The Arizona Cardinals signed four players, including kicker/punter Ricky Schmitt, who has Prokicker.com connections. Schmitt, who is 6-2 and 217 pounds, has only attempted a few kicks in the league with the 49ers. He's spent much of his time in the league on practice squads on Pittsburgh and Oakland.

St. Louis Post Dispatch

Rams special teams coordinator John Fassel piled up some frequent-flyer miles this spring in search of a punter.

The team's interest level in re-signing veteran Donnie Jones ranged somewhere between little and none. (Jones eventually signed with the Houston Texans as a free agent.)

So with the punting job wide open, Fassel worked out no fewer than eight college punters, some on more than one occasion. As the draft wore down and it was time to start working the phones for rookie free agents, the Rams pretty much had an open field.

California's Bryan Anger, the star of this year's punting class, went a surprising No. 70 overall (in the third round) to Jacksonville, making him the highest-drafted punter since Todd Sauerbrun in 1995. The only other punter drafted was Wisconsin's Brad Nortman, who went to Carolina on the final pick of the sixth round.

Several recognizable names remained available as the draft ended, including:

• Georgia's Drew Butler, a former Ray Guy award winner as college football's top punter.

• Florida State's Shawn Powell, who set a school record with a 47.0-yard average last season.

• Brian Stahovich of San Diego State, whom Fassel had worked out in March.

But when the Rams asked Fassel who he wanted, there was no hesitation: Johnny Hekker of Oregon State. And that's who the team signed as a rookie free agent shortly after the draft concluded on April 28.

"The first thing I liked about Johnny was what he put on game film," Fassel said. "He's got a big leg. He's a big, tall, long guy. I think the potential for him is unlimited."

Fassel knows what punting looks like at its highest level because for the last four years in Oakland — three as Raiders special teams coordinator — he has worked with Shane Lechler, one of the best punters in NFL history and a seven-time Pro Bowler.

That sets the bar pretty high for Hekker.

"His really good balls are pretty close to Lechler's good balls," Fassel said. "The difference is, Lechler hits eight of 10 'wow!' — Johnny will hit five out of 10 'wow!'"

It is Fassel's task to help build up Hekker's ratio of "wow" kicks.

"One thing we'll work on with him is his consistency," Fassel said.

Speaking of both Hekker and sixth-round draft pick Greg Zuerlein, a place-kicker from Missouri Western State, Fassel added: "One thing I don't want to do is over-think it and become mechanical about it. Both of them. Because one of their greatest strengths is they're natural and they're smooth. So I don't want them to become a machine."

Hekker played quarterback at Bothell (Wash.) High near Seattle and had a scholarship offer to play that position at Southern Utah. But his heart was set on playing Pacific 10 Conference football (now the Pac-12), and his only chance to do so was as a walk-on punter at Oregon Sate.

He was awarded a scholarship entering his sophomore season with the Beavers, and improved his numbers every year. For the most part those numbers weren't great, certainly not good enough to get noticed by the NFL: a 39.7-yard average in 2008; 40.1 yards in '09; and 41.7 yards in '10.

Hekker saved his best for last, with a 44.0-yard average last season. He had at least one punt of 60 yards-plus in six games in 2011, and established a single-game school record with a 52.5-yard average against Utah.

But he still had some clunkers, including a shanked punt last season against Wisconsin that went for minus-4 yards and was dubbed "Worst Punt Ever" on YouTube.

"I'm working on consistency," Hekker said. "At Oregon State, I just had some bad kicks. Bad kicks have always just kind of plagued me."

His punt for minus-4 yards was rugby style, rolling out to his right before striking the ball. That's a style used in college, because the coverage team gets to leave the line of scrimmage right after the snap. Rolling out gives the coverage unit an extra second or two to get down field.

"A lot of those college teams, they do that rollout rugby punt," Fassel said. "(Hekker) did that about half the time, which meant he never really got to focus on one craft, which is a professional pocket-style punt. ... His rugby days are over."

That's because coverage rules are different in the NFL: you have to wait until the ball is struck before running downfield, so there's no advantage gained by punting rugby style.

Even with his good numbers last season, Hekker didn't get invited to any college all-star games, or the NFL scouting combine.

"I got overlooked in that sense," he said.

But he made the most of his offseason. He trained with kicking guru Mike McCabe in Alabama. He also worked in Arizona at Gary Zauner's specialist combine; Zauner is a long-time college and professional special teams coach. That led to an invitation to an NFL regional combine in New York, kind of a satellite program to the big scouting combine in Indianapolis.

"I tried to make my rounds, get my name out there as best I could," Hekker said.

Fassel worked him out at Oregon State's pro day, and stayed in touch up through the draft.

"I wasn't quite sure of his interest level," Hekker said. "You hear stuff from coaches and you're not really sure which all of it's genuine."

Fassel's interest obviously proved genuine because Hekker basically has been handed the punter's job in St. Louis. It's his to lose.

"I'm just so blessed beyond belief to have this opportunity to work with this team," Hekker said.

By Joesph Person / Charlotte Observer

Kerry Eggers / The Portland Tribune

ROSEBURG — Few people have more reasons to be thankful than Josh Bidwell.

Financially secure after a dozen seasons as an NFL punter. Happily married with three young children. Deep in faith as a Christian. And, at 36, healthy and a dozen years removed from a debilitating bout with cancer.

It’s essential to Bidwell’s spirit, then, that he give back after having gotten so much.

The most public example was Bidwell’s seventh annual Celebrity Golf Classic Friday at Roseburg Country Club.

Together with a Thursday night dinner and auction, Bidwell, a graduate of Douglas High in nearby Winston, raised more than $50,000 for three charities to which he has provided $250,000 since the event’s inception.

This year’s recipients are the Roseburg Community Cancer Center, Young Life and the region’s youth sports programs.

“I’m so thankful to the people who have participated over the years,” Bidwell says. “It’s a massive amount of money in this community, especially in the poor economic times. It says a lot about the community.”

People from all areas of the state, though, took part in this year’s festivities. Among the celebrities on hand were actor Gregory Harrison, former Blazers Jerome Kersey and Darrall Imhoff, bowling’s Marshall Holman, ex-Oregon football coach Mike Bellotti, ex-major leaguer Kory Casto and former and current UO and Oregon State athletes such as Joey Harrington, Wes Mallard, Luke Jackson, Jordan Kent, Dino Philyaw, Alexis Serna, Sean Mannion and Cody Vaz.

Bidwell is one of the really good guys I’ve met in a lot of years in the sports writing business. I’m pretty sure he would be doing some charitable work even without his experience battling cancer.

That experience, though, crystallized Bidwell’s inner drive to spend the rest of his life helping others.

I hadn’t spoken with Bidwell since 2000, when he was in comeback mode after missing his rookie season with Green Bay following a bout with testicular cancer.

Bidwell had won the regular punting job and was preparing for the Packers’ final preseason game in 1999 when he noticed a lump on a testicle.

“I had no idea about testicular cancer,” Bidwell says. “I maybe had heard about Lance Armstrong’s situation, but didn’t know anything about it.”

Bidwell waited a couple of days before consulting one of Green Bay’s team physicians. That night, he was on the operating table for surgery to remove the tumor.

By that time, Bidwell’s girlfriend — now his wife, Bethany — was on a flight from Los Angeles.

“She was finishing training to serve with a church in Costa Rica, to work with orphanages there — a lifelong dream,” Bidwell says. “Her flight to Costa Rica was scheduled the next day. She canceled it and got a flight that night to be with me (in Wisconsin).

“We’ve been married for 12 years, and she hasn’t left my side since.”

They flew to Oregon, where Bidwell met with surgeon Bruce Lowe and Dr. Craig Nichols, the latter the supervisor of Armstrong’s post-surgery treatment at Oregon Health and Science University. The next day, Bidwell underwent surgery to remove 45 cancerous lymph nodes from his midsection. What followed were three months of intensive chemotherapy.

The timing couldn’t have been worse — and not just because he missed his chance to punt for the Packers as a rookie.

Bidwell was no longer on his father’s health insurance plan. In the NFL, a player is guaranteed insurance benefits on the first day of the regular season.

“I was days away from that,” he says, “so I had no insurance.”

Help came from everywhere, notably from teammates made aware of Bidwell’s situation by place-kicker Ryan Longwell, a Bend native and Bidwell’s best friend on the team.

“I didn’t know the players all that well,” Bidwell says. “About a month after the second surgery, Ryan called and said, ‘I went around the locker room and told everybody your story. That you don’t have insurance, you don’t have any money, this is going to cost over $100,000.’ He raised $60,000 just like that."

By Mark Maynard / Prokickernews.com

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. - Throughout Brendan Rowland’s four years of high school, there was only one punting camp he wanted to attend.

Rowland, who graduated from Mater Dei High School in Mission Viejo, Calif., in 2009, said he still “lives and dies” with what he learned at the Ray Guy Prokicker.com camps throughout his high school years. Being around some of the best in the business helped him hone his punting game.

After two years as the punter at Saddleback Community College, where he was one of the league’s best, Rowland visited Conference USA member East Carolina last weekend and signed a scholarship to play for the Pirates. Last year, 22 out of his 55 punts ended up inside the opponent’s 20-yard line with no going into the end zone for a touchback. He averaged 39.9 but mostly because of his penchant for pinning opponents on a short field.

Kirk Doll, who recruits the West Coast area, saw a find in Rowland and directed him to East Carolina. It turned out to be a perfect fit.

“It’s a beautiful part of the country and the town supports it,” Rowland said. “I’m excited to be going to East Carolina. They’ve had some good punters come out of there.”

Rowland (6-foot-2 and 170 pounds) figures to be the top candidate as the No. 1 punter for the Pirates. As a sophomore at Saddleback, he punted 55 times for a 39.7 average with a long of 52 yards. He averaged 42.4 per punt as a freshman when he was named all-conference and all-region.

“This year was an eye-opener for me,” he said. “It’s not always about the average although that’s what a lot of people tend to focus on. I tried to help the team with situational punting.”

Sometimes that meant shorter punts but it backed the opponent closer to the goal line and put the defense in a better position.

Rowland, who now works camps for Prokicker.com, said what he learned in high school has carried with him throughout his career. He said rubbing punting feet with the likes of Ray Guy and Rick Sang only further boosts his confidence. Sang’s passion for teaching punting through his camps especially caught Rowland’s attention.

“When you realize he’s driving around the country every year, you realize his heart’s in it,” Rowland said. “They’re 100 percent for it. It means a lot to me.”

Aside from the fundamentals, Rowland said Prokicker.com camps teach the mental side of punting. They also equip you with the tools to make improvements on your own – an important aspect for punters who sometimes return home to little or no coaching in that aspect.

“They teach you things that are going to stay with you,” he said. “That’s the reason I chose Prokicker – and only Prokicker – all the way through high school.”

Rowland said it’s also not only what the staff teaches campers on the field but also how to carry yourself off the field. Sang’s speech to campers before each session is filled with passion and advice not only to the players but parents.

“His speech is exactly how I was raised but it’s something kids don’t hear a lot at home these days,” Rowland said. “I love that speech. I always tell everybody about it. Everybody needs to hear it.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Top rankings and camp winners from the Ray Guy Prokicker.com camp in Charlotte, N.C., on May 12-13.

No. 1 kicker and kicker/punter combo:Joshua MacClaren, class of 2014, Pennsylvania.

No. 1 punter and punter/kicker:Shea Rodgers, 2015, South Carolina.

No. 1 long-snapper:Conrad Mueller, 2014, North Carolina.

No. 1 kickoff specialist:Rainer Whiteside, 2013, Ohio.

Long Distance Field Goal Winner:Josh MacClaren, 45 yards

Long Distance Kickoff Winner:Rainer Whiteside, 63 yards, 3.63 seconds.
Hang Time Punt Winner:  Taylor Henry, 4.39 seconds.
Out of bounds right winner:  Zac Bolick, 1-yard line.

Out of bounds left winner: Zac Bolick, 1-yard line.

Fastest single snap: Tyler Gibson, .79 sec
Most accurate Snapper:  Conrad Mueller, 20/30

Top Prospects
Tyler Gibson, LS, 2013
Conrad Mueller, LS, 2014
Caleb Fuller, LS, 2013

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After drafting a punter last month, the Panthers added another one Monday, according to the Charlotte Observer.

The Panthers signed veteran punter Nick Harris, who was with Jacksonville last season, to a one-year deal, Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said Monday night.

Harris, 33, will compete with sixth-round pick Brad Nortman, the former Wisconsin punter.

Harris averaged 42.7 yards on 72 punts last year for the Jags, with 13 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. He had recently re-signed with Jacksonville, but was released after the Jags took ex-Cal punter Bryan Anger in the third round.

Harris has averaged 42.5 yards over 11 seasons while punting for three teams.

The Panthers were looking for a punter after releasing Jason Baker in March in a move dictated by the salary cap. Baker, who had been with Carolina since 2005, was due to make $1.55 million this season with a cap figure of nearly $2 million.

Nortman and Anger were the only punters drafted this year.

Harris is a former staff instructor for Ray Guy Prokicker.com kicking camps.

By Mark Maynard / Prokickernews.com

BRADENTON, Fla. – The second Ray Guy Prokicker.com camp of the spring produced some shuffling in the rankings.

Ryan Pandy moved into the top overall spot for kickers on the heels of a strong camp while long-snappers Jeremiah Theus and Stephen Kleier moved to No. 2 and No. 4 in the comprehensive rankings.

Star instruction was also part of the theme for the camp at Manatee High School in Bradenton, Fla. Miami Dolphins punter Brandon Fields was instructing both days and former Lou Groza Award winner Jonathan Ruffin taught as well.

Taylor Long, a former Eastern Kentucky University All-American kicker, and University of Georgia long-snapper Nathan Theus brought teaching expertise to the nearly 40 campers on hand for top-notch instruction.

Fields, who was third in the NFL with a 48.8 punting average, awed campers with some booming punts.

Five campers were identified in the Prokicker.com talent search: kicker Ryan Pandy (class of 2013), long-snapper Stephen Kleier (2013), punter Mac Loudermilk (2014), punter Bryan Kirshe (2014) and long-snapper Jeremy Theus (2015).
 

“Ryan was very polished for his age,” Ruffin said. “He’s pretty talented and further along than most guys his age as far as technique. Most guys that age are pretty raw.”

Ruffin said for Pandy, it’s a matter of gaining game experience and developing confidence.

“Guys who can do it mentally are what separate you on the college level,” he said. “I know if I was a college coach, he’s what I’d be looking for. He doesn’t have the biggest leg I’ve ever seen but he has good technique.”

Pandy was 6-of-10 charting on field goals but his long kickoff was 71 yards. So there’s improvement to be made on the field goals, Ruffin said.

“He’s really good to be a junior,” Long said. “I asked him what grade he was in and I thought he was a junior in college. He’s got such a strong leg and good technique. It’s a rarity I guess you’d say. Ryan is another kid that has a great opportunity in front of him.”

Laudermilk, a punter, impressed Ruffin, too.

“He’s the opposite (of Pandy),” he said. “He’s full of talent but not finished yet. The technique is not quite there yet. But he’s got tons of talent and raw leg strength.”

What makes Prokicker.com camps the best in the business is the professional instruction. Ruffin works about 10 camps a year and several NFL punters who have connections to Prokicker.com appear throughout the summer.

And they don’t just come to sign autographs. The coaching staff works individually and in groups with the campers for a complete learning experience.

It’s important, Ruffin said, to learn how to become your own coach.

“Most high school kids don’t get any coaching on kicking,” he said. “If you do get any (coaching), it’s usually not very good. We pack a lot of information into two days. I had a lot of kids in my group that really showed improvement in just the two days. The kicking specific coaching we give them is such a benefit.”

Unlike other showcase camps that are mostly void of individual instruction, the Prokicker.com camps focus on the fundamentals of kicking, punting and long-snapping. Players come away from the camp experience with lessons that can be taken home.

“My goal is to have them coach themselves,” Ruffin said. “I watch them make a mistake and then ask them ‘What do you do there?’ By the end of the camp, they know what went wrong and how to fix it.”

By having instructors who have played on the biggest stages, campers gain valuable insight from the two-day experience.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Rankings winners from the Ray Guy Prokicker.com camp in the Tampa area on May 5-6.

No.1 kicker and kickoff specialist: Ryan Pandy, class of 2012, Fla.

No. 1 punter: Bryan Kirsche, 2014, Fla.

No. 1 long-snapper: Jeremiah Theus, 2015, Fla.

No. 1 kicker punter combo and punter kickoff combo: Gregory Moss, 2013, Fla.

Long distance field goal winner:  Austin Snowden, 50 yards

Long distance kickoff winner:  Ryan Pandy, 71 yards, 4.07 hang time

Hang time punt winner:  Bryan Kirshe, 48 yards, 4.47 hang time

Out of bounds right winner:  Anthony VonStralendorff, 1-t line

Out of bounds left winner:  Brandon Wilson, 3-yard line

Fastest Snap:  Austin Wilson, .77

Most accurate snapper:  Stephen Kleier (22), Jeremiah Theus, (22)

Talent Search:

Ryan Pandy, K, 2013

Stephen Kleier, LS, 2013

Mac Loudermilk, P, 2014

Bryan Kirshe, P, 2014

Jeremiah Theus, LS, 2015

By TANIA GANGULI / Florida Times Union

Contract talks between the Jaguars and franchise-tagged kicker Josh Scobee are stalled right now.

“On both sides of this equation there are really good people. There are good people on the Jags side. There are good people on Josh’s side,” said Ken Harris, Scobee’s agent. “I have to give Josh a ton of credit. He had me convey invitations to them on three different occasions to sit down, for he and I and their top brass to sit down together and talk, and that hasn’t come to pass.”

The Jaguars placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on Scobee in March, but he hasn’t signed it. The team has said it would like to sign Scobee to a long-term deal and was disappointed it didn’t before the franchising deadline.

“I’m confident that will happen in time,” Jaguars general manager Gene Smith said during the NFL Draft. “We want Josh Scobee here.”

According to a league source familiar with the negotiations, Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski’s contract is part of the reason Scobee’s contract talks have stalled. Janikowski is the highest-paid kicker in the NFL, having signed a four-year deal worth $4 million per year two years ago.

Harris disagreed with that characterization, saying Scobee is not asking for that kind of contract.

“Any claim that Janikowski’s contract is somehow the reason we don’t have a long-term deal yet would be a myth,” Harris said. “Josh’s current proposal used a few appropriate contracts as its basis, not just one. More importantly, his proposed [average per year] wouldn’t even register in the top couple of spots, even though his stats beat both of them last year.”

Janikowski made 89 percent of his field goals, including seven of 10 from 50 yards or longer. Scobee connected on 92 percent of his field goal attempts and made five of six over 50 yards.

Browns kicker Phil Dawson is the second highest-paid kicker in the NFL, having signed a franchise tag worth $3.81 million this year. Franchise tags have to be at least 120 percent of a player’s previous year’s salary cap number.

Dawson made 83 percent of his field goal attempts last season and made seven of eight from 50 yards or longer.

Not signing the tender means Scobee is not under contract. He does not plan to participate in the Jaguars’ offseason programs until he is.

Scobee's field goal percentage ranked third in the NFL last year and was highest in the league among kickers who also do kickoffs. It was his best since making 92.3 percent of his field goals in 2007, the year he signed a five-year contract extension that averaged $2 million per year.

Last season, 62.9 percent of Scobee's kickoffs resulted in touchbacks, 74.1 percent before he suffered a groin strain late in the season.

The Jaguars drafted Scobee in the fifth round of the 2004 draft. Since then he has made field goals longer than 50 yards in all but two seasons. Scobee has made 78.8 percent of his field goals during his career and kicked seven game-winners.

The value of Scobee's franchise tag is a one-year deal worth $2.88 million. That figure is higher than the kicker's franchise tag because Scobee's 2011 salary cap number was $2.4 million.

Players typically do not like being franchised, because it is a one-year deal with little security. Scobee was one of a record 21 players franchised this year, a number that rose because franchise tags became cheaper under the new collective bargaining agreement.

"It's his choice whether he signs it and plays under it," Harris said. "Historically if you look around in recent years it hasn't really boded well to have guys play [under franchise] tenders."