World Footy News

Philadelphia's Daily News ran their front page article on Saverio Rocca's attempt to become the Philadelphia Eagles punter in 2007. The front page pictured Sav holding an NFL ball and a USFooty ball. Rocca is trying to displace current punter Dirk Johnson. The Eagles are also looking for Rocca to take over holding duties, much as Ben Graham does for the New York Jets. Rocca is currently listed as 50-50 to get the spot but has done well with his hang-time clocked at 5.4 seconds which is well above the required 4.5 seconds. Rocca follows in the footsteps of Darren Bennett and Ben Graham. Mat McBriar the All-Star punter for the Dallas Cowboys is also Australian although McBriar never played in the AFL.

Saturday's practice was something of a "Home Run Derby" with Johnson and Rocca having excellent days. Eagles' Dave Spardo gave the day to Rocca. "The ball explodes off his foot. Johnson was good, and it is clear that he has added some leg since last year. Johnson is healthy and he is opening up. But Rocca unleashes rockets. He had a couple of 60-plus-yard punts with incredible hang time. He showed some good directional skills. Considering that Rocca had never even worn a football helmet before Sunday, he made a very good first impression."

Rocca's presence in Philadelphia has helped raise the profile of USFooty in the city. The Daily News ran two companion articles. The first was on USFooty's Philadelphia Hawks mentioning their upcoming game against the North Carolina Tigers. The second was a primer on Australian Football.