Friday, October 10, 1997
Trio of specialists make up backbone of kicking game
FOOTBALL: Trio of specialists make up backbone of kicking
game
By Brent Boyd
Daily Bruin Staff
Anybody notice Chris Rubio, Mark Weisman or Joey Strycula
lately?
Probably not, and this Bruin trio of specialists wouldn’t want
it any other way.
Not that they haven’t done well. Rather, they have done a
near-perfect job, and therein lies the "problem."
The chores that these players – and their counterparts on
football teams nationwide – thanklessly perform every game go
largely unnoticed, even though these specialists are the hidden
backbone of the ever-important kicking game.
"It’s kind of like housecleaning," Rubio, the veteran of this
faceless Bruin corps said of their tasks. "You never notice it
until it’s not done and nobody thinks it’s important until somebody
messes up."
On every field goal attempt, Rubio snaps the ball to Strycula,
who holds it in place to be kicked, while Weisman is responsible
for long snapping and blocking on all punts.
Just consider them punter/place-kicker Chris Sailer’s right-hand
– or dare we say, right foot – men.
"People look at Sailer and say he’s made 9-of-10 field goals,
and it’s a great accomplishment," Bob Field, assistant coach in
charge of special teams, said. "But without a great snapper and a
great holder … he would be the first to tell you that it all
starts with a good snap and a good hold."
They are specialists in every sense of the word. Although
Strycula plays in the defensive backfield and on kickoff coverages
occasionally, Rubio and Weisman do nothing else on the field but
snap – Rubio for field goals, Weisman for punts.
"It’s kind of a lost art," Field said. "Every year we are
searching our incoming players for guys who can snap – either the
short snap for field goals or the long snap for punts.
Surprisingly, it’s really hard to find people who can do that."
In fact, in a practice that is quite common throughout
collegiate football, Rubio was recruited to UCLA solely because of
his long-snapping ability and was given a scholarship immediately
after earning a starting position two seasons ago.
Weisman, however, who walked on to the team after playing rugby
his freshman year, ended up with his position by default –
self-admittedly his own.
"When I walked on, there wasn’t really a position for me," he
said. "I was too small for linebacker and too slow for DB, so I
tried snapping the ball."
But, don’t think for one moment that he just walked out on
Spaulding Field one day and began long snapping like a pro.
Rather, it is a long and painstaking process to learn the
how-to’s of long snapping – like how to put the correct spin of
velocity on the ball, while at the same time staring at the punter
through his legs upside down.
It took about a year and half, under the tutelage of Rubio and
former Bruin Chris Andersen for the perfect snap to come.
On a punt, the ball must be hiked 15 yards to Sailer, and must
be placed on his right hip or at his chest – and with a punter who
stands at only 5-foot, 10-inches tall, the task is even more
difficult.
"It’s kind of hard to snap with (Sailer) punting because he’s so
short," Rubio, who snapped for punts the past two seasons, said.
"So, it’s got to be a line drive."
And the process doesn’t end there. Weisman must block for about
two seconds, then head downfield zeroing in on the punt
returner.
"I have guys shooting gaps between me and the guards and I have
to move and block them, then try and get the guy with the ball,"
Weisman said.
Whatever the difficulties one encounters in the punting game,
they pale in comparison to those involved in the field goal and
extra point- attempts.
A task that is usually taken for granted and overshadowed by the
kick itself, the snap and hold for field goals requires a
mind-boggling degree of precision and timeliness.
The whole process – from hike to ball placement to kick – is
supposed to take 1.31 seconds … no more, no less. Even a slight
delay could throw off Sailer’s timing.
"That’s the optimal time we’re looking for," Field said. "And if
we’re off by four or five hundredths of a second there’s a good
chance that the kick will be blocked. The operation time between
the snapper, the holder and the kicker is absolutely critical."
Sailer agrees.
"Timing is 90 percent of the field goal everytime," he said.
"Having a good snapper and holder and having rhythm is really
key."
Just as critical as the timing is the position of the ball when
it arrives to Strycula, the holder.
"I have to get in a rhythm where (Strycula) gets the ball where
the laces are facing away from the kicker – so when he gets it, he
doesn’t have to turn the ball," Rubio said.
If the laces are faced in the wrong direction when the ball
arrives in Strycula’s outstretched hands, he must spin the ball so
the laces are faced in the correct direction – costing valuable
time and risking a slip-up that could cost a ball game.
Since the laces are the heaviest part of the football, any
direction that the laces point other than straight ahead and it
will either curve or fall short.
"It took about a year to figure that one out," Rubio said. "It’s
all about hand placement and speed. It’s just like throwing a ball,
but upside down.
"It’s a position where it’s hard to learn how to do it, but once
you learn it, it’s easy – it’s a lot like riding a bike. The thing
is a lot of guys just don’t want to learn how to do it."
Why not?
It’s all about what happens after the kick.
"A lot of people didn’t want to do it before because you just
got cremated," Rubio continued. "You’d have your head between your
legs and the defense would just run you over after the snap."
However, a rule was passed last season, where defenders had to
wait at least one second before hitting the snapper. So, instead of
getting pummeled after the snap, Rubio makes himself useful.
"I just try to take as much space up as possible," he said. "I’m
basically just a big wall."
So far, Rubio, Weisman and Strycula have been about as
consistent as a solid brick wall. Thus far, there have been 10
field goal tries, 28 extra point attempts and 24 punts – and
amongst all those chances at failure, there has been only one
miscue – a mishandled snap on an extra point in the season
opener.
"I really see those guys as the unsung heroes of our kicking
game because they’re expected to do a good job," Field said.
Unsung and unnoticed. Life couldn’t get any better for
specialists.