Pat of No Returns: O'Donnell keeping the faith as Bears try to dig back in
Normally, being tall, Irish, handsome and extraordinarily personable can give a fellow a head start on a lot of days.
But last Sunday wasn't one of those for Bears punter Pat O'Donnell.
Less than 90 seconds into what would devolve into a craw-crunching beatdown by visiting New Orleans, O'Donnell found himself prey for a Saint barreling down Broadway.
The play came following the first of what would become a drain wreck of three-and-outs by Matt Nagy's offense.
J.T. Gray took advantage of a smart loop scheme by New Orleans and suckered Chicago's punt team. He caught O'Donnell in full extension and blocked the ball directly toward the end zone.
Only O'Donnell's athleticism and awareness salvaged anything out of the stunning prelude.
PO'D battled past Gray and a frenzied communion of Saints to slap the ball beyond the end line.
The brainy play saved 5 points for the Bears, turning an odds-on New Orleans TD into a safety.
That swing still held relevance when NO led only 12-10 at the half.
Later, it was a mere footnote.
"It was just a miscommunication," O'Donnell said, refusing to trample anyone underfoot.
"Basically a 4-by-4 look and it was a looper, so (Gray) came free.
"It's just something we have to fix on film.
"It's a real easy correction."
Onward and upward
O'Donnell likes easy.
That's in large part because he knows the effort and sheer luck that go into it.
And how the universe can chip it away.
He is very much an "in the moment" person.
"Pat's also just a great guy, a good friend and a great teammate," said Patrick Scales, the Bears long snapper who seems joined at the football psyche with Chicago's No. 16.
"He works incredibly hard. We can do what we do because of thousands and thousands of repetitions over the years.
"But when it's over - a drill, a game, a play - you have to move on to the next task.
"And Pat excels at that."
O'Donnell's movement through the 28 years of his life has been fluid, almost always onward and upward.
He grew up comfortably classed in southeast Florida, near West Palm Beach, in truth Irish-Italian.
That passion-prone mix came about when a young insurance salesman named Terry "T.J." O'Donnell married Michele Bordino in 1986.
Five years later, Patrick Michael arrived. Sister Megan - a future national champion rower at Nova Southeastern University - followed less than two years after.
"My dad was athletic, a college basketball player (at the now-defunct Nasson College in New England) and just an incredible influence," O'Donnell said.
"He never pushed but he encouraged. My early passion was soccer and I remain a huge fan. I was playing pee-wees by age 6."
Slow motion vision
Football came into the frame a few years later.
Kicking began to predominate at Palm Beach Central High.
"The magic moment came when I kicked a 47-yard field goal as time ran out to win a game," O'Donnell said.
"It was like in a movie. The ball was in the air when the clock hit zero."
"So I was a football hero, at least at that moment."
Colleges came sniffing and the shamrock-futured Brian Kelly and the University of Cincinnati won.
But at home, the cunning cruelty of the universe was in play.
At age 50, when Pat was 15, T.J. O'Donnell was diagnosed with colon cancer.
"He fought," the son recalls. "And fought. And it went into remission. And it came back.
"So he fought some more."
And son carried on.
After injury dictated a redshirted freshman year at Cincinnati, O'Donnell got better and better, so much so that he was touching NFL radars by the time he graduated in 2013 with one season of eligibility remaining.
Putting family first, O'Donnell decided to use that final collegiate year to pursue an advanced degree at the University of Miami and be closer to his father.
At Miami, fate tilted the way of PO'D in more favorable manner.
Coach Al Golden had a striking administrative assistant named Shelby Etter.
Like O'Donnell, she was working on postgraduate study, hers in accounting and mathematics.
"We met very casually and a very nice friendship came next," PO'D said.
"And then we realized we were in love."
He proposed last February on The Magic Bridge at the university. They will be married Feb. 29.
Earlier magic hit on Draft Day 2014 when one punter was chosen among the 286 collegians taken - Patrick O'Donnell, sixth round, No. 191, by the Chicago Bears.
"That was one of the greatest days of my life," O'Donnell said.
"My father was with me, my mom, other members of my family including my grandfather 'Mike' (Angelo Bordino of Sarasota).
"For a person who's into family as much as me, I'll always savor that memory."
The memories with the Bears began to pile on later that year under Marc Trestman (5-11) and followed with the three low-tide seasons of John Fox (6-10, 3-13, 5-11).
The overwhelming nadir came Sept. 19, 2017, when T.J. O'Donnell - five days shy of his 62nd birthday - died.
"I'll never get over that but that's not all in a negative way," Patrick said. "He set such an example and he's still with me every day.
"So much of what he said, so much of what he stood for, so much of how he worked and gave so my sister and I can have the lives we have will live with us forever.
"He's in my mind in the best of moments and he's in my mind in the more challenging ones."
The legacy of O'D the father also inspired his son to expand an already rigorous regimen combining physical fitness and extremely informed nutrition.
O'Donnell had long been considered one of the fittest men in the NFL. That reputation was seeded when he did more 225-pound bench presses at the 2014 Combine (23) than defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (21), the No. 1 selection.
"There's no question watching what my father went through for 11 years has influenced me as far as healthy eating," O'Donnell said.
"I want any manageable odds in terms of cancer, diabetes, any cardiovascular, anything like that, in my favor.
"I've even dabbled in a vegan diet, more so in off seasons. Pure veganism is so hard and basically impossible if you're playing professional football.
"I up my fish and poultry during the season. That also leaves room for my mother's chicken piccata and chicken Marsala, which are off the charts."
A team player
As a punter, O'Donnell has been a gem of consistency for the Bears. The block by New Orleans on Sunday was only the fourth in 390 career punts.
From Trestman forward, he also expanded his utility as a backup long kicker and as a holder for such disparate types as Robbie Gould, Connor Barth, Cody Parkey - who remains a good friend - and incumbent Eddy Piñeiro.
Despite the predictable public dooms-daying following the debacle against the Saints, O'Donnell continues to keep the faith.
"This is easily the best locker room we've had under any of the three head coaches I've played for here," he said.
"Everyone gets along. Everyone pulls for each other. Akiem (Hicks) is a leader who we go to dinner with. Khalil (Mack) has people over for dinners. Patrick and Eddy are my main hangout guys because of what we do, the time and practicing we spend together.
"I think we've all realized that this could be one of the moments in our careers that we have to take advantage of. Sure it's the NFL and a lot of things have to go your way, but none of us are forgetting how things came together last season."
The final word on "The POD Father" comes from Grandpa Mike - age 88 - who watched the New Orleans game on TV at his home in Florida.
"They tried very hard," Mr. Bordino said.
"They'll do better this week.
"And as far as Patrick, my gosh, this is the little tot that I used to take fishing. And now he's out there doing all of that punting in front of all those people.
"He's done everything he ever set his mind to. That's not going to change now."
jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com
Pat O'Donnell
Primer-Plus
Bears punter, No. 16, sixth season
6-4, 217 pounds
In truth: Irish-Italian (Bordino)
Build: Long, lean and ballet-bar limber
Demeanor: Affable, kind and patient
Some offstage keys: Yoga, Pilates, constant stretching regimen
Mild hint of: Prime-time Jim Carrey
Pastimes: Golf, fishing, prep for February wedding
Marrying: Shelby Etter, once a grad school mate at the University of Miami (Fla.)
Golf chums include: Mitch Trubisky, Chase Daniel, Patrick Scales
Says absolute key to a good punt is: The drop
Rep as: One of the fittest men in the NFL
A smart interviewer would: Hand him topic cards and just let him talk
Great YouTube videos via: "patrick o'donnell chicago bears"
Best might be: "Pat O'Donnell - Undercover Reporter"
Football afterlife should include: Some type of video-tainment