleans for the next home game in two weeks against Green Bay.

"Who knows, " he said. "I've got to go out and punt Sunday. If I go out and punt (poorly) -- as history shows -- I may be here only a week."

And somehow you get the feeling Pakulak could live with that reality.

At least he made it.

After six years, eight cuts and 11 change-of-address forms, he's finally going to punt in an NFL game.

"I'll make more money this week than I make in a year, " he said. And even if I don't get rich off of it, at least I can say I punted in the NFL -- and I knew I could. It's been a long road."

[Cajn43]

I hope he does well. Not only for the team but you have to root for a guy who keeps going after his dream. He shows a lot of guts. I hope he can channel that determination into his foot Sunday.

[WilsonTheVolleyball]

I like this guy already. Loomis and Sean have a thing for finding diamonds in the rough; I think Adam is one of them.

[SaintsFanatic]

The new kicker and punter both played well today I thought.

One of the only bright spots in today's game.

[MrDat]

Originally Posted by SaintsFanatic

The new kicker and punter both played well today I thought.

One of the only bright spots in today's game.

yep, both had good games. Poor Payton will have to find someone else to take his frustrations out on this week.

[Who Dat Zombie]

they both played well! hopefully they will continue this path and we dont have to cross our fingers everytime they get on the field.

[SaintsFanatic]

Originally Posted by Who Dat Zombie

they both played well! hopefully they will continue this path and we dont have to cross our fingers everytime they get on the field.

lol I hear ya!

[jay1975]

yep, the new punter and kicker were about the only things that were good about the game