P Jon Ryan Friday: 8 punts, 63.1 ydavg, 4.56 hang time

[motife]

Ryan gets a leg up on Sander
By Rob Demovsky
PackersNews.com

(note from motife : McCarthy in his interview said he'd not watched Ryan punt Friday, but mentioned both he and the reporters noticed the booming sound of the ball exploding off Ryan's foot.)

Jon Ryan, the unknown Canadian who never has played in an NFL game, on Friday had the kind of day that might just win him the punting job with the Green Bay Packers.

Sure, it was only one day in June at an organized team activity workout, but Ryan booted the ball with the kind of power, consistency and hang time that incumbent B.J. Sander never has shown in his two-plus years with the team. With eight punts that averaged 63.1 yards and 4.56 seconds of hang time, Ryan probably took the lead in the race to win the punting job — if he hadn’t done so already.

Ryan, who played two seasons in the CFL before the Packers signed him this offseason, took the first reps on Friday during a special teams period that focused solely on punting. That alone is a sign he had moved ahead of Sander. By comparison, Sander, in the same conditions, kicked seven times and averaged 47.9 yards and 4.05 seconds of hang time.

“He had a good day,” Packers director of pro personnel Reggie McKenzie said of Ryan. “This was a good day for him. B.J.’s had a couple of good days, too.”

Sander, a third-round draft pick in 2004 who struggled late last season before missing the final two games with a fracture in his left (kicking) leg, lacks Ryan’s powerful leg.

Backed up against his end line, with the line of scrimmage at the 2-yard line and a slight wind at his back, Ryan kicked seven times and Sander six. Ryan had kicks that carried in the air distances of 57 yards (with 5.0 seconds of hang time), 58 yards (4.5 seconds), 69 yards (5.2 seconds), 60 yards (4.2 seconds), 62 yards (4.7 seconds), 67 yards (4.8 seconds) and 66 yards (4.6 seconds).

The 24-year-old Ryan didn’t seem surprised when those numbers were read back to him after Friday’s practice.

“If I stay focused back there and don’t try to kill it, that’s when I usually get my good ones,” Ryan said. “I can hit them 55, 65 yards. I’ll take it. … It’s just one of those things I’ve been working on — the hang time — and it’s coming more naturally now. When I was in the CFL, you line-drived it a little more.”

Sander’s six punts went 42 yards (4.3 seconds), 49 yards (4.6 seconds), 45 yards (3.6 seconds), 43 yards (3.6 seconds), 49 yards (4.0 seconds) and 46 yards (4.5 seconds).

The two then each took one punt with the line of scrimmage the 20-yard line. Ryan’s punt went 66 yards in the air with a hang time of 3.5 seconds, while Sander’s went 61 yards with a 3.8-second hang time.

It was easily Ryan’s most consistent day. From the first minicamp through this week’s OTAs, Ryan has shown he has the stronger leg, but Sander hasn’t had as many shanks or miss-hits. But Ryan’s ball-striking was near perfect on Friday. If he can continue to make that kind of contact and keep his get-off time around 1.25 seconds, he’ll probably win the job.

When he came to the Packers, Ryan, who was given a $35,000 signing bonus, was taking about 1.5 seconds to get the ball off from the time he caught it. He said during the OTAs, his kicks had get-off times between 1.24 and 1.32 seconds. Ryan didn’t face a live rush from the defense during the drill.

“He’s got to continue to improve that,” McKenzie said. “That’s something there’s obviously been questions about, but that’s why we’re out here doing this.”

Sander wasn’t in the locker room when reporters were allowed in after Friday’s practice, and special teams coach Mike Stock also was unavailable. Coach Mike McCarthy said he was working with the quarterbacks during the special teams period and didn’t watch the punting. He said he planned to watch the tape later in the day.

Ryan said it’s been a healthy competition between him and Sander, and Ryan chose his words carefully when asked if he thought he had moved ahead of Sander.

“I wouldn’t say (that) necessarily,” Ryan said. “He’s had some great days. I think today I had a fairly good day, but it’s a long haul from here until the season starts. We’re going to have a lot of days and a lot of punting ahead of us. You’re not going to win the job in one day, that’s for sure. I would think that they would hold on to both of us for a while and make one guy get ahead of the other guy and really earn that spot.”

Ryan last season set the CFL’s single-season punting record with a 50.6-yard average. Sander finished 30th in the NFL last season in gross punting average (39.2 yards) and 31st in net average (33.9 yards).

Ryan also might need to prove he’s a competent holder on place kicks. He was a backup holder in the CFL and has spent time after each practice this week working on his technique.

“It’s getting pretty close to where it needs to be,” Ryan said. “I feel a lot more comfortable with it then when I got here.”

[Tarlam!]

The thing is, the guy is only gonna get better and he's putting BJ under enormous pressure. I like it.

[Patler]

I absolutely refuse to get excited about a punter until he kicks in games. Over the years the Packers have had some tremendous legs in camp, their names I've forgotten, but they would routinely get off booming 60 yarders. When the games started, under defensive pressure at full speed, it was shank after shank after shank.

I'm not saying he can't do it, I hope he can, but the speed of the NFL and the demand for hang time has brought down many strong legs in the past. That's why many punters struggle and bounce from team to team early in their careers before finally getting it.

[red]

OMG, WOW

over 5 seconds of hang time, and 67 yard punts. bye bye BJ

just look at his wind up in that picture. see those things sticking out of his legs BJ, those are called muscles. kickers and punters are allowed to try and get those

[Tarlam!]

Patler, I am neither excited nor disappointed. I think it is quite telling that BJ sucks as badly in games as in training camp, and the additional competition will make or break him.

Also, this Canadian guy's leg has been a strength under fire. Of course the CFL is different, but the kid has talent and is improving. Since we have been without a decent punter for two years, we have nothing to lose.

I am FAR more concerned about our replacement in the place kicking game.

[Patler]

Patler, I am neither excited nor disappointed. I think it is quite telling that BJ sucks as badly in games as in training camp, and the additional competition will make or break him.

Also, this Canadian guy's leg has been a strength under fire. Of course the CFL is different, but the kid has talent and is improving. Since we have been without a decent punter for two years, we have nothing to lose.

I am FAR more concerned about our replacement in the place kicking game.

Tarlam, I didn't mean to direct my comment at you, it was just a general one on my part.

I will wait for two reasons that were discussed in an article about 6 weeks ago that I have lost track of. The first and most significant part had two scouts that were named from teams very interested in him. Both said his leg strength was very, very exciting, but they said he needed to take a full half-second off his get off time. One made the comment that it would probably take him a year to do that in game situations, and you might have to be willing to accept a few blocked punts from him his first year if you go with him as your punter.

The second issue was the hang time versus distance issue. It got into more detail than I cared to try and figure out at the time (I was tired, didn't bookmark it, and now can't find it!). Anyway, it explained from a coverage perspective how a 45 yarder with a 4.6 (or whatever) hangtime is better than a 60 yarder at 5.1. Your coverage can't cover those 15 yards in an extra half-scond. The 45 yarder is a fair catch or short return, the 60 yarder lets the return man get a head of steam and maybe go all the way.

[KYPack]

This is great.

Let's get rid of Sanders,
The U71,
David Martin,
& every other reminder of past experiments that didn't work worth shit.

[motife]

This is great.

Let's get rid of Sanders,
The U71,
David Martin,
& every other reminder of past experiments that didn't work worth shit.

[motife]

Anyway, it explained from a coverage perspective how a 45 yarder with a 4.6 (or whatever) hangtime is better than a 60 yarder at 5.1. Your coverage can't cover those 15 yards in an extra half-scond. The 45 yarder is a fair catch or short return, the 60 yarder lets the return man get a head of steam and maybe go all the way.

Most punt returners line up about 45 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Unless they line up 65 yards back expecting a 60 yard punt, they're going to be running backwards when the 60 yard punt comes, while rubber necking trying to find the ball in the air and not being positioned to make the catch. I doubt any punt returner could get a head of steam in that scenario.

If they do lineup 65 yards back expecting the 60 yard punt, and it's not 60 yards, then that's poor special teams playing watching the ball land at 45 yards and just rolling another 15 with the punt coverage team gathered round it.

Jon Ryan's major problem is inconsistency and his get off time. It has taken him way too long to punt and he had a big number of blocks in the CFL. With that reputation, you know he's going to be mercilessly tested in the regular season. A punt block is rare, but is almost always a disaster game losing event.

[Scott Campbell]

I expected this kind of distance, as that is the rep he brought with him from the Great White North. But I didn't expect him to shorten up his delivery this quickly. The shortened delivery might explain some of the shanks, and you'd expect him to get more and more comfortable with the new delivery by the time the season starts. Hopefully that'll result in less shanks.

This guy also had the reputation of being able to kick directionally as well. That, and his distance should put a lot of pressure on return men.

[Scott Campbell]

Anybody know if he can kick off?

[Tarlam!]

Anybody know if he can kick off?

I have always had an issue with the fact that the same guy can't do both, but heck, I am from a far away land.....

[BF4MVP]

full half-second

Hey, this kinda looks like something Yogi Berra would say..

Ninety percent of the game is half mental..

[red]

I expected this kind of distance, as that is the rep he brought with him from the Great White North. But I didn't expect him to shorten up his delivery this quickly. The shortened delivery might explain some of the shanks, and you'd expect him to get more and more comfortable with the new delivery by the time the season starts. Hopefully that'll result in less shanks.

This guy also had the reputation of being able to kick directionally as well. That, and his distance should put a lot of pressure on return men.

i agree that him having to shorten his time probably has a lot to do with the shanks

i don't agree with whoever said bj is doing better in the shank department. from what i've read it looks like BJ hasd shanked a whole hell of a lot this offseason. who would you rather have? a guy that shanks a lot and gets his best punts 40 yards down field. or the guy that shanks every once in awhile and his shorest kicks go over 40 yards with his longs pushing 65 to 70 yards.

this race isn't even close in my mind

as for the kickoffs, hell he can punt the ball further then our last kicker could kick off

and he did do the kicking in college

[GoPackGo]

.::.

see those things sticking out of his legs BJ, those are called muscles. kickers and punters are allowed to try and get those

post of the year