Punting isnt too different than some AFL kicking. The most used AFL kick is the drop punt, where the ball is held with hands equal on both sides, and the laces facing up. The ball is held pointing downwards and kicked near the bottom, creating the backwards spin, and making it accurate. Another kick is called the torpedo, which is what Benny is now using. Its similar to punting, where the ball is held on an angle, and kicked closer to the middle. The ball usually spirals. Its used less often in the AFL, but Benny did to it a few times. Place kicking is done in both types of Rugby, but never in football
Disagree totally. Not that he can or can not do it (I have no idea), but that the quote says he can or will try.. It says neither.
the thread title is just the poster's opinion, saying Graham "could" kickoff, meaning it's a possibility. maybe the connection is that since he was new to football and learned punting quickly that he "could" learn to kickoff too. can i nominate Jetsin2004 for the Most Smug Poster award? cheers
The voting is a popularity contest. There is no real truth to it. I'm hardly the most knowledgeable poster (mezz and Jabba are in my mind). I know this, the current leader is the LEAST knowledgable on that list (not on the board he knows some things, but of the people on that list... not even close) If you guys think I'm smug, what am I going to do about it. You guys should read some of your own posts.
It doesn't seem like kicking off should be something hard to learn how to do. But I know nothing about being a kicker/punter, so I guess if they thought he could do it he would have tried already.
Like I said in the post used for voting, I'd agree 100%... I'm quite annoying and know it. At least I can admit it.
Punters are generally more athletic and more powerful that place kickers. A lot of these guys are good atheletes as well. And some, dare I say it, might have just as much power as our man from down under! That said, just how many accross the NFL handle their respective teams Kickoff duties??? I cant name any. If it was as simple as having a strong leg, the number of guys who do both would be significant.
I never says they are going to see if he can kick off. I do not have any reason to suspect that there will be an experiment.
Honestly I think he could learn how to do it but even though the Tony Meola publicity stunt failed I think the Jets were onto something there. If anybody has ever seen a goal kick in soccer ithe technique isn't all that different than a kickoff. Granted the ball is quite different but I think most goalies in soccer who boot a larger ball about 50-60 yards on avg. w/o a tee could likely boot a football pretty far. A few Aussie Rules guys have trickled into the NFL and I don't think it's far off that soccer players from South America or Europe trickle into the NFL. Any soccer fan certainly knows who Jose Luis Chilavert is, the guy might have the strongest leg I have ever seen, ridiculous......
That's how soccer-style kicking became the standard in the NFL. Up to the late 60, kickers kicked straight ahead. Then foreign soccer players started getting into the league with the soccer-style kicking technique. There are still a few here and there (like Morten Andersen). this led to home-grown kickers learning soccer-style. Bobby Howfield, who kicked for the Jets from 1971 to like 1974, is British.
