It’s been a rough rookie season for Chargers punter Drew Kaser.
On Wednesday it got a little bit better.
Kaser was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after booming four of his five punts inside the 20-yard line during San Diego’s 21-13 win over Denver.
The 6th round draft pick from Texas A&M received lots of negative attention for shanking a 17-yard punt during San Diego’s disheartening loss to Kansas City in week one.
Then against Oakland, Kaser messed up again by “booting” a punt that wound up going only 16 yards forward. That mistake helped the Raiders complete another stunning comeback against the Chargers.
To make matters worse, Kaser also mishandled a potential game-tying field goal in that contest against the Raiders. That prompted Chargers coach Mike McCoy to have backup quarterback Kellen Clemens take over holding duties the following week against Denver.
“You know, give him a lot of credit for responding,” said Chargers coach Mike McCoy. “(Drew) may have not had his best performance the week before but like all players you respond. You come back and he's a young player.
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"There's going to be some ups and downs," continued McCoy, "and he did a phenomenal job for us in playing a big role in helping us win that game the other day."
The Chargers visit Atlanta this Sunday at 1:05 p.m. PT.
