The road to the NFL isn’t a free and easy joyride down Route 66. It’s a long journey with twists, turns, and fleeting opportunities. Fort Mill’s J.T. Boyd and Worth Gregory will tell you it takes preparation and perseverance.
The teammates at East Carolina’s daily <a href="http://www.authenticraiderssale.com/shop-by-players-keith-mcgill-jersey-c-2_52.html"> Keith Mcgill Youth Jersey</a> routines for the past few months have consisted of training, lifting... and training some more. Boyd, a bearded, burly, 6-foot-4 300-pound offensive lineman, started his training earlier this year at New Jersey-based Test Football Academy, where his day consisted of a six-hour workout – speed and agility in the morning and weights in the afternoon - with a brief lunch break squeezed in between. The Nation Ford grad isn’t stressing about the process.
“This is what I’ve been doing my whole life since I was a little kid,” he said. “I’m just down to one last opportunity to put on a showcase of what I can do.”
Any scouts interested in Boyd have plenty of material to study. By his redshirt sophomore season in 2014, he was starting in an offensive unit that averaged 533 yards of total offense per game and ranked fifth nationally. Boyd was selected second-team All-American Athletic Conference, and was honorable mention in 2015. In the classroom, he was an ECU Honor Roll and Dean’s List performer.
“I love working hard. It’s what I do, it’s what offensive lineman do,” said Boyd. “It’s part of the brand of being an offensive lineman<a href="http://www.authenticsaintsshop.com/shop-by-players-delvin-breaux-jersey-c-1_13.html">Delvin Breaux Authentic Jersey</a> and it’s what I try to do every day.”
During his career at ECU, he played against teams like Florida and Virginia Tech that consistently put players in the NFL every year.
“I’m confident in my ability to play against the best,” said Boyd. “I think I belong there.”
Boyd said he wasn’t hearing much from NFL teams, but he knew a good performance at ECU’S pro day in late March would increase his standing with scouts. All 32 NFL teams sent representatives to ECU for the pro day workout.
Boyd and Gregory, a standout punter from Fort Mill High, worked out for the hometown Carolina Panthers on April 7 to showcase their skills. Like Boyd, Gregory has tried to stay calm during the busy process. Before Friday’s date with the Panthers, he punted for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Miami Dolphins but said he could care less which team signs him.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound kicker worked out with NFL punters like 49ers’ Bradley Pinion and Lions’ Sam Martin in the last couple of months.
“I’m new to all of it so I’m happy that I’m able to talk to these guys that have been in my position to help me go through what I’m going through right now,” said Gregory.
Like Boyd, Gregory’s work ethic has stood out at ECU.
“He will not take any shortcuts in getting to that final destination,” said Shannon Moore, ECU’s special teams coach. “He’s very organized about everything that he does from school work to his workout sessions.”
Gregory has an outgoing personality - a quality that will come in handy on an NFL roster. Moore said Gregory went to ECU coaches before the season<a href="http://www.authenticsteelerssale.com/shop-by-players-heath-miller-jersey-c-2_29.html">http://www.authenticsteelerssale.com/shop-by-players-heath-miller-jersey-c-2_29.html</a> and requested to room with the team’s true-freshman long snapper the night before games to help him cope with nerves. The Pirates’ punting unit didn’t have a single bad snap all fall.
“They respect and respond to things he feels like will help the team,” Moore said. “Anything an organization would ask him to do I feel he would jump at the opportunity to represent them.”
Gregory’s high school coach, Ed Susi, said Gregory spent plenty of time perfecting his craft while he was a Fort Mill Yellow Jacket.
“He knew what he had to do to succeed,” said Susi. “He worked his butt off on all kinds of kicks.”
Gregory spent his freshman year (2012) at Alabama as a walk-on with a squad that demolished Notre Dame to win the BCS National Championship. Since he was not on scholarship, he later decided to transfer and found a home at ECU.
Gregory earned a spot on the second team All-AAC roster in 2016, and started every game in his three years of eligibility. He averaged 43 yards per punt over the course of his career. Among conference foes, only Memphis’s Spencer Smith had a better average through those three years.
He was annoyed to miss out on the NFL Draft Combine and several senior all-star games.
“It’s kind of pushed me to work harder and show everyone why I think I should have been in those things,” said Gregory.
Boyd and Gregory are now shooting for the opportunity to join Denver Broncos defensive end, Vance Walker, as Fort Mill-bred NFL players.
“When people think of the NFL in our area they start looking at Rock Hill,” said Gregory. “It’d be great to have some guys from Fort Mill in <a href="http://www.authenticsteelersshop.com/shop-by-players-darrius-heywardbey-jersey-c-2_42.html">http://www.authenticsteelersshop.com/shop-by-players-darrius-heywardbey-jersey-c-2_42.html</a> there other than Vance. It would be awesome for the whole town.”
J.T. Boyd started for two years at guard, before moving to center his senior year at East Carolina. His versatility and experience should help his quest to land on an NFL roster. Photo courtesy of East Carolina Athletics
The road to the NFL isn’t a free and easy joyride down Route 66. It’s a long journey with twists, turns, and fleeting opportunities. Fort Mill’s J.T. Boyd and Worth Gregory will tell you it takes preparation and perseverance.
The teammates at East Carolina’s daily <a href="http://www.authenticraiderssale.com/shop-by-players-keith-mcgill-jersey-c-2_52.html"> Keith Mcgill Youth Jersey</a> routines for the past few months have consisted of training, lifting... and training some more. Boyd, a bearded, burly, 6-foot-4 300-pound offensive lineman, started his training earlier this year at New Jersey-based Test Football Academy, where his day consisted of a six-hour workout – speed and agility in the morning and weights in the afternoon - with a brief lunch break squeezed in between. The Nation Ford grad isn’t stressing about the process.
“This is what I’ve been doing my whole life since I was a little kid,” he said. “I’m just down to one last opportunity to put on a showcase of what I can do.”
Any scouts interested in Boyd have plenty of material to study. By his redshirt sophomore season in 2014, he was starting in an offensive unit that averaged 533 yards of total offense per game and ranked fifth nationally. Boyd was selected second-team All-American Athletic Conference, and was honorable mention in 2015. In the classroom, he was an ECU Honor Roll and Dean’s List performer.
“I love working hard. It’s what I do, it’s what offensive lineman do,” said Boyd. “It’s part of the brand of being an offensive lineman<a href="http://www.authenticsaintsshop.com/shop-by-players-delvin-breaux-jersey-c-1_13.html">Delvin Breaux Authentic Jersey</a> and it’s what I try to do every day.”
During his career at ECU, he played against teams like Florida and Virginia Tech that consistently put players in the NFL every year.
“I’m confident in my ability to play against the best,” said Boyd. “I think I belong there.”
Boyd said he wasn’t hearing much from NFL teams, but he knew a good performance at ECU’S pro day in late March would increase his standing with scouts. All 32 NFL teams sent representatives to ECU for the pro day workout.
Boyd and Gregory, a standout punter from Fort Mill High, worked out for the hometown Carolina Panthers on April 7 to showcase their skills. Like Boyd, Gregory has tried to stay calm during the busy process. Before Friday’s date with the Panthers, he punted for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Miami Dolphins but said he could care less which team signs him.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound kicker worked out with NFL punters like 49ers’ Bradley Pinion and Lions’ Sam Martin in the last couple of months.
“I’m new to all of it so I’m happy that I’m able to talk to these guys that have been in my position to help me go through what I’m going through right now,” said Gregory.
Like Boyd, Gregory’s work ethic has stood out at ECU.
“He will not take any shortcuts in getting to that final destination,” said Shannon Moore, ECU’s special teams coach. “He’s very organized about everything that he does from school work to his workout sessions.”
Gregory has an outgoing personality - a quality that will come in handy on an NFL roster. Moore said Gregory went to ECU coaches before the season<a href="http://www.authenticsteelerssale.com/shop-by-players-heath-miller-jersey-c-2_29.html">http://www.authenticsteelerssale.com/shop-by-players-heath-miller-jersey-c-2_29.html</a> and requested to room with the team’s true-freshman long snapper the night before games to help him cope with nerves. The Pirates’ punting unit didn’t have a single bad snap all fall.
“They respect and respond to things he feels like will help the team,” Moore said. “Anything an organization would ask him to do I feel he would jump at the opportunity to represent them.”
Gregory’s high school coach, Ed Susi, said Gregory spent plenty of time perfecting his craft while he was a Fort Mill Yellow Jacket.
“He knew what he had to do to succeed,” said Susi. “He worked his butt off on all kinds of kicks.”
Gregory spent his freshman year (2012) at Alabama as a walk-on with a squad that demolished Notre Dame to win the BCS National Championship. Since he was not on scholarship, he later decided to transfer and found a home at ECU.
Gregory earned a spot on the second team All-AAC roster in 2016, and started every game in his three years of eligibility. He averaged 43 yards per punt over the course of his career. Among conference foes, only Memphis’s Spencer Smith had a better average through those three years.
He was annoyed to miss out on the NFL Draft Combine and several senior all-star games.
“It’s kind of pushed me to work harder and show everyone why I think I should have been in those things,” said Gregory.
Boyd and Gregory are now shooting for the opportunity to join Denver Broncos defensive end, Vance Walker, as Fort Mill-bred NFL players.
“When people think of the NFL in our area they start looking at Rock Hill,” said Gregory. “It’d be great to have some guys from Fort Mill in <a href="http://www.authenticsteelersshop.com/shop-by-players-darrius-heywardbey-jersey-c-2_42.html">http://www.authenticsteelersshop.com/shop-by-players-darrius-heywardbey-jersey-c-2_42.html</a> there other than Vance. It would be awesome for the whole town.”
J.T. Boyd started for two years at guard, before moving to center his senior year at East Carolina. His versatility and experience should help his quest to land on an NFL roster. Photo courtesy of East Carolina Athletics
If you’re a fan of either the Minnesota Vikings or Seattle Seahawks (and the odds are frankly in favor thereof), then your lasting image<a href="http://www.authentic49ersshop.com/shop-by-players-blaine-gabbert-jersey-c-1_8.html">http://www.authentic49ersshop.com/shop-by-players-blaine-gabbert-jersey-c-1_8.html</a> of Blair Walsh, Kicker of Footballs, likely is:
because of the time he’d in front of the whole country. (Oh man. Look at the crowd reaction. You can practically smell the fatalism.)
Well. Just as most of us would not care to be defined by the worst minute of our professional life, Blair R. Walsh deserves a look at all the other minutes he’s spent aiming for end zones and uprights. Even if he weren't a Seahawk, he'd deserve such a courtesy.
College Walsh
What led him to be a 6th-round draft pick, out of Georgia, in an age when most kickers go undrafted? Maybe the two-year hot streak that was his sophojunior year: 40-of-45 on field goals. Maybe finishing his career as the SEC’s all-time leading scorer with 412 points.
He made six tackles, too; not too bad for <a href="http://www.authenticbroncosshop.com/shop-by-players-phil-taylor-jersey-c-1_45.html">http://www.authenticbroncosshop.com/shop-by-players-phil-taylor-jersey-c-1_45.html</a> a scrawny 5’9” guy from suburban Miami.
Rookie Walsh-January 9, 2016 Walsh
Teams are teased for drafting kickers in the early rounds. Sometimes in any round! The Raiders might be able get away with nabbing a Janikowski in the first round, because face it, they're not going anywhere. The Buccaneers might trade up to select an Aguayo in the second round, because nobody north of Tallahassee is going to call them on it.
(You don't think the NFL is rigged. But if you ever were tempted to think it, just remember the Raiders’ only Super Bowl appearance since 1984 is a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccafuckaneers, of all possible teams.)
So already in the spotlight, Walsh had to prove himself worthy of being the 175th pick. He did. I guess. If you call “first-team All-Pro your rookie year” an okay result.
Walsh made 35 of 38 field goal tries and 10 of 10<a href="http://www.authenticcowboyssale.com/shop-by-players-tyrone-crawford-jersey-c-2_26.html">Tyrone Crawford Youth Jersey</a> beyond 50 yards. At age 22.
经过两个赛季,他“ ð错过了所有九个踢。总。一个在40码内。一!他是自动的 他正在Gostowski-Andersen名人堂收费公路纪念馆的快车道上巡航。(这是从新泽西州读书的人的笑话,他喜欢Pats,并记得1998年的季后赛。)
对。巡航。除了踢脚手穿过东西。四季三Walshy世界四个发挥出像电视节目,简单地couldn ' 牛逼维持其炎热的演技和波光粼粼的对话最初的爆发,而是默认为肥皂剧模式,以保持前进的一个不确定的情节。错过了五场短暂的踢球。他整体定居81.1%他成了许多人中另一个踢球者。
尽管如此,在2015赛季本赛季,沃尔什获得了两场比赛获胜的进球,维京队在第5周击败了熊队,在第6周击败了公羊。他以34联盟领先联盟命名。
和。而且,他和...进入了季后赛比赛,西雅图队以三十五分钟的时间终身踢三十码。是的,这就像广播团队在概率将其弯曲的脖子重新插入图片之前放置的图形完全一样。
2016年1月10日沃尔什
人们经常忘记沃尔什有<a href="http://www.authenticcowboysstore.com/shop-by-players-demarcus-lawrence-jersey-c-2_12.html"> Demarcus Lawrence青年泽西</a> 做出了所有以前的三次踢了命运,北极的一天。包括一个47码和43码。在一个踢球者可以面对的气象恶劣环境之一。