Watch: Luke Akers, Nicholas Barr-Mira talk special teams bond, growing in offseason

LUKE AKERS

Goals during the offseason?

I would say my goals for the offseason were just to work on consistency, just as any punter would, and I just try and focus on being as consistent as possible working on technique and trying to fine tune everything. I feel like that's been going pretty well, so I'm going to continue working on that and be ready for the season.

Getting the ball off quicker?

Yeah, so, repetition will cause everything to be faster. Training in the weight room and having your fast twitch muscles engaged more, that'll help as well. Just working out and tuning your technique, as well as getting stronger at the same time, they things that just kind of go along with each other, and that was something I was really trying to focus on in the offseason, was trying to get a little bit faster, a little bit stronger leg, as well as repetition on working technique, just practicing drops and doing the monotonous, boring things that you have to do to get better and better.

Something you took from last season's experience?

I guess I would say that just how much of a blessing it is to be able to play this sport in the first place. Last year, we had our season cancelled at one point, and when we were able to play half the season, it was pretty awesome, pretty big deal for us. It was a huge blessing for us to be able to do that. Now that we're able to play a full season, it's a reminder of how much of a blessing it is for us to play the sport and I just kind of keep going back on to that everyday.

Rain during practice?

You kind of just have to focus in a little bit more on, for me at least, just catching the ball and making sure that everything is smooth. I try to keep my hands dry, but besides that, just go out and bomb the ball like always. Same thing applies for it, but I mean, that's pretty much all you have to do, just focus on catching the ball better, and holding it, and it should turn out pretty well.

How are the punt/kick returners doing?

They are all studs. Each and every one of them are awesome athletes and they're all doing pretty amazing in my opinion. All of them are just great athletes so, that's all I can really say. They're pretty great.

Kicking field goals in camp, staying ready as a backup kicker?

We're all kind of in a rotation right now, just trying to keep our legs all going good. I'm focusing on punting mainly, trying to get ready for the season, but you got to practice everything just in case something happens and you have to get called up. But for the most part, just got to keep everything loose, and the repetition, and just having the ability to go out if you need to.

Punts inside the five during spring, new technique?

I appreciate that, thank you. I don't know, I guess it just comes with getting stronger and practicing drops more and getting more comfortable with everything. I think that's honestly what it is, you get more comfortable as you get older, the more you do it, so eventually, hopefully inside the five becomes inside the two

Difference between punting and FG kicking?

It's just a completely different kind of mentality, in my opinion, the way I have to think about it. With field goal kicking, my biggest thing is just focusing on my steps going up towards the ball and just focusing on just locking the ankle, that's kind of all I think about. But with punting, it's mainly – 80% of a punt is the drop. If the drop's not good, chances are, the punt's not gonna be very good. So when you're punting, generally speaking, you gotta focus on the drop a lot more. At least me personally, that's what helps me, so that's kind of what I focus on.

NICHOLAS BARR-MIRA

Goals for the offseason?

As a kicker, just trying to be more consistent, fine-tune my technique, get faster and stronger, get more confident, become a leader on the team, just kind of grow with the team and yeah, just kind of build my confidence.

Range where you feel confident?

That's really a game-by-game type of thing, I would say. It depends on the conditions of the day, your practice in the week, all those types of things, so it's really a week-by-week, game-by-game situation. But 50-plus, I feel confident. At the end of the day, whenever coach sends me out there to go make a kick, I'm gonna do my best to make a kick.

Rain today affect your kicks today?

Today, it doesn't change too much, it wasn't too windy. The rain can affect the snap and the hold a little bit, you gotta catch the ball, ball's too wet, but as far as kicking goes, it doesn't really change the mechanics of the flight of the ball. So today wasn't too bad, it was like a normal today.

Young group of special teamers, experience and chemistry?

Right, we're all super close – me, Luke, RJ. Also shoutout to our snappers, Jack Landherr No. 51, Beau Gardner No. 60. Those guys work super hard, they get no credit, so shoutout to those guys. Jack Landherr, he's one of the best in the country. And Beau, he's working his butt off, so shoutout to them, they do a lot and get no credit, so remember those names. But yeah, we're all super close, we spend all day with each other, friends off the field, friends on the field. So it's a very tight-knit group and it's a very special relationship and bond we all have with each other.

Max this camp?

My max? In terms of...?

Field goal distance?

Like I said earlier, just kind of 50-plus is where I feel comfortable. I don't know exactly the distance that we've had as a team, but that's where I feel comfortable from.