http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport...1167777280965.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 Thrill of the punt Jordan Chong January 6, 2007 Mat McBriar Photo: Getty Images DURING the 1990s, Luc Longley won three NBA championship rings with the Chicago Bulls and Graeme Lloyd pitched in two World Series-winning teams with Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. Add to that Lauren Jackson and Tully Bevilaqua's Women's National Basketball Association title with Seattle Storm in 2004, and it's clear Australians have made their presence felt on US sporting fields. But the National Football League has proved more elusive for Australians, with former AFL player Darren Bennett's three play-off games the closest an Australian has come to the Super Bowl. This weekend, two Victorians with thumping kicks begin their quest to scale America's biggest sporting stage. Punters Mat McBriar from the Dallas Cowboys and Ben Graham from the New York Jets will represent not only their clubs, but their country, when the play-offs kick off tomorrow (Melbourne time). While the 33-year-old Graham made the move after an AFL career with Geelong, McBriar's path to the NFL was via Brighton Grammar and the University of Hawaii. McBriar, in his third year at Dallas, has taken his game to a new level and is the NFL's No. 1 punter this season with a gross average of 48.2 yards a punt, earning Pro Bowl selection. Former Dallas player Charlie Waters, now an analyst on the Cowboys radio network, says 27-year-old McBriar has matured into a phenomenal punter, and that one of McBriar's most impressive qualities is his strength and ability to take, and dish out, the physical stuff. "Kickers are goofy as hell. Punters ? can be goofy, too, but Mat's not one of those goofy guys because he's Australian and they know that there's a toughness there. He's a real physical man," Waters said from Dallas this week. "That's another reason why the players on our team like him an awful lot because they know he's a tough guy. That goes a long way." McBriar said it was important to have a breakout year now to ensure he remained an NFL punter, whether at Dallas, where he loves playing, or elsewhere. "I had to make a mark this year. The more experience you get, the more expensive you get, and if you're not really separating yourself from the pack, teams are going to look to replace you with a less expensive guy," McBriar said. "I feel like I've been a lot more consistent and that was a huge thing for me." The Cowboys were riding high four weeks ago, sitting on top of their division and eyeing off a first-round bye in the play-offs, but had a disastrous December in which they lost three out of their final four games. But McBriar said the Cowboys still had a good shot at the title and the team was "as optimistic as we can be" about its match against Seattle tomorrow (Melbourne time). Waters was more hopeful than optimistic. "Can I really convince myself that this team is capable of catching fire again and getting on a run? There's a lot of dismal thinking because of how the December went.". It's a different story in New York. In the pre-season, pundits thought the Jets, who won only four games last season, were rubbish and tipped them to finish bottom of their division. But under new coach Eric Mangini (dubbed "Mangenious" by Jets fans) the "Gang Green" won 10 games, including the past three, to earn a surprise play-off berth. Mangini and Graham go back further than the current coach-player relationship. A student at Wesleyan University in the 1990s, Mangini came to Melbourne to study and while here, coached the Kew Colts to back-to-back titles. "He got to know the AFL and the players and the game. He looked at certain types of players that may be able to make the transition (to the NFL)," Graham explained from New York yesterday. "I met with him in 1997. I've had that relationship with him for almost 10 years, so when I came over here to work out after I officially retired from the AFL, I went to see him directly when he was (assistant coach) with the New England Patriots." Graham, the NFL's 12th best in terms of gross yards, admits to still being a little green and a bit raw as a punter, but is delighted with his improved numbers this season. The Jets will battle New England on Monday morning (Melbourne time) and ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth says Graham's special teams unit needs to play well for them to have a chance. "Special teams will play huge for the Jets because that game in New England ? with weather issues and two fairly matched teams ? can be a field-position game," Schlereth said via email yesterday. "You really want your punter to be able to pin the other team down deep, and that will be important to the Jets." The Jets and Cowboys play in separate conferences so will meet only if both advance to the Super Bowl in Miami on February 5.
Nah man... I get it.... A guy I graduated high school with played a few years in the NFL... He was a scrub but in my old town he could be elected dictator...the funny thing was he tried to catch on with the Jets and Herm cut him on the final day... I never liked him anyway... total douche
Actually, the majority of us Jets fans love the Aussie fans! Ben Graham is a god among punters.:smile:
