Could punter Damon Greaves be the difference?
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Hence the golf analogy. A lot more than just grip it and rip it. Golfer with a complete game beats the pants off driving range hero.
My son says the XP and FG swing of the leg is exactly the same as a golf swing...
The most important thing isn't distance, it's net yards. I doubt we would pick him up, if all he can do is kick line drives and I'm sure he will make a big difference. But getting some people in the program who know about special teams (Snyder) is going to be just as big as Greaves punting.
Oy, oy, oy, Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! How ya goin Mate? Good on ya Mate. Let’s go find some Sheila’s. I’m going to piss me boots.
Ah, just like home
Once they see how all the coeds react to their accents, I am sure the “homesickness” will not be an issue.
I use to host Ausies a lot and they soon learned that just talking to American women, was like fishing with dynamite.
Having watched some Aussie football, he will likely be very good at directional punting. He is pretty accurate punting the ball to teammates like we would pass in American football.
Not only do I think you are right about him not being afraid of getting hit, if the return man has "just the punter" to beat on a return, Damon can make a tackle. Pretty athletic all the way around.
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Is ProKick Australia so good because they’re exceptional at teaching these guys? Or are they exceptional at identifying talent? Hopefully both.
I think the biggest transition is getting the motion down. You gotta start your kicking movement before the ball is even in your hand or every punt will get blocked. Much different than having the ball already in hand before you even start your kicking motion. I’d imagine they work heavily on that seeing how these none of these prokick guys have had issues with blocks.
I think the biggest transition is getting the motion down. You gotta start your kicking movement before the ball is even in your hand or every punt will get blocked. Much different than having the ball already in hand before you even start your kicking motion. I’d imagine they work heavily on that seeing how these none of these prokick guys have had issues with blocks.
It's not about getting hit, its dudes diving to block the punt.
Although. As a former AFL player he will probably be kicking on the run outside of the pocket. That seems to be normal for those guys.
They probably do a nice job of teaching them punting skills, but it is similar to soccer players being recruited as FG kickers. Janikowski at FSU had major pro soccer offers in Poland, but wanted to play American football.
They are not turning average dudes in to great punters, they are finding professional athletes playing Aussie football that have a great natural skill set for American football punting. They are simply cherry picking great athletes in their country.
If you watch his videos, he gets hit regularly while kicking and is he pretty good at getting away a solid kick during contact. He knows how to avoid defenders.
What I meant was, all punters have to make that adjustment.
Punting in high school you have more time. You can catch the punt then go through your punting motion. In college due to the athletes, you have less time. So the snap, catch, and punt are all one motion. It’s not easy to get that down. Regardless of the size of the guys flying at you, it’s as much about the time. I know I did some punting in hs and tried to work on a smooth kicking motion to get the punt off quicker, and it wasn’t easy. I definitely lost some leg focusing too much non the catch and timing. But with good instruction and a lot of practice, most of these guys will get it down. Regardless of where they’re coming from.
I do actually think that his experience in rugby will make him less nervous with big guys gunning for him. Most aussies I’ve met are pretty tough.
For anyone who scoffs at this thread, they need only to look at the difference which Colquitt made for the Chiefs.
He was part of a team effort of course. When he was taken in the third when everyone shook their heads, but his pick made an immediate impact on the special teams play and became a Pro Bowler. This will be fun to watch!
He was part of a team effort of course. When he was taken in the third when everyone shook their heads, but his pick made an immediate impact on the special teams play and became a Pro Bowler. This will be fun to watch!
This is "low hanging fruit". I think Vernon was far worse than his stats showed (which were bad). It seemed he hit his worse kicks when we needed him the most, and was especially bad into the wind. Sometimes you really thought it might be better going for it on 4th and 10 then trotting him out there.
I think the new punter, plus brining in Snyder will combine to make special teams the biggest improvement area for this team.
I think the new punter, plus brining in Snyder will combine to make special teams the biggest improvement area for this team.
