Aug. 21, 2009
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5 Things Archive: Long Snapping | Training Table
1. You can hear the footsteps coming. The first things you hear are the footsteps, people breathing and the shoulder pads. I can tell you one thing, before the play even starts, you can hear the gunners talking.
2. Don’t let it bounce. One of the hardest things as a returner is when the ball bounces. It is that one bad bounce that makes it so difficult. If you get a good bounce, you definitely can pick it up. You get some of those balls that look like they are bouncing to you and then it heads another direction on you. You have to be careful about running up too quickly, and you have to let it get a good bounce. If you get a good bounce, you can definitely get a good return.
3. Peter isn’t just a name. If it is a bad rugby kick, we can go get it, but on most rugby kicks, they try to kick so that they pin you in on one side. For the most part we do a Peter call, which tells everyone to get away from the ball. When you say Peter, everyone on the team knows to get away from the ball and let the other team pick it up.
4. Nothing like seeing open field ahead. It is like telling a little kid they are going to Disney World. It is the best thing ever when you see a lane and it is wide open with your team’s jerseys on the inside blocking everyone off. The only thing is that the punter is back there waiting for you and you don’t know what he is going to do. You just never let the kicker or the punter take you down. I’d get chewed out. That is one thing they teach you.
5. Watch ball, watch man. You have to find a good balance because if you get caught looking up the whole time, you will have that one person coming down and he will just be waiting on you. I kind of spend equal time looking at the ball as I do watching the field. Once I figure that I have a clear lane, I just go ahead and watch the ball in. I definitely go by yardage when I determine whether to catch it. If the nearest person is 15 to 20 yards back, I’m catching it. If the nearest person is coming and he is within 10 yards, I have a judgment call to make.
Ryan Schulz / VUcommodores.com
