I'd say average is around 45 YARDS.
The leading punter was Lecher from Oakland who averaged 49.1 yards. most averaged around 43-44. that converts to around 40m.
Patto being chased by NFL.
- Thread starter Pumba
- Start date
I'd say average is around 45 YARDS.
The leading punter was Lecher from Oakland who averaged 49.1 yards. most averaged around 43-44. that converts to around 40m.
Ehh
THE Newcastle Knights' boom young forward Cory Paterson has been identified by Australian NFL talent scouts as a potential punt kicking star in the lucrative world of American football.
Paterson can place kick the ball 70m on the fly and make a spiral bomb come down with frost on it.
Spotted showcasing his kicking talents in a Newcastle trial against Cessnock last month, Paterson was approached by Ozpunt NFL talent scout agency to film a highlights reel for screening in the US.
Taped at EnergyAustralia Stadium a fortnight ago, the footage will be sent to the Denver Broncos and New York Jets for analysis.
"My Dad taught me when I was real young so I've kicked all my life, I like having a kick,'' Paterson said.
"I played a bit of AFL mucking around at school and stuff so that might have helped. But I never played competition, I always played league.
"I'd have to weigh up the options if the NFL thing goes further. I'm contracted to the Knights until the end of next season. If it comes off I'd obviously have a look at it.
"They were just watching me do some kick-offs one day and then I just got a phone call off them.''
The NFL talent scout who spotted Paterson, Ozpunt's Paul Shepherd, rates the Newcastle forward as "a cut above'' American football standard.
Shepherd predicted the NFL would soon become inundated with Australian punt kickers due to the wealth of talent here.
"Cory's definitely got what it takes to cut it in the NFL - he's kicking above NFL standard at the moment but his technique just needs some work,'' Shepherd said.
"Australians are the flavour of the month over there right now. I don't see why of the 32 clubs that are in the States we can't have 80 per cent of the kickers being Australians over the coming years.
"We've even had some of the coaches say to us 'the way you guys kick and punt is going to change the way we coach people to kick in the NFL'.''
Australian punters in the US are big business, with Dallas Cowboys superstar Mat McBriar, regarded as the best in the NFL, on $2million a year.
Retired AFL player Darren Bennett pioneered Australian punt kickers in the NFL, establishing himself as a star for the San Diego Chargers throughout the 1990s.
Other retired AFL stars who have made it in the US market include Ben Graham, who signed a $6million six-year contract with the New York Jets in May 2006, and Sav Rocca, brother of Collingwood star Anthony Rocca.
Born in Western Australia before moving around because his father was in the army, Paterson can place kick the ball further than any other Knights player.
Testing done by Oztag revealed his "hang time'' with an NFL ball was the equal of other punt kickers in the US. But his only drop kick in an NRL match wasn't exactly out of the Nathan Cayless play book.
As Channel Nine commentator Ray Warren called it last Friday night against the Eels: "Well, he's pulled out the sand wedge instead of the seven iron.''
Paterson's reply? "I should have got the driver out.''
Paterson the Punter
knights4premiers
Uate
I'd Like to See him take a penalty kick from 50-60 meters out.
If were up by 7+ with 30 seconds left he should have a go.
knights4premiers
Uate
How Would That Be A 60 Meter Penalty Goal To Win The Gf.
U23
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Reminds me a bit of Joeys against Melbourne on the stroke of full time. 50m out and straight over the black dot.
Why Are You Writing In Capitals
Every Single Word.
____
That would be the most nerve wracking thing like ever!
His beefed up alright Pato.
~knights1~
Ben Kennedy
knight-no-7
Moderator
Hopefully we dont loose him... Would be devastating. Now we know why he's been taking the kick offs.
i heard an interview with Sav rocca with him saying that their is hardly any interaction between the NFL players outside of training and matches, if that is true it would be a very lonely time for any new aussie getting started in the league
~knights1~
Ben Kennedy
pato came over from perth as a 15 yr old and stayed with the mullen family...he didn't know anyone here.
But does now :icon_lol:
Athough that would have been hard to adpt to, you would imagine that it would be easier to adapt to the newcastle move becuase of the Mateship culture at the knights, as opposed to what Sav rocca was saying about the NFL clubs
TippleNickler
Banned
*yawn* boring! The Draft is boring, just tell me the end result lol. I am a Pats fan.
As for Pato, in an RLW interview last year pato says that he never wants to suit up in another teams colours etc and that he wants to be a knight for life. I guess the Patriots fit into that nicely with the colours lol but I hope he sticks to the Knights!
Hey, I've never watched the draft before, but I do know it goes for a while. I've always just checked the outcome on NFL.com when it's finished, but I'd be interested to watch it live at least once, just to see how it is.
Oh, and the Patriots are cheaters and chokers. :tongue:
TippleNickler
Banned
Yeah, I saw that too, but NFL players actually do hang out and chill with each other off the field. I'm not sure about Rocca, and maybe it's just him as a person, but the kicker from the Steelers is a huge partier and clubber, and I know for a fact that he goes out with other Steelers players. Maybe some teams are different, and just don't have that chemistry or friendship or whatever, but I know some teams are pretty close and go out in groups to party and stuff.
It all might depend on if the guys sociable and outgoing on stuff, because I know a lot of guys over their think they're king **** and have pretty big personalities, and maybe the quiet guys or the guys that aren't well respected or whatever just don't fit in. Remember, an NFL roster carries 53 players. Some offence, some defence, and some special teams, and the offence only really works with the offence, and the defence only really works with the defence and you get the point. In the NFL aswell, it has a heap of black blokes, and over their, a lot of those black blokes have their homies and stuff who they're loyal to and who they've grew up with, and maybe some of their homies just don't mix with some of their teammates aswell, which might be a reason why some guys to hang out off the field. I dunno. Maybe Rocca's just a loser aswell, and that could be it, and since he doesn't hang with the boys, he doesn't want it to seem like he's left out or a loser or whatever, so he just said no body really hangs out with anyone in the NFL.
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