When it comes to punting in the NFL, there's a new trend that is giving many Australian footballers the opportunity to showcase their talent. In recent years, Darren Bennett (Chargers), Matt McBriar (Cowboys), Ben Graham (Cardinals), Chris Bryan (Buccaneers) and Sav Rocca (Eagles) have all suited up on Sundays and showed they can not only compete, but dominate. With a wide variety of kicks, Aussie footballers are also making their way to the USA by way of college scholarships, with the ultimate goal of having a shot to play in the NFL.
During my recent trip to Australia, I had the opportunity to work with coaches Nathan Chapman and John Smith from ProKickAustralia (www.prokickaustralia.com). Since 2006, Nate and John have been training Aussie footballers to make the transition and land scholarships in Division 1A schools(Tom Hornsey (Memphis), Alex Kinal (Wake Forest)). We also have three studs that are in the process of solidifying scholarships in P Christian Eldred, P Sam Irwin and P/PK Marcus Kinsella...... ( D1 Coaches - For inquiries of availability/eligiubility, please contact Nathan Chapman at nathan@prokickaustralia.com
ProKickAustralia has been training AFL veterans in order to land a roster spot in the NFL. P Chris Bryan, who played 6 games for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season, is a player who really stood out as a 'game ready' punter that can hold for FG/PAT placements as well. His tall frame (6'5") and sound form give him the ability to create excellent leg speed with minimal effort. Others names to look out for in the NFL in 2011 are P/PK David Lonie (California), P Josh Bartel and P Scott Crough
As you can see in the video clip below, Chris takes nice short steps, maintains proper posture/body angle, floats the drop and snaps his leg up and through the impact zone effortlessly. The slight lean backwards after impact has since been corrected. During May/June/July, I will be working with Chris at my Michigan facility in preparation for the his upcoming 2011 NFL season.
