BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Brad Nortman was no different than anyone who played football on the playground or in youth leagues. Acting out his fantasy, he saw himself in the ultimate game, the Super Bowl. Why not? Dreams can come true for punters, too. They did for this one on the Carolina Panthers.
"Every kid who grows up loving football envisions himself on the biggest stage," said Nortman, the former University of Wisconsin punter from Brookfield Central High School. "It's a dream come true and each and every day that it gets closer and closer, I'm more and more excited for the game.
"I would be lying if I didn't say that I wanted to envision myself in this role at some point in my life. Obviously, when you're a kid, it almost seems like it's so grand and so impossible to dream. So now that I can actually live it out is something special."
The Badgers will be represented on Super Sunday by Nortman, 26, the fourth-year specialist with the Panthers; and Owen Daniels, 33, the 10th-year tight end with the Denver Broncos. Given the separation in age, the former can get with away saying the latter was a player that he watched as a kid.
"I did watch him (at Wisconsin), and he was always a treat to watch, a great player," Nortman said of Daniels. "I definitely know the name. We played against him once in my career, a preseason game. And he came up to me afterwards and introduced himself to me.
"I look forward to seeing him during the pregame or postgame at the Super Bowl. Usually I know where everybody (with UW ties) is playing for the most part. But I still go through the roster to see if anyone went to Wisconsin. And whether it's pregame or postgame, we always seem to find each other.
"That sort of bond — that former Badgers share — is unlike any other."
Nortman and his wife, Lexi, an Oconomowoc native (they met on the UW campus), have been trying to enjoy every second of the ride, even the dizzying preparations leading up to Super Bowl 50 that will be staged at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the home of the San Francisco 49ers.
"It has been pretty wild, lots of planning and logistics; luckily my wife has been in the zone, totally taking care of a lot of that," he said. "My whole family is coming out. Her whole family is coming out. And it's a matter of tickets, flights, hotel rooms and trying to get everyone on the same page.
"The thing that we're looking forward to the most is being able to share this moment with each other and with all of our families. The game is going to be awesome — really enjoyable — and there are going to be some great memories for our loved ones."
Nortman, a member of two Rose Bowl teams at Wisconsin (2010 and 2011), connected the dots between those Badgers and the Panthers in terms of their resolve and locker room chemistry.
"We really have a brotherhood here (in Carolina)," he said. "I don't think it's super common in the NFL just because of the way the business works with free agency and the general turnover which make it difficult to have the type of camaraderie that we have.
"It's reminiscent of the Rose Bowl years where everyone seemed to be on the same page. There was a comfortability with each other. It was more about collective success than individual success."
The Panthers have drawn criticism for their celebrations, maybe enjoying themselves too much.
"We don't listen too much to the outside media," Nortman pointed out. "Sometimes that media is so loud that you can't ignore it. But we kind of shrug it off and laugh about it. There is a joy to the game and that's honestly what football is all about.
"I remember growing up watching Brett Favre and his huge love for the game, it was almost a boyish approach. I just think that we're having fun with it. When we play our best, it's when we're enjoying it the most. It's something that we strive for — a loose but focused kind of mentality."
This season, the 6-foot-2, 212-pound Nortman, a sixth-round pick of the Panthers in the 2012 draft, has averaged 45.4 yards, just above his career average of 45.2. In 2013, he set franchise records for gross punting average (47.8) and net punting (41.6). His hang time (4.6 seconds) was third best in the NFL.
"When I came out of college, I had a big leg," he said, "and I was really good at hang time and distance and power, and I wasn't probably where I needed to be as a directional punter."
Nortman credited tight end Greg Olsen for setting him straight on what he needed to work on.
"Focus on your strengths," said Nortman, relaying Olsen's message. "That's what has gotten you here, that's what has allowed you have a successful college career. Let those shine, and don't let them get in the way of the things that you're trying to work on, like your weaknesses.
"If I would have gone straight to being a directional punter it wouldn't have worked out.
"Luckily now, I've struck a nice balance where I'm able to do both."
Nortman also has a role on all of Carolina's placements. He's the holder for placekicker Graham Gano, who's 30-of-36 on field goal attempts. The long snapper is J.J. Jansen. As a unit, they've been labeled the "Bomb Squad" by Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
"Cam loves giving out nicknames," Nortman said. "We're viewed as one person, I guess."
Nobody has come under more scrutiny than Newton for everything that he does.
"The quarterback position is obviously a very important one, similar to the head coach, the quarterback sets the tone for the team," said Nortman. "Every time I'm thinking that I'm going to go out there and punt, I'm watching on third down and he's doing something spectacular.
"We really respond to Cam. That's why he's a captain. And, obviously, you can tell that he really enjoys the game and we really enjoy having fun with him. To expect someone is going to come in this league and have it figured out right away is really rare, and not really fair.
"It takes some time to get the right guys around you and you have to go through some ups and downs before you put yourself in the position to really flourish. He's done that — he's the MVP."
On the Panthers defense that title belongs to middle linebacker Luke Kuechly.
"He's really a Captain America type of guy — it's the nickname that Cam has given him," Nortman said. "Off the field, he's one of the most genuine, humble, kindest persons I've ever met. He's a Midwest kid (Cincinnati), so he brings all of those values. On the field, he's a ferocious competitor.
"It's incredible the things that he does. He sets the tone. He gets everybody in the right situation. He just knows what he's doing out there. He's so instinctive, so good. With the combination of leaders that we have — offense, defense and special teams — it really makes us strong."
Tying it all together has been head coach Ron Rivera.
"He has really been a stable rock for us," said Nortman. "I've been with him my entire career in Carolina and we've had a lot of ups and downs. But he has had an unending confidence in us as a team and as players. You know that he's for you — you know that he has your back.
"He brings an old-school mentality. That shows up on the field by the way we play the game."
Off the field, Nortman has stayed focus on his academic goals. Between his first and second seasons, he passed his CTA exam. Armed with his accounting degree from Wisconsin, he's working on completing his Masters of Finance through mostly online courses at Indiana University.
"It's something the NFL encourages and helps you financially with — they put us in a good situation to continue our education," he said. "I'm hoping to play for a long time. I plan to. But even after a long career, you're still a young man at that point whenever it's said and done."
For now, Nortman will stay in the moment.
"I just focus on form and the process and things I can control," he said, "letting the outcome come about however that may be. That will take care of itself. I may only play 10 to 12 snaps. But they're locked in — they're white-knuckle type of snaps where I'm totally all in, mentally and physically."
It's part of his approach for every game. Even a Super Bowl.
"It's a dream come true," he said.
