The Chuck Norris Of Punters?
The Eagles next acquisition? An Australian-rules spearhead renowned for punting towering torpedos that land 60 meters down the pitch. That's good.
"Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!" was the caption on an email from Eagles blogger Khalil Abboud, forwarding a link to the Scrapple Plus Iggs site that bore unlikely news.
The Eagles, the blog claimed, have just signed Australian rules footballer Saverio Rocca to a three-year-deal. He's a 33-year-old punter who is the subject of a YouTube tribute that might make a fan of the booming spiral weep.
The Scrapple Plus Iggs post, from Thursday, links an Australian television interview with Rocca, who tells the down-under audience that he's heading to the states in March, and that it's not guaranteed that he gets to stay more than one day unless he performs.
So, two questions.
Is it true?
What does it matter?
First the true part. The Eagles transactions wire says nothing, but a phone call to Derek Boyko, who oversees player and coaching media relations, confirms there's an agreement.
"He's agreed to a contract with us," Boyko said. "But until it's official, we can't make an announcement. We expect it to be."
Ok, the why it matters part.
Here's Scrapple Plus Iggs:
My winter sports teams are a combined 21-59-4 and have an outlook about as promising as Darfur. One of them just paid its best player 38 million to go away, the other's best player can't find comfortable shoes. My summer sports team is still a month from practice. The most promising Philadelphia athlete in competition right now is probably El Wingador. So I need Eagles news. I need to know the one Philadelphia team that has been consistenly promising the last 7 years is doing something. I need hope, and today that hope is Saverio Rocca.
The Australian television report describes the veteran footballer as someone "renowned for his booming kick." His Wikipedia entry says he made his name on long "torpedo kicks," which sound like spirals to me. He's a big boy - he was a shot put champion when he was younger - and he started to make crowds gasp when his punts landed more than 60 meters (66 yards) downfield.
According to his page at the Kangaroos football club, he's a little over 6-feet-4 and 240 pounds, if my metric conversion is right. Probably weighs more in pads, which I don't know if he's ever worn. My guess is he can tackle, too.
Nevermind his abilities, let's talk about those shorts. Yowza.
mom! apparently he is very good at the drop-punt, so a weak snap shouldn't be too much of a problem
well some creative thinking - wonderful - now maybe a big running back and some linebackers to stop the run and another cover guy....
I'm with Citizen Mom -- is that a thong? There goes my appetite for lunch ...
Never used his size to advantage - "built like tarzan plays like Jane"
tell us more, mick? you watch him play?
Is he better than Dan Graham? (Jets punter)
I think AR is trying to kill two birds with one stone; power running back and new punter. Exciting stuff.
That is the most boring highlight film I have ever seen in my life. Ever.
I'd definitely put him up against that Giants fatboy Lorenzen. Man, was he ginormous...
I just checked his wikipedia page and under "gridiron career" it says he just signed a 3-year deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Guess someone doesn't know their football from their futbol. And apparently their confusing him with David Beckham.
Did anyone run this past Donovan's Mom? I hope the Eagles wouldn't make a personnel move, especially one of this magnitude, without consulting Wilma first.
Interesting to see real footballers from the AFL using the NFL as their retirement sport
The punter is one of the most important and unappreciated guys on the team. That said, am I the only who thinks it's kind of funnny that right after surrendering the season with a last minute punt Andy's first order of business is to go get another punter?
Well, he's good, but he's no Barry F'in Hall. Barry F'in Hall would skip the punt half the time and just run your ass right over for a first down, so he would.
this guy is a massive kick, probably a bigger kick in Aussie Rules then Jets punter Ben Graham. With months of non-stop practice Graham impressed enough to be given the punters spot at the Jets, so I guess big Sav has a realistic chance as well. The thing I want to see is coaches who have ex-Aussie Rules players as punters, use them on hail mary plays and see them jump over packs of players to take catches.
Saverio Rocca was my favorite Collingwood player growing up (well obviously until he went off the boil for a few seasons and was delisted and picked up by the kangaroos), he won the best and fairest in 1993 for the best player at our club. He is a monster kick and used to have a fair bit of pace he is probably too slow to play most positions in NFL. that youtube video is also of his younger brother Anthony (the slimmer one with #23, sav wore #36 for pies and #26 for Kangas) who may also have an NFL career when he retires, both big boys and huge kicks. there is far more skill to kicking a ball in an afl match than punting in an NFL match. you have to kick it many different ways in many different positions. as you see in the first highlight he had to kick it around his shoulder off one step after dodging a player. i dont think that camera work really showed how hard that kick would be, it is a very tight angle and aboout 45 metres out.
just to add to that most key forwards in the afl would make good tight ends. they are big and explosive and more importantly can catch the ball.