N I A G A R A G A Z E T T E
FOOTBALL: Grand Island's Kern makes the cut for Denver
By Nate BeutelIt was mid-afternoon Saturday and Brett Kern and his wife, Tiffany,
were frantically searching for white clothing at a Denver-area mall. After all,
the couple was trying to find the perfect outfit for Denver Broncos coach Mike
Shanahan’s “all-white” social gathering.
“I guess the theme changes every year because it was pirate last year and
Caribbean the year before that,” Kern said by phone.
In this case, though, having difficulty finding the right clothes was a good
problem to have for the Grand Island native.
Just hours earlier, Kern was informed that he made Denver’s 53-man roster and
will be the team’s punter when it travels to Oakland for the first Monday
night game of the season Sept. 8.
“I’m thrilled right now,” Kern said. “It’s still starting to sink in
for me. It’s just a blessing.”
Since being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Toledo in April, Kern was
entrenched in an intense battle with fellow punter Sam Paulescu. The tandem
shared punting duties during the preseason with each displaying “differing
strengths and weaknesses,” according to Kern. The third team all-American said
his ability to hold on field goals and extra points is what likely set him
apart, though.
“Our kicker Matt Prader loved me,” Kern said. “He was always complimenting
me on my holds.”
That love was apparent on cutdown day as it was Prader that sent Kern a text
message informing him that Paulescu was let go and he was the Broncos’ man.
“I was waiting all day, but in the NFL no news is good news,” Kern said.
“Then Sam texted me and it was a big relief because this was one of the
hardest things I’ve ever had to do both mentally and physically.”
Now, the two-time all-state specialist at GI is focused on beginning a long
career.
“I want to show everybody that I belong in the league,” Kern said. “It’s
also going to be an honor and privilege to represent Western New York and help
put this area on the map at a national level.”