One morning last December, Michael Dickson, the Seattle Seahawks’ punter, sat on the floor of his home and meditated. He slowed his breath and wiped his mind clean. He didn’t think of that afternoon’s matchup with the division rival Los Angeles Rams, or the fact that, if the Seahawks won, they would secure the N.F.C. West title. He didn’t think of anything at all.
“I try to bring that mindfulness to the punting world as well,” Dickson, 25, said in a phone interview last month. “I don’t want to get into the habit of trying to have the perfect game, just take it one kick at a time.