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NY TIMES

From Down Under, a Big Boomer Baffles the Jets

By KAREN CROUSE

Ben Graham is the one with no previous experience playing American football, so why are the players on the receiving end of his punts the ones looking like beginners?

Several players in the Jets training camp are having a hard time cleanly handling the punts of Graham, a former Australian Football League star from Geelong. He cuts across the ball when he kicks it, giving the ball a devious end-over-end spin.

Justin Miller, a rookie from Clemson, took his shot at fielding Graham's punts Sunday during the morning practice and walked off the field at Hofstra University shaking his head.

"When I first got out here, I was like, where is he kicking the ball to?" Miller said. "It's kind of difficult to read his punts."

Wide receiver Justin McCareins has returned 51 punts in the N.F.L., none of which, he said, were as difficult to catch as one of Graham's offerings.

"He hooks them," McCareins said. "When it's spinning like that, it's going to generate movement. It takes a little extra focus to catch them as opposed to a regular spiral."

Mike Westhoff, the special teams coach, said that the potential downside of kicking the ball the way Graham did was that he could end up sacrificing distance. But Graham's left leg is so strong that he can kick a football 70 yards, and any distance he loses may be compensated for in the disquiet he will cause opponents.

Several Jets are already imagining the scene in film rooms of opposing teams should Graham beat out Micah Knorr for the punting job.

"Even before he kicks it, people will be talking about him," McCareins said. "I think it will be advantageous to us, because it will be in guys' heads. You're going to be thinking about catching the ball as opposed to the return and making people miss."

Coach Herman Edwards, when asked about Graham, said with a laugh, "He's a folk hero right now."

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NEWSDAY

Aussie punter may have leg up with Jets

By Ken Berger

STAFF WRITER

If Aussie punter Ben Graham can harness the potential of his left leg, the Jets might have a serious weapon that few teams, if any, can match.

In addition to booming traditional spirals in practice, Graham has been using a technique learned in Australian Rules Football known as the drop punt.

The 6-5, 230-pound punter kicks the ball in such a way that it spins end-over-end -- backward. The unique rotation makes the ball tough to catch. If it's not caught, the unpredictable bounce could work in the Jets' favor. Graham said the ball bounces forward about three times out of 10, but more often than not, it either will bounce straight up in the air or back toward him. It's the perfect kick to use when the ball needs to be downed inside the 20- or 10-yard line. If need be, Graham said he can kick a drop-punt as long as 50 yards.

"I can place it in the direction it needs to go and it's going to be high and long every time," Graham said yesterday. ". . . I'm having a bet: Once it comes into play and we need to get the ball inside the 20 or inside the 10, it's going to work every time."

Justin McCareins, who has been trying to catch some of Graham's punts in practice, does not envy any opposing punt returner. "It will be in guys' heads," McCareins said. "You're going to be thinking about catching the ball as opposed to the return and making people miss."

Another Australian punter, Darren Bennett of the Vikings, has used a similar technique for years. It's so effective that American punters have begun to try it -- including Graham's competitor in camp, Micah Knorr, who unleashed a perfect one yesterday. Special-teams coach Mike Westhoff, always looking for an edge, is intrigued by Graham's potential. And why not? After going through six punters in four years, Westhoff is desperate for someone accurate and consistent enough to excel in the wind tunnel that is Giants Stadium.

"A big, strong guy like that might be the answer," Westhoff said. "I'm not afraid to take a chance on him."

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STAR LEDGER

Jets find an Aus-some talent

BY DAVE HUTCHINSON

The Jets have gone Down Under for a player they hope can get them over the top.

His name is Ben Graham, a swashbuckling 6-5, 230-pound former Australian Rules Football star who at 31 has decided to try to land a job in the NFL as a punter. He has the looks of Russell Crowe, the love of adventure of Crocodile Dundee and the leg of Vikings punter Darren Bennett, an Aussie who spent the past 10 years in the NFL.

It's only Week 1 of training camp, but so far Graham has shown he belongs. He has been launching punts with his powerful left leg and puts a unique spin on the ball that makes it difficult to catch. He kicks the ball one way for long punts and another for shorter punts, which are especially hard to corral because they have a different backspin. Consistency, though, has been his problem.

Off the field, Graham has an engaging personality, quick smile and smooth Aussie accent. He's easy to like -- and root for.

"He's a folk hero," coach Herman Edwards joked yesterday. "He has done a great job so far. Now it's a matter of just transporting that on the field of play."

Graham, who has explored Manhattan with a vengeance, was discovered by the Jets in 1997 when then-assistant coach Eric Mangini scouted him at the suggestion of his brother, who was living in Melbourne.

At the time, however, Graham was a megastar for the Geelong Football Club, a fullback known for his booming punts and directional kicking. He says his longest kick was the equivalent of 95 yards. Kicking the ball, especially on the run, is the best way to move the ball in the AFL.

In January, with his AFL career winding down (he played in 219 career games in his 12-yard career, a total reached by just one percent of Aussie players), he decided to sign with the Jets after working out with several NFL teams. It was front-page news in Australia.

"It's been a long journey," said Graham, who was first exposed to NFL football by Bennett in 1992. "I'm very proud of the career I have had and then there was a decision I had to make. I could've played one more year, maybe. But then the opportunity (with the Jets) presented itself in October. It was a tough decision to make but once I made it, I haven't looked back."

The Jets have had four punters in the past four seasons and special teams coach Mike Westhoff hopes his search is over. Ex-Broncos punter Micah Knorr is also in camp.

"He understands our punting techniques, it's can he execute our punting techniques when he had to do it," Westhoff said of Graham. "He does have a strong leg. He can hit it."

The Australian league ball is similar to an NFL ball and Graham said both have the same "sweet" spot.

There's nothing sweet about trying to catch one of Graham's punts, however.

"First, he's left footed," Jets wide receiver/punt returner Justin McCareins said. "He's such a big guy and he has so much power. Just the different ways he can kick the ball. It's like a half knuckleball. It's very difficult to track and judge in the air.

"It'll be in guys' heads. You're going to be thinking about catching the ball as opposed to the return and making people miss. I look forward to watching other guys try to catch it."

Since coming to New York in March, Graham has been the quintessential tourist, repeatedly venturing into Manhattan. First, alone. Then, when his wife and two kids arrived, they were all lured by the bright lights of Broadway.

They've seen "The Lion King," sailed around Manhattan (Graham got sick), attended the NBA Draft as a guest of fellow Aussie Andrew Bogut and bumped into Crowe at the Statue of Liberty, among other things.

"Never a dull moment," Graham said.

The Jets, however, hope Graham can bring some tranquility to their punting situation. And the ball is squarely in his hands.

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