Just wondering if Aussie Football Ben Graham is getting much coverage in the media over there in NY. He left our game to try out as a punter. Reports in our local paper are saying when he first arrived one of the Jets coaching staff Westhoff suggested he was a long shot at making it, but after several weeks Westhoff is impressed bigtime. Apparently his kicking style is unique and is making it hard for the players to read were the ball is going which makes it difficult for them to catch.......also Ben has never played NFL......

there have been a few articles about him already. Apparently, he can put some different spins on the ball which they say can make it more difficult to catch the punts. Also, they say he can place balls inside the 20 yardline with a rotation that makes the ball hit the ground and bounce back toward the line of scrimmage.

I heard that he joked with that staff asking them if he HAD to put the shoulder pads and the helmet on. Considering the Jets have not had a solid punter in a while I would say this guy has a great shot. It will be interesting to see what he does in a game, 8/12 is his first shot

I heard on the radio that he was kicking the ball a mile in practice.

the next test is to see how he does it against the rush.

you gotta love these aussie punters. i hope he runs down and makes some tackles

a few blips here and there, he seems like he is gonna be a good punter, now I don't know if he will make the team, but anything is better than last year.

He'll kill those punt returners...lol!!!!

Ben averaged 54.7 yards on 3 punts, his first punt was a 56 yarder putting the Lions at the 14. Obviously it is only preseason but this guy is going to be pretty interesting.

punting is punting.....no 1st 2nd 3rd 4th stringers matter....if he can boot, he can boot.

I agree but this guy is interesting to me, he is a big dude (6-4 225) who was a big time Aussie rugby player. They say he really can crush the ball. The Jets have not had much in the way of punting for the last few years so this could help. Of course it is a boring part of the game but when you can unload a 50+ yarder when you are pinned in your end it can be a weapon. There is a 2 man competition, even though he can boom them he still has not played American football before.

im asusming he can tackle...he dbe like an extra defender on kickoffs an dpunts...almost seem slike a no brainer...anyone remember that punter from BYU that just motherfucked people?

i can't wait to see him tackle someone

I can't wait for the line he gives the first guy who tries to take him out.


"that what's ya get.....MATE!"

One of the sports shows over here ran a story on how Ben was doing and they showed footage of him at the training camp and several fans commenting on him. One thing that seems to be mistaken over there in the States is that they believed he played Aussie Rugby, which is right of the mark....He played AFL or Australian Rules Football. Rugby an Aussie rules are 2 completly different games and have nothing in common.
They also said that he is averaging better than the currenet Jets punter and seem to do pretty well in a recent practice match.

was this guy a really good player in the AFL or what?

if so, i wonder why he can't play a real position.

This reminds me of this thread:

http://www.theskyiscrape.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9055

He was one of the best in our side. This year we have struggled without him. The only problem with him was that he should of been alot more phsically tough for his size, he really needed some mungrel in him to make him an awesome player. He would of had about 2 years left in AFL if he played on, most player last to about 32-34 years old. So I guess he left thinking it was time for him to try out in the states. I guess just punting the ball a couple times a match and the pay you get for it very attractive. Also we have heard that at the training camp rather than standing back watching the guys practice the defensive and offensive plays he asked if he could be apart of that and try out, which I guess is a positive thing for him.

Benett(former AFL player) got wrecked last night during the Jets game. He tried to take on a punt returner and he got manhandled. The speed in the NFL is truly first class and i don't think the detractors from Australia realize this. These guys are world class sprinters and they are big enough to play football. Australian football is without a doubt a ballsy sport but if you stuck any of those dudes in the NFL the speed/power combination would probably blow their minds.

Yeah for sure, the average size of your NFL dudes are huge and with the speed behind em it would be devastating, and even though they wear all those pads, that hit so damm fricken hard. Most AFL players weight around 80kg mark and are generally lean, due to the fact that they run up to the distance of a marathon during the 2hr+ match. Its seems that the average NFL dude would probally be around 40kgs heavier to double that weight of an AFL player.

Reading todays paper down here in Oz and its says that The Jets have signed Graham.................Good on him........hopefully he can kick some ass and sees some success with the Jets!!!

yeah looks like hes gonna be the punter