David Scully knows all about what Georgia Tech kickers Shawn Davis and Brenton King have gone through as they
’ve competed with http://www.texansprosale.com/alfred-blue-jersey-c-1_25.html each other to be the Yellow Jackets
’ starting kicker.Sensing (or hearing) frustration from teammates when they fail on kicks that could have saved them from running. Having every kick scrutinized. And the pressure personally applied by coach Paul Johnson.
“
He would literally be not four inches off my plant foot,” Scully said. “You could feel him staring.”Scully walked on as a freshman in 2009 and redshirted that season. He got into two games as a redshirt freshman and then dueled Justin Moore for playing time in 2011 and 2012. He took care of the kickoffs in 2011 and then handling kickoffs and sharing field goals in 2012. Johnson put him on scholarship in 2012 for his on-field contributions.
He earned that playing time by surviving the cauldron that was the competition in practice, both preseason and into the season. Scully was fortunate in that he and Moore had a friendly competition, one in which each supported the other and made sure the other
’s form was sound, but still pushed each other.“
That was something that I can only praise him for,” Scully said. “He made me a better kicker, and I made him a better kicker.”He said he didn
’t recall being nervous, but he always had to be vigilant about what he was thinking.“
I would let one thought get into my http://www.cinemakolik.com/kurt-coleman-jersey-c-1_7.html head, and it would throw me off,
” Scully said. “It would kind of stagger my confidence.”If that happened while he was lined up to kick, he said, and there wasn
’t time to step away and re-focus, “you’re flirting with disaster. I never had a lack of confidence in my ability. If I did, it would be the absolute death of me.”At the time, Tech had a coach specifically for special teams, Dave Walkosky, so the specialists always were under watch.
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We would chart (kicks) once a day, but no rep really went unnoticed, especially if we were going with a full operation” with the snapper, holder and kicker, Scully said.The constant competition and comparison made it easy to lose focus, which is particularly dangerous at a position that requires concentration and mental strength.
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Even if I go 9-for-10, I don’t want the guy in front of me going 10 for 10,” he said. But, “if I’m thinking about the guy going 10-for-10, I’m going to go 7-for-10.”Occasionally during camp, Johnson put kickers (and snappers and holders) under the gun, with conditioning sprints for the team riding on the outcome of a field-goal try. It was great when Scully made them, not as much when he didn
’t. The feedback wasn’t always constructive.“
You just don’t want to hear that,” Scully said. “The Star Lotulelei Authentic Jersey response you get (after missing) from your teammates is almost worse than the response you get from your coaches. Your teammates, those are your friends. You
’ve got to live with that.”
