Kicking Connection News

Long Earns Freshman All-America Honors

True freshman punter Rob Long is an honorable mention 2007 Sporting News Freshman All-American.

     Syracuse true freshman Rob Long (Downingtown, Pa.) is a 2007 Sporting News Honorable Mention Freshman All-American. The most recent honor for the Orange punter recognizes his outstanding performance in 2007, when he averaged 41.9 yards per punt, which ranks 32nd nationally,  including third-best among all freshmen, and second in the BIG EAST. Long was also named to the 2007 All-BIG EAST Second Team and to the 2007 Rivals.com BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.

 

     Long finished third on Syracuse’s season punting yards list (3,139) and on the season punting attempts list (75). Twenty-one of his punts landed inside the 20. Against South Florida, Long matched the longest punt in school history with a 73-yarder in the second quarter. He tied Sean Reali, who kicked a 73-yarder against Clemson in the 1996 Gator Bowl, for the record.

Carney agrees to Ravens deal!

http://www.baltimoreravens.com/Team/PlayerBio.aspx?id=10292

Date: 05-05-2007 - Ravens Rookie Camp morning practice.
Jennifer Hinkle
Special teamers P Brendan Carney (2) and K James Wilhoit
BaltimoreRavens.com

By TED SILARY

silaryt@phillynews.com

OK, so the NFL draft itself did not go so well for Brendan Carney. The immediate aftermath certainly did.

Within 5 minutes of being passed over, Carney, a standout punter/kickoff specialist for Syracuse University by way of Malvern Prep, agreed to free-agent terms with the Baltimore Ravens.

The 6-5, 203-pound Carney is Syracuse's all-time leader in punts (265) and yardage (11,279) and his average (42.4) ranks second. His norm for 179 career kickoffs was 64.4.

"The kickoff thing is definitely a plus in trying to make a team," Carney said. "Baltimore carries three guys for punting, kicking and kickoffs, so I'll have a chance to compete for two jobs."

Carney said he and his agents received strong Minnesota vibrations before the draft, and that he'd even allowed himself to feel confident about being picked in the seventh and final round.

"As the time got close, Minnesota disappeared. They did us wrong," Carney said. "They didn't call me and they wouldn't answer my agents' calls. They had us hanging on.

"But I'm pretty close with the Ravens' special teams coach [Frank Gansz Jr.]. He called me in the middle of the seventh round to ask if I'd been drafted yet. He said they had no more picks, but he'd really like to bring me in. I have a good feeling about this."

Carney began to see a big picture after his sophomore year.

"People kept telling me, 'Hey, man, you might be able to make a career of this,' " he said. "I made sure to buckle down and focus, and now I have a chance." *

Downingtown West Punter Rob Long signing his national letter of intent to attend Syracuse University

In the photo are seated from left to right, Kicking coach Jeff Dinnocenti, Rob Long, Mother Mary Jo Long. Back row left to right Athletic Director Ken Sigle, Principal John Nodecker, Coach Michael Milano and Father Bob Long.

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Joe Buckley Sails Away - signs with the Naval Academy!

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Updated 11-28-2006 - courtesy of syracuse athletics (suathletics.com) and Lehigh Football(Lehighsports.com)

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Orange Seniors Prepare For Final Game

Carney and Fields Honored by BIG EAST

Orange Football Scores "Touchdowns for Turkeys"

Sophomore Jason Leo was named the Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Year.

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Updated 11-06-2006 - Courtesy of the Daily Local (DailyLocal.com)

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Getting a kick out of kicking
By: DAVE ZEITLIN Staff Writer
11/05/2006

"I enjoy your articles," a man named Jeff Dinnocenti wrote me back in February. "Didn't you say that for your New Year's Resolutions you wanted to learn how to kick a soccer ball? I have a better challenge for you. How about learning to kick a football? Let me know what you think as I can teach you."

Intrigued, and a little puzzled, I looked Dinnocenti up on the Internet and found that he is something of a kicking guru in Chester County.

A former assistant coach at Malvern Prep, Dinnocenti was the special teams instructor at Lehigh as well a private tutor to some of the top kickers in the county.

OK, this could work, I thought. So I responded to the e-mail, explaining that kicking a soccer ball was in fact not something I had written in my New Year's wish list column -- I played soccer most of my life -- but that I'd still like to take him up on his interesting offer.

Finally, after months of back-and-forths, we settled on a time and place to meet for my lesson. Thanks to the kindness of Downingtown West head coach Mike Milano, Dinnocenti was able to book Kottmeyer Stadium four Sundays ago.

Perfect, I thought. We've got the turf, the fans, the lights, the players in pads spilling blood and sweat all over the field.
Like I said, we've got the turf. And I was rarin' to go.

*

I rise at the crack of 9 a.m. -- which is kind of like a person with a normal job waking up at 6 a.m. -- anxious to step into the world of high school football, a sport I have covered and admired for years.

I read a little of the classic book "Friday Night Lights" to get me in high school football mode but quickly realize the connection between packed stadiums under the lights in West Texas and empty stadiums under no lights in Chester County is, well, non-existent.

Instead, I decide to look up some quotes from the Jim Carry comedy, "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" -- a flick that's best remembered, at least in my mind, for the greatest fictitious kicker of all-time, Ray Finkle.

Einhorn is Finkle! Finkle is Einhorn! Einhorn is a man!

OK, now I'm ready.

Inspired by Downingtown West running back Roshaan McCain's public admission that he belts out songs by the pop band "The Fray" before games, I decide to blast a little Q-102 on my drive to Kottmeyer. Sadly, though, the tunes of Nick Lachey and Christina Aguilera do little to pump me up.

I arrive at the parking lot moments before Dinnocenti. "Are you ready to work?" he asks as he pulls into a space next to me. "Absolutely," I respond, but begin to doubt myself when I struggle to find my car keys. (Turns out, they're in my pocket. Of course they are).

Outside the stadium, I meet the kicking gang. There to assist me in my quest are three of the best high school kickers in Chester County: Joe Buckley of Malvern Prep, Rob Long of Downingtown West and Nick DeLuca of Conestoga. Downingtown West long-snapper Mike Beam and holder Pete Hamill are also there, as are a couple of parents, a video man, Daily Local News photographer Kim Dietrich and my editor, Joe Whalen. It's quite a crowd.

After Milano lets us into the stadium, I make my grand entrance onto the field, sprinting out as my name is bellowed over the loudspeaker. Actually, my left foot starts to hurt as I step gingerly onto the turf.
I tell Dinnocenti that I'm ready to try some 65-yarders, but instead we stretch. That works, too, I guess.

"I don't hear any cracks yet," he says to me in the midst of neck, quad, hamstring, ankle, calf, groin and spleen stretches. I mutter something, but really I'm just trying not to fall over.

As the stretching drags on, Coach Jeff, as the players call him, engages his students in a little small talk. Long boasts that he made a tackle last week, which is kind of like a pitcher hitting a home run, or a hockey goon scoring a goal.

"Was it a good one?" I ask.

"Not really."

More stretches, more kicking talk, more stretches -- is this ever going to end? Finally, Buckley has the courage to say, "This is by far the longest stretch session ever."

My quads agree.

After the marathon, we jog to the back of the end zone to start some drills. The first exercise is called a one-step drill, the idea being take one step forward and drive the ball into the side of the upright.

I realize I have a better chance of uncovering gold under the turf, but I try anyway.

You know Adam Vinatieri's 45-yarder in the snow against the Oakland Raiders in the 2001 playoffs, often considered one of the greatest kicks of all-time? My first kick is kind of like that, only the exact opposite.

With the balance of a circus clown walking along a railroad track, I flail at the ball as it sputters meekly in front of the tee.

After some advice from Jeff -- "I have to drive the soccer out of you," he keeps telling me -- I manage a few solid kicks, although the ball doesn't exactly travel very far and has a weird little topspin to it.

My partner for the drill, Long, a senior who recently boomed a 70-yard punt, jokes that I kick better than he does. But he proceeds to drill two in a row off the upright.
Show-off.

For the next drill, I'm paired with Buckley, and thankfully we're now allowed to take three steps before our kicks. But for some reason, I take an awkward stutter step on my first attempt at a running start.

"A lot of people do that," Buckley tells me.

"Is that bad?" I ask.

"It's not good."

Oh.

The Malvern kicker then boots his first try over the far fence and tells me he once made a 60-yard field goal in practice. I realize I might want to take his advice.

After the impossible upright-hitting drill, it's time for the main event, what I came here for, why I actually set my alarm on a Sunday morning: field goal kicking, baby.

With Beam snapping and Hamill holding, it feels just like a live game situation. Well, minus the 11 dudes trying to steamroll you.

To spice things up a bit, Dinnocenti decides that we should kick from the hash. "This is what separates the men from the boys," he says.

Ready to prove my manhood, I attempt a 30-yarder from the right hash, getting all my might into the ball. ... And it's short. Short! I avoid telling anyone I actually played soccer.

Embarrassed but undeterred, I try again, this time from the left hash. And it's good! Now I'm thinking of trying out for a team, maybe a semi-pro squad or something. How's the salary in NFL Europe?

But just as I'm ready to sign a contract, I'm sufficiently humbled again.

My 40-yard attempt misses badly.

My punts seem to go reasonably far, but Jeff tells me, "Remember, it's measured from the line of scrimmage," as raindrops fall on my parade. And my on-side kick attempts are good, but that's only because I'm trying to kick touchbacks.

Mercifully, after two full hours, the session ends. My legs feel like jelly.

"Take some asprin," Jeff calls to me as I walk out of the stadium feeling muscles I never knew I had starting to spasm.

I like that advice best of all.

*

On my drive back to the office, I begin to think of ideas for this column. Specifically, I try to figure out what I learned from my expedition into the world of high school kickers.

And here's what I'll say, in the nicest way possible: Not a whole lot.

That's because I already knew the importance of a kicker to a football game. Just ask the Eagles how they feel about Matt Bryant.

And I've covered enough high school and college games to undertand just how difficult it is to kick a football through the uprights on a consistent basis.

Here, however, is what I will say I learned, more than anything else: Buckley, Long and DeLuca are not only three of the best kickers in the county but also some of the nicest and most down-to-earth athletes I've ever been around.

If there's any justice in the world, Buckley and Long both will earn Division I scholarships this year. And if they're coached by Jeff, then he must be doing a whole lot right, too.

As for me, I learned that making the switch from soccer to placekicking is not as easy as some people might think.
But then, the former athlete in me likes to dream big. So when I return to the office, aching but still brimming with excitement, I immediately google three words: Football kicking phenoms. The first entry that appears is a fantasy football site. I check my fantasy team, and it's winning.

My excitement shifts. Hmm, I wonder, perhaps there's a fantasy football clinic I can attend?

To contact staff writer Dave Zeitlin, send an e-mail to dzeitlin@dailylocal.com.

©Daily Local News 2006

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Updated 9-22-2006 - courtesy of syracuse athletics (suathletics.com)

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Countdown to Kickoff: Special Teams

Countdown To Kickoff

Position Previews: Special Teams

Senior Brendan Carney returns to handle the punting and kickoff duties for the Orange in 2006. Carney was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection in 2005 after ranking 24th nationally and first in the conference in punting average (42.6). He also set single season records for punts 982) and most punting yardage (3,491). He enters the season second at Syracuse all-time in punting average (42.8), and third in most punts (199) and punting yardage (8,513). Carney also handled kickoffs for the Orange in 2005, averaging 62 yards a kick.

Last season, the Orange attempted to use a three man kicking unit, using a different kicker for extra points and long and short field goals. Ricky Krautman handled the extra point duties the entire year, connecting on 17 of 18 kicks. After the second game of the season, John Barker took over all of the field goal duties and went 8-12 on the season. Patrick Shadle missed his one attempt of the season, a 39-yarder against Buffalo.

This season, the Orange will stay away from the three man rotation and let one kicker handle all of the field goal duties. While it hasn’t been decided yet who that kicker will be, the plan is to have either Barker or Shadle kick all of the field goals and most likely the extra points as well. Head coach Greg Robinson has said that a decision will not be made until the week before the Wake Forest game.

Although the Orange had only one special teams touchdown in 2005, which came off a blocked punt, a number of players saw action in the return game. Sophomore running backs Curtis Brinkley and Kareem Jones each returned 17 kickoffs as freshmen. Jones gained 398 yards and had a long of 52, while Brinkley gained 354 yards with a long of 35. Sophomore safety Bruce Williams also returned five kickoffs for 109 yards. Williams was more of a force on the punt return side, ranking second on the team with nine returns for 87 yards. Senior safety Joe Fields, who played quarterback for the Orange the past two seasons and was touted for his running ability, has also had some work in the return game during training camp.

Placekicker
42 Patrick Shadle (5-8, 203, So.) PAT
6 John Barker (5-8, 148, So.) FG

Punter
47 Brendan Carney (6-5, 205, Sr.) Punts, KO

Long Snapper
72 Ian Hammond (6-3, 308, Jr.)
84 Brandon Darlington (6-4, 260, Sr.)

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Updated 9-22-2006 - courtesy of syracuse athletics (suathletics.com)

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Orange Football Elects 2006 Captains

The Orange football team has elected four seniors as captains for the upcoming season. Quarterback Perry Patterson, linebackers Kelvin Smith and Jerry Mackey and punter Brendan Carney were selected by a vote of the team.

Orange head coach Greg Robinson released the news on his weekly radio show Wednesday night. He said Patterson and Carney were nearly unanimous selections for offensive and special teams captains, respectively. While voting was close between the linebackers, they collectively commanded some 90 percent of the ballots, Robinson said.

"I've been doing this for four years so I think a lot of the guys respect me in that way," Carney said. "On and off the field, I try to stay around the guys and get to know them and I think they appreciate that."

"Brendan doesn't (speak up) a lot," Robinson said. "But when he does, people listen."

Carney, a three-time all-BIG EAST performer, set a school record with 82 punts last year. He averaged 42.6 yards per punt and achieved a touchback on a third of his kickoffs in 2005.

Patterson enters the season as the clear number one quarterback for the first time in his career. Mackey returns to the regular lineup after leading the team in tackles in 2004 and working as a reserve last year. Smith, last year's leading tackler, has started 34 of the 35 games he's seen in an Orange uniform.

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Updated 9-12-2006 - courtesy of syracuse athletics (suathletics.com)

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Carney Named to Ray Guy Award Watch List

Brendan Carney is one of 31 student-athletes listed on the Ray Guy Award Watch List

Syracuse University senior punter Brendan Carney is listed as a 2006 Ray Guy Award candidate. The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to the nation’s top punter. Carney was voted as a captain by his teammates before the season began, becoming the first Syracuse punter to earn the honor since 1964 when Rich King, who shared the punting job and was also a reserve tailback, was elected. He currently ranks 10th in the nation and leads the BIG EAST Conference with a 44.8 punting average.

During his career, Carney has totaled 214 punts for 9,185 yards. Both numbers rank third in school history. His career punting average of 42.9 is the second-highest total by a SU punter. Carney is the second-tallest punter in Division I-A. Michigan State’s Brandon Field, who is 6’6”, is one inch taller than Carney.

Carney is one of 31 student-athletes listed on the Ray Guy Award watch list, which will be narrowed to ten semi-finalists in early-November. The national voting body will then vote for the top three finalists who will be announced at the end of November. The winner will be announced live on ESPN during the Home Depot College Football Awards show, which will take place in Orlando, Florida on December 7, 2006.

The winner is determined by a national selection committee made up of sports writers, college football coaches, sports information directors, former punters and members designated by the Greater Augusta Sports Council. Among the statistics used to identify the winner are total yardage punted, number of times a punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponents 20-yard line, net average, average returned yardage, and percentage of punts not returned. In addition, the winner will also display team leadership, self-discipline and to have a positive impact on the team’s success.

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Only perfect practice ensures perfect performance!