Post by elp525 on Aug 5, 2009 5:10:05 GMT -5
Wednesday August 5, 2009
by Jason Martin
For the Daily Mail
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - In his first three months in Indianapolis, former West Virginia University kicker and punter Pat McAfee has heard almost every variation of every Mike Vanderjagt joke imaginable.
Given McAfee's oversized personality, it wasn't hard for Colts' fans and media to imagine another quotable WVU kicker to make special teams more entertaining.
Vanderjagt's career included not only his success as the franchise's all-time scoring leader, but also booze-fueled arguments with the franchise quarterback and a playoff field goal shank for the ages against Pittsburgh that led to his release after the 2005 season.
However, the McAfee version 2.0 that has reported to Indy's training camp as a rookie seventh-round draft pick wants to be more than another Mountaineer-turned-Hoosier punch line.
His blond, coiffed hair is shaved away in a buzz cut.
He's relatively quiet on the practice field, and understandably cowed by his kicking mate, 14-year veteran and four-time Super Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri, who replaced Vanderjagt on the Indianapolis roster.
And he's deferential even to no-name veteran teammates, offering effusive apologies when he accidentally stepped in the way of the armada of speeding golf carts that ferry the Colts from their locker room to the practice fields.
McAfee is still self-effacing and articulate in front of a camera or voice recorder, but he's also cognizant of his rookie role on the perennial-playoff Colts and acutely aware of the shadow that Vanderjagt has left behind.
"I've heard all the stories, but it's going well, and I'm kind of taking everything in stride," he said. "I'm not a guy who really ever gets nervous, so I'm just trying to do my own thing."
By using a draft pick on a punter, the Colts have made quite a commitment to McAfee. The last time they drafted one was 1999, when they took Hunter Smith out of Notre Dame. He held the position for the past decade before leaving in the off-season for Washington through free agency.
"Pat's a guy that is very versatile; he's been able to do a number of different things in his career," first-year Indianapolis Coach Jim Caldwell said. "We want to give him an opportunity to fight for that job as our punter."
Gone for the foreseeable future is McAfee's role as a place-kicker, which propelled him to WVU records for points scored and games played.
With the Colts, he will focus primarily on punting, and even that chore will be different.
The Mountaineers used a rugby-style, rollout spread punt formation for better coverage strategy. The Colts, like all NFL teams, use the more conventional method of: snap, three steps, and kick it as far and straight as possible.
"I actually prefer the traditional way more than rugby punt," McAfee said. "It's nice to get back there and tee off on some balls in the regular, traditional style."
In his first training camp practice Monday, McAfee was booming sharp, long, high-hanging spirals.
The only other punter on the Indianapolis roster is rookie free agent Tim Masthay of Kentucky, whose kicks wobbled end over end more often than not during the same drills.
"I was happy to get started, and excited and anxious to get out there," McAfee said. "It's my first camp so I didn't know what to expect, but the first practice went well and I was just trying to knock the rust off a little bit."
McAfee also is adjusting to using his hands more. He is expected to replace Smith not only as the Colts' punter, but also the holder on extra points and field goal attempts.
McAfee said he occasionally held for his backups at WVU, but has no live game experience with the new task. Fortunately, he has a couple of experienced tutors. In addition to Vinatieri, Indy's long snapper is Justin Snow, a 10-year veteran.
"You have a 10-year veteran and a 14-year veteran and then me right there in the middle," McAfee said. "So, I'm surrounded by experience and definitely trying to learn as much as I can from both of them.
"Basically it's a lot more than you think it is, but it's a pretty simple thing: just practice, practice, practice. You just have to put the ball on the ground how Adam wants it."
McAfee's equipment addition for holding may be the most outspoken aspect of his rookie season. He's wearing a gray glove on his left hand - not as some sort of Michael Jackson tribute, but to help him steady the snaps.
"I've never worn a glove in my life before, but it's helping me handle the ball a little better," he said. "It's not that I was having a problem before, but any little thing that helps I'll definitely take part of. You might as well use everything you've got."
Along with the single glove, there's one more indicator that, while subdued, the same old Morgantown McAfee might eventually emerge as the Vanderjagt comparison everybody expects, at least in the positive aspects.
He's chosen jersey No. 1.
The number makes a statement without saying a word, which is just another in a list of new adjustments for McAfee.
by Jason Martin
For the Daily Mail
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - In his first three months in Indianapolis, former West Virginia University kicker and punter Pat McAfee has heard almost every variation of every Mike Vanderjagt joke imaginable.
Given McAfee's oversized personality, it wasn't hard for Colts' fans and media to imagine another quotable WVU kicker to make special teams more entertaining.
Vanderjagt's career included not only his success as the franchise's all-time scoring leader, but also booze-fueled arguments with the franchise quarterback and a playoff field goal shank for the ages against Pittsburgh that led to his release after the 2005 season.
However, the McAfee version 2.0 that has reported to Indy's training camp as a rookie seventh-round draft pick wants to be more than another Mountaineer-turned-Hoosier punch line.
His blond, coiffed hair is shaved away in a buzz cut.
He's relatively quiet on the practice field, and understandably cowed by his kicking mate, 14-year veteran and four-time Super Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri, who replaced Vanderjagt on the Indianapolis roster.
And he's deferential even to no-name veteran teammates, offering effusive apologies when he accidentally stepped in the way of the armada of speeding golf carts that ferry the Colts from their locker room to the practice fields.
McAfee is still self-effacing and articulate in front of a camera or voice recorder, but he's also cognizant of his rookie role on the perennial-playoff Colts and acutely aware of the shadow that Vanderjagt has left behind.
"I've heard all the stories, but it's going well, and I'm kind of taking everything in stride," he said. "I'm not a guy who really ever gets nervous, so I'm just trying to do my own thing."
By using a draft pick on a punter, the Colts have made quite a commitment to McAfee. The last time they drafted one was 1999, when they took Hunter Smith out of Notre Dame. He held the position for the past decade before leaving in the off-season for Washington through free agency.
"Pat's a guy that is very versatile; he's been able to do a number of different things in his career," first-year Indianapolis Coach Jim Caldwell said. "We want to give him an opportunity to fight for that job as our punter."
Gone for the foreseeable future is McAfee's role as a place-kicker, which propelled him to WVU records for points scored and games played.
With the Colts, he will focus primarily on punting, and even that chore will be different.
The Mountaineers used a rugby-style, rollout spread punt formation for better coverage strategy. The Colts, like all NFL teams, use the more conventional method of: snap, three steps, and kick it as far and straight as possible.
"I actually prefer the traditional way more than rugby punt," McAfee said. "It's nice to get back there and tee off on some balls in the regular, traditional style."
In his first training camp practice Monday, McAfee was booming sharp, long, high-hanging spirals.
The only other punter on the Indianapolis roster is rookie free agent Tim Masthay of Kentucky, whose kicks wobbled end over end more often than not during the same drills.
"I was happy to get started, and excited and anxious to get out there," McAfee said. "It's my first camp so I didn't know what to expect, but the first practice went well and I was just trying to knock the rust off a little bit."
McAfee also is adjusting to using his hands more. He is expected to replace Smith not only as the Colts' punter, but also the holder on extra points and field goal attempts.
McAfee said he occasionally held for his backups at WVU, but has no live game experience with the new task. Fortunately, he has a couple of experienced tutors. In addition to Vinatieri, Indy's long snapper is Justin Snow, a 10-year veteran.
"You have a 10-year veteran and a 14-year veteran and then me right there in the middle," McAfee said. "So, I'm surrounded by experience and definitely trying to learn as much as I can from both of them.
"Basically it's a lot more than you think it is, but it's a pretty simple thing: just practice, practice, practice. You just have to put the ball on the ground how Adam wants it."
McAfee's equipment addition for holding may be the most outspoken aspect of his rookie season. He's wearing a gray glove on his left hand - not as some sort of Michael Jackson tribute, but to help him steady the snaps.
"I've never worn a glove in my life before, but it's helping me handle the ball a little better," he said. "It's not that I was having a problem before, but any little thing that helps I'll definitely take part of. You might as well use everything you've got."
Along with the single glove, there's one more indicator that, while subdued, the same old Morgantown McAfee might eventually emerge as the Vanderjagt comparison everybody expects, at least in the positive aspects.
He's chosen jersey No. 1.
The number makes a statement without saying a word, which is just another in a list of new adjustments for McAfee.
