This week I have been in sunny San Diego, California working out with
Michael Husted to sharpen my kicking skills as a free agent kicker. Michael played 9 years professionally with 4 teams including the Tampa Bay Buccanneers & Oakland Raiders. I went to San Diego to see where I stood as a kicker and to pick up some things as a coach.
I have gotten to know Michael over the past few years and I have been very impressed with his knowledge of the game and the atmosphere he creates with his kicking specialists. I spent this past week working out with some of the top available kickers that haven't been signed to NFL teams yet and stacked up very well.
One of the toughest parts of being a free agent kicker is being away from the team environment. I spend many hours each week keeping up my kicking skills, but nothing can replicate competition and pressure. These different factors have inspired me to make some adjustments in my style as a
kicking coach in Tennessee. I have some exciting new things to offer my current kicking clients.
Coach Husted has told me several times that I have the ability to be an NFL kicker, but the big hurdle is getting the opportunity. The difference between a kicker hoping for a dream and being in the NFL is so small. The same goes for a successful high school kicker and a kicker who receives a scholarship. You can't do it all on your own! Coaches are there for a reason and I certainly benefited from this experience.
I recommended that a client of mine,
MTSU kicker Alan Gendreau, come out to San Diego and work with Coach Husted. Alan was a 4 year starter at MTSU and the all time leading scorer for the Sun Belt Conference, but I explained to him that he can't rest on his laurels. There are lots of good kickers out there that want an NFL job and only 4 to 5 new jobs each season. It is important to get your name out there and compete and there is no one better at that than Michael Husted.
Another bonus of being out in San Diego was meeting former
Chargers punter Darren Bennett. Darren was the first Aussie Rules punter to make it in the NFL and he paved the way for punters like Ben Graham, Sav Rocca, and Matt McBriar. It was an honor meeting him and he even held for all the kickers on Saturday's kicking session. He also demonstrated the Aussie Drop Punt, which is a deadly weapon for punters to use inside the 20 yard line.
I have had a great time being out here working with top kickers and I am excited to bring some new ideas back to my kicking clients in Tennessee. I believe that you are either getting better or getting worse and I feel that this weekend was great for my development as a kicker and a coach!
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