Peter Mortell keeps cool in debut with Packers

Former Green Bay Notre Dame standout Peter Mortell made a good first impression on Packers coach Mike McCarthy during the team’s opening day of rookie minicamp Friday.

“I thought Peter punted the ball well today,” McCarthy said. “So we will see how it goes.”

It would have been understandable if Mortell was battling some nerves as he begins the task of trying to make the team for which he grew up cheering.

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Instead, it was the opposite. He’s just grateful for getting the chance to compete with veteran Tim Masthay after signing as an undrafted free agent last weekend.

“I wasn’t really nervous, I was excited,” said Mortell, who averaged a school-record 44 yards per punt while at the University of Minnesota. “This has been an opportunity that I’ve worked for my whole life. So, I’m not going to let nerves get the best of me and look back on this thing and say, ‘Oh, you were too nervous. That’s why it didn’t work out.’

“I was comfortable and I felt really good out there today. I thought I hit the ball really well.”

Mortell said he had about four different options to pick from after the draft. But after his workout with Packers special teams coach Ron Zook, general manager Ted Thompson and director of football operations Eliot Wolf last month, he believed this would be the best situation.

“Today was a good day,” Mortell said. “It was fun to be out there.”