DMN: Sam Paulescu ready as new punter

[garyv]

Sam Paulescu ready as new punter
1:13 PM Wed, Oct 15, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Brian Davis E-mail News tips
Sam Paulescu said he saw what happened to Mat McBriar in Sunday's game against Arizona and immediately felt bad for the Pro Bowl punter.

McBriar's pain is Paulescu's gain, though. Paulescu worked out for the Cowboys on Tuesday and was signed to the 53-man roster.

"In my heart, he's one of the top two guys in the league," Paulescu said. "You just don't want to see that happen. At the same time, I was ready. The organization knows me. I was here last year in training camp. I even told [special teams coach Bruce] Read if you need a guy or something happens, you can call me and I'll be ready."

Paulescu worked out for the Saints and Vikings during this summer and said, "I just stayed ready for teams to call if I had some more workouts." Paulescu said he's spent the downtime working for his fiancee's brother, who manages a fitness club in the Portland suburbs.
(Dallas Morning News photo by Vernon Bryant)

 

[Boysboy]

Sam Paulescu ready as new punter
1:13 PM Wed, Oct 15, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Brian Davis E-mail News tips
Sam Paulescu said he saw what happened to Mat McBriar in Sunday's game against Arizona and immediately felt bad for the Pro Bowl punter.

McBriar's pain is Paulescu's gain, though. Paulescu worked out for the Cowboys on Tuesday and was signed to the 53-man roster.

"In my heart, he's one of the top two guys in the league," Paulescu said. "You just don't want to see that happen. At the same time, I was ready. The organization knows me. I was here last year in training camp. I even told [special teams coach Bruce] Read if you need a guy or something happens, you can call me and I'll be ready."

Paulescu worked out for the Saints and Vikings during this summer and said, "I just stayed ready for teams to call if I had some more workouts." Paulescu said he's spent the downtime working for his fiancee's brother, who manages a fitness club in the Portland suburbs.
(Dallas Morning News photo by Vernon Bryant)

He's likely no McBriar, but nonetheless I'm confident he will do a very good job.

"You're only as good as your backups"-I think this applies here too.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

I have confidence he'll do a good job. But we all know he won't be able to do quite as good as McBriar would.

 

[Beast_from_East]

How hard can it be to freaking punt???

It is not like a QB and you have to learn a 500 page playbook and audibles and stuff. I know McBriar is the best in the league, but we are talking what, maybe 10 more yards max on a punt???

I think we will be ok at punter.

 

[LowTech]

Adam had listed the available stats on this guy. They were not bad at all.

 

[Carl23]

How hard can it be to freaking punt???

It is not like a QB and you have to learn a 500 page playbook and audibles and stuff. I know McBriar is the best in the league, but we are talking what, maybe 10 more yards max on a punt???

What an idiotic question.

Can you punt?

The only thing your post tells me is that you cannot. It's very hard to get CONSISTENT punts. Why is that important?

Because your coverage teams need to arrive at the right place at the right time. If your average punt is 40 yards and you alternate between 50-yard punts and 30-yard punts that are spread from sideline to sideline, you are going to be in trouble. Add in the fact that some punters have a much higher arch, longer time to release...and things like that and you have a recipe for disaster.

The new guy that we just picked up seemed erratic this preseason for all of the reasons mentioned above.

 

[djtavo]

How hard can it be to freaking punt???

It is not like a QB and you have to learn a 500 page playbook and audibles and stuff. I know McBriar is the best in the league, but we are talking what, maybe 10 more yards max on a punt???

I think we will be ok at punter.

I would love to see u punt.

 

[onetrickpony]

The new guy that we just picked up seemed erratic this preseason for all of the reasons mentioned above.

I like McBriar but he seems to be good for one shank a game so far this season. Consistancy has not been his strong point this year.

Yeah, he can boom a 60 yarder sometimes but too many times when we are really in a position to need a great punt, that is when he shanks it out of bounds for 25 yards. I would gladly trade the 60 yarders for a few less 25 yarders.

The new guy may not be any more consistant and he probably won't be hitting those big ones McBriar hits but we can hope that his best kicks come when we need them the most.

 

[Boysboy]

I like McBriar but he seems to be good for one shank a game so far this season. Consistancy has not been his strong point this year.

Yeah, he can boom a 60 yarder sometimes but too many times when we are really in a position to need a great punt, that is when he shanks it out of bounds for 25 yards. I would gladly trade the 60 yarders for a few less 25 yarders.

The new guy may not be any more consistant and he probably won't be hitting those big ones McBriar hits but we can hope that his best kicks come when we need them the most.

One of McBriar's strengths is that when we're in enemy territory and have to punt, more times than not, he's able to pin it somewhere inside the 20(or even near the goalline) INSTEAD of into the endzone for a touchback.

Now punters that can do THIS are pretty gifted in my book. And doing this is huge b/c field position means EVERYTHING.

Not sure if our new punter can do this effectively though, but I hope so.

 

[AbeBeta]

How hard can it be to freaking punt???

Apparently very - look around the league - over and over teams are cutting guys and bringing new ones in b/c they can't find someone who can do the job well on a consistent basis.

 

[bratchek]

I got the pleasure of watching Sam in college many times and he is a fine punter and I'm sure will do a great job. Mcbriar was the best and I dont expect Sam to live up to that but I don't think he will be any kind of liability.

 

[AbeBeta]

I got the pleasure of watching Sam in college many times and he is a fine punter and I'm sure will do a great job. Mcbriar was the best and I dont expect Sam to live up to that but I don't think he will be any kind of liability.

I don't doubt he played well in college.

But we need to be realistic. A guy who was on the street so long when punters across the league were getting the axe has a very small likelihood of performing at a high level in the NFL.

 

[Boysboy]

I don't doubt he played well in college.

But we need to be realistic. A guy who was on the street so long when punters across the league were getting the axe has a very small likelihood of performing at a high level in the NFL.

Who knows? Remember in '06 when Gramatica was on the street for a long while before we picked him up at the end...he hit some 90% of his FGs(including a 50 yarder in the playoffs).

Pt being Sam could very well surprise us and do a very good job. Like I said above, what I will most miss about McBriar is his abilities to pin punts deep near the goallines w/o going into the endzone.

 

[AbeBeta]

Who knows? Remember in '06 when Gramatica was on the street for a long while before we picked him up at the end...he hit some 90% of his FGs(including a 50 yarder in the playoffs).

Pt being Sam could very well surprise us and do a very good job. Like I said above, what I will most miss about McBriar is his abilities to pin punts deep near the goallines w/o going into the endzone.

This isn't about "who knows" it is about what you can probablistically expect

Gramatica is a poor example as he a) had a history of solid NFL level performances and b) was widely reported to have finally recovered from an injury which had limited his effectiveness.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

I like the kid, he'll be fine.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

just be consistant young man.....and don't cost us a game.