SAN DIEGO -- With some 1970s soul music playing in the background, new San Diego Chargers punter Mat McBriar enjoyed the group exhale that takes place in an NFL locker room after a Friday practice.
The work has been put in and now it’s time to play a game.
For McBriar, it’s his first week preparing for an NFL game in a year, as he takes over for injured punter Mike Scifres in preparation to face the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Scifres suffered a broken clavicle after getting flipped by Brandon Bolden on a blocked punt against the New England Patriots last week.
“Definitely being on a winning team is a lot better than being on a losing team, that’s for sure,” McBriar said this past week. “It’s great. You can really feel the excitement. I don’t know if I’m feeling my age, but there’s definitely this youthful exuberance here. It’s nice.”
Talent and familiarity helped McBriar, 35, win a tryout in a group that included veteran punters Robert Malone, Zoltan Mesko and Brian Moorman. McBriar was close to the Chargers, living in nearby Solana Beach. He also is good friends with former San Diego punter and fellow Aussie Darren Bennett.
Both punters grew up in Melbourne, Australia. McBriar met Bennett while in high school. Bennett helped McBriar forge a 10-year NFL career as punter, serving as mentor through his college days at Hawaii and in the league.
“We’d actually just go kick in a lock park together,” McBriar said. “That’s how that sort of came around. I’d just wait for the [NFL] season to finish, he’d be there and we’d start kicking again. Once I got to the end of high school, he reached out to some of his former players and coaches, and it just so happened that June Jones was in Hawaii.”
McBriar’s last stint in the NFL was last season, as the Steelers cut an inconsistent Mesko and replaced him with McBriar. In nine games, McBriar finished with a 41.1-yard average and placed 13 punts inside the 20-yard line. He also executed a fake punt against the Green Bay Packers, a 33-yard completion to tight end David Paulsen that resulted in a first down.
Paulsen is now a member of San Diego’s practice squad.
“He’s real good,” Paulsen said about McBriar. “He’s real fun to have in the locker room, and got along with the guys great. He’s was great punter there.”
McBriar is familiar with Chargers kicker Nick Novak. The two worked out together during the summer, including a session in July at Qualcomm Stadium when new goal posts were installed, so he’s held for Novak before. McBriar said he also held for Novak while with the Dallas Cowboys in 2005 during Novak’s two-day tryout for the team. McBriar had success as a directional kicker during his eight-year stint with the Cowboys from 2004 to 2011.
“We’ve gotten to know each other over the years, obviously with the kicking fraternity being what it is and him being local,” Novak said. “There’s a huge respect that I have for him and what he’s been able to accomplish. I feel very comfortable with him going into this game.”
Novak said that he and McBriar have taken more reps than usual this week making sure their timing and speed is right.
“I don’t want to give you any game planning, but he’s very good and he’ll more than get the job done,” Novak said. “He’ll do great.”
