Note: Recently, LLT was granted the opportunity to conduct an interview with Daniel Sepulveda, the Steelers' punter! The following is a transcript of their interview. Steelers Universe would like to extend our gratitude to Daniel for taking the time to talk with us, and J. Drew Pittman of Domann & Pittman, for coordinating our interview with Daniel!
SU: This is Perry Biggerstaff with SteelersUniverse.com and we are talking to newly resigned Pittsburgh Steelers punter Daniel Sepulveda. Daniel, welcome to the Universe.
DS: Wow, great. Thanks for having me on. I’m excited to be here.
SU: I am so glad to see that you got the new contract. How does it feel to be back in camp?
DS: Oh man, this is great. This is home. This has become home to me. Going on five years now and it's amazing how much my perspective on Pittsburgh and this organization has changed. Each year that I have been around the more I realize how blessed I am to have started here and it's certainly not a place that I want to leave anytime soon.
SU: Were there any surprises this year at camp? Anything different?
DS: Oh my gosh! It isn't even the same. It's been crazy out here. The day that I showed up was a total players' day off. That's according to the new CBA. That just never happened in the past, so that kind of threw me for a loop. Then there was, like, thirty-something guys out here that I have never seen before. I was looking at the roster for rooms here at St. Vincent's and the whole third floor here....I didn't even know! I didn't know one of those guys because we didn't get any time around the rookies in the summer and they were scrambling to get guys to fill free agent spots that couldn't practice until Thursday (August 4th). So all those things have certainly been different. Outside of that, man, the fans are still passionate. We got to get out and practice yesterday and all that is the still the same and it looks like we are back on track now.
SU: Walk us through a typical day of Special Teams training camp.
DS: The other players have meetings in the morning. We don't meet in the mornings because we don't have as much film to watch. Our day starts with a 30-minute walk-through at 10:30 AM. Then we go to lunch and resume practice at about 2:55 PM, so we head over to the field at about 2:30 PM. We practice from around 3 PM until 5:30 PM. Then I spend about an hour or so on the hill, just spending some time with the fans. Then we head to dinner. We have a Special Teams meeting at 7:30 PM and a team meeting at 8:15 PM. Then you have some free time before bed check at 11:00 PM.
SU: Those of us who have followed your story love the many twists and turns that brought you to the Steelers as a punter. You were a walk-on at Baylor as a linebacker and after redshirting your freshman year became the Bears' starting punter even though you had not punted since junior high school.
DS: Right. You know, I was probably an emergency reserve in high school, maybe third string and you obviously don't run through two other punters at the high school level, so I was never going to see the field as a punter. But that's not what I was there for. I was a football player. I grew up playing football and punting is not football. It's really a different sport. It requires a different kind of athlete, a different kind of physical conditioning, all that stuff. So if they needed me to punt, great, but it was no sweat off my back if I didn't. That was kind of my attitude towards punting from 4th grade, when I first started, until I got to Baylor. I walked on as a linebacker, like you said, and I saw an opportunity to see the field a little more quickly and offered my services. I worked at it and won the job. So yeah, it's been quite a journey.
SU: You finally earned a scholarship after the 2003 season and became not only a three time All-American but the only punter to ever win the Ray Guy award twice. This may seem like a crazy question, but on the field, how do you define yourself....is there still that linebacker inside you that wonders how you got here?
DS: No, I never was actually a linebacker. I was misplaced there from the beginning. We had a hole on our defense my senior year in high school so they moved me to linebacker and that is really the only year that I actually played the position. I would consider myself more of a safety. But as time goes by I am realizing more and more that God had a place for me punting the football and that's where I belong in this league and I am happy to be there.
SU: For all of us who are ex-linebackers and lineman, tell us about the art of punting. It's obviously so much more than "catch the ball and kick the ball." Walk us through the progression of the punt....some of the variables you have to take into consideration, and typically if we see a bad punt, what is it that could have gone wrong.
DS: (laughing) You know, it kind of is "catch the ball and kick the ball," to be honest with you. If you are thinking about much more than that when you are out there, you are going to see a bad punt. You are right in that there is more to it in preparation and that is something that I have addressed and revisited since my freshman year in college. Up to that point, everything I did was just catch the ball and kick it. Rocky Willingham down there in Dallas, he kind of walked me through the basics. It's funny now because the first time I ever worked with him he took film of me kicking without telling me anything. He still has that film and we use it to say “look at what I was doing.” I looked ridiculous on there! Walking sideways, kicking across my body, didn’t really know what I was doing....and now it's fun to go back and revisit that. You know, once you work in a few fundamentals and the basics of punting, it's very similar to a golf swing. Taking out unnecessary motions, holding the ball as still as you can and as straight as you can, and walking a straight line really takes out a lot of the variables that could get in the way of a good punt.
SU: Daniel, what did you do with yourself during the lockout, what type of workout were you doing?
DS: I was rehabbing my knee. By the grace of God, that was the easiest process yet. I know that this was my third one but it was the easiest one by far. I don’t know why that is but I was about a month ahead of the rehab process in regards to swelling and everything else. The trainers didn't really know what to say about it either. It just made it a really easy process. I got to start lifting and getting my strength back and hardly lost any of the strength to begin with so I didn't really have to bust my butt like I would have in the past. A lot of my time was spent doing rehab and I worked with a trainer back in Dallas who lives just a couple of minutes from my house. His name is Greg Hodges and he has been an incredible blessing in my life and has been very helpful to me and is a brother in Christ who has encouraged me in that way also. I am certainly thankful for him. Outside of that, just fishing and enjoying some time with my family.
SU: You brought up your knee. In 2008, you tore the ACL in your right leg. You tore it again last December. For those fans out there who might raise some type of question about your durability, tell us how you came to injure the same leg and since you already touched on your recovery, is it 100%?
DS: Yeah, absolutely. First, we can revisit how it happened. I was at Baltimore in December, coming up on 8 months ago for those of us keeping track. I was covering a punt and they were bringing it around a wall return to the wide side of the field so I went down there to cover. I'm not looking to get into trouble and not looking for contact. I'm just trying to help the team and obviously it's a big game and we need to stop them. I'm there to get my body in the way and turn him back inside. As I'm going, I see that the runner has a couple of lead blockers and I happened to be slowing down and I planted on my right foot. As I made contact with one of those blockers, taking him on to turn the return man back inside, I guess my foot got stuck in the field turf with the contact and with the deceleration it created a "perfect storm" situation. As soon as it happened I knew....it just sort of popped sideways and that was it. I hopped off and took my weight off of it. My goal there was to try and not get run over by the pursuit and I tried to get out of the way. I then hobbled over to the sideline.
DS: Your heart kind of sinks knowing that you have to go through that whole process again. It's things like that in life that really shock your emotions. You go through a whole range of emotions very, very quickly and they are very deep seated. Kind of all based on the question of "why?" and "why is this happening?" and you're very upset. I don't know how people go through that process without having the foundation of a relationship with Jesus Christ, because that is the only thing that grounded me on the sideline, and that is exactly what it did. As many times as my knee has given out I am still standing on the rock, on my relationship with Jesus Christ. You know, when I was younger I identified with sports, that's who I was. As I have grown older and tried to mature in my relationship with God I have realized that sports don't define me. My relationship with God is who I am. So if I get hurt again, I am going to be just fine. That is such a freeing attitude to have and I just don't understand how people go through this life without understanding that. This is a broken world that we live in....it's hard out there, no matter where you are.
SU: Daniel, I appreciate that answer so much, especially when there are so many players who are making terrible life decisions and decisions that adversely affect their team. It's so refreshing to find a player who is grounded and has his priorities straight. Last year you were the 7th-ranked punter in the NFL before you were hurt, what are your goals going into this new season?
DS: I want to have a healthy season first of all. I want to help my team with every opportunity I get. As far as specific goals, I know that I have the potential to be an elite punter in this league. Some of the "X factors" in that are my health and even the weather, but that is something that I love about Pittsburgh. You can't beat that, that is real football. I had the opportunity to be in Houston this year, and I couldn’t leave (Pittsburgh)....I couldn’t do it. This city has grown on me so much and even though Texas is my home state, Pittsburgh is my home. That made the decision very easy. One other goal I have is to see a top-five finish of our net punting yardage.
SU: Daniel, we thank you so much for giving us an inside look into training camp and appreciate the time you took to talk with us.
DS: Absolutely, Perry. Thanks for having me.
SU: Before you go, tell us where all Steelers fans should go for their Steelers needs.
DS: SteelersUniverse.com!
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Dan is such a great guy and great role model for the younger guys. I hope his injury problems are behind him. 
