On Thursday a day before my PRO Development Kicking Camp I met with Ryan Senser at Macalester College for an evaluation. Ryan was in town for a couple of days. He was passing through Minnesota on his way back home to Ohio from the Seattle Seahawks mini-camps.Ryan is a free agent snapper who graduated two years ago from Ohio University. Ryan was signed in the spring by the Seahawks but was recently released when they signed Bryan Pittman from the Houston Texans.
Ryan went through his warm up and snapping routine as I watched and evaluated his technique. I asked Ryan a lot of questions and he gave me some excellent answers.
Later in the evaluation I put Ryan through my 'Perfect' Laces and Balls and Strikes Drills. I also evaluated his ability to snap and protect. He did very well in all the drills.
I can see why the Seahawks signed him and understand why they released him. I know Ryan doesn't understand but it has nothing to do with talent.
It seems like all the NFL teams want a guy with experience. Like I told Ryan, how do you get NFL experience until someone or some team gives you a chance to be the guy. I had the same problem for many years when I was trying to break into the NFL as a Special Teams Coach.
As I watched Ryan snap I noticed a couple of minor flaws in his technique. We addressed the flaws with a couple of drills. Ryan was a quick fix. He tried a couple of adjustment and drills and received some positive results.
It was a pleasure meeting and working with Ryan and I hope the hour I spent with Ryan will pay dividends down the road and get him another chance with an NFL or UFL team in the near future.
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