No easy fix for holding problem

During all the hours Bryan Barker and B.J. Sander spent together last season, the two punters almost never talked about holding.

Given all Sander had to learn from Barker about punting, maybe there wasn’t time. The way Sander has struggled this season as a holder, the coaching staff probably should have asked Barker to impart some of his holding wisdom.

As a punter, Sander rebounded from his disastrous rookie season and has become serviceable. His net punting average is a respectable 38.1 yards, nearly five yards better than Barker was last season.

As a holder, Sander is no Barker.

Sander mishandled a snap in Sunday’s 33-25 win at Atlanta. He bobbled what was a slightly high snap from Rob Davis and failed to get the ball down in time for Ryan Longwell to attempt a 51-yard field goal in the third quarter. Sander did bounce back and help Longwell convert kicks of 53 and 51 yards in the second half, but kicking problems probably have cost the Packers two games this season.

The first sign of trouble between Longwell and Sander came in Week 1 at Detroit, when Sander dropped a snap and Longwell never made an attempt on what would have been a chip-shot field goal. There was a missed extra point and field goal in a one-point loss to Tampa Bay and two missed field goals in a three-point loss at Minnesota. The cold-weather games, where kicking can be a crap shoot, haven’t even begun.

Longwell has had the fortune of working with some of the best holders in the business. His last two were Doug Pederson and Barker, who took over in Week 5 last season after Pederson was injured.

According to Barker, holding takes natural ability.

“It’s not something that you generally train for and just become the holder,” Barker said during a telephone interview on Tuesday.

“I’ve been holding for a long time, and I think it’s difficult to come in and just replace a guy, because the kicker is usually very familiar with that guy.”

This is the first time in Barker’s 16-year NFL career that he’ s not holding, but it’s only because he didn’t join the St. Louis Rams until last month, and their kicker, Jeff Wilkins, has built a comfort level with Dane Looker.

Barker said he believes holding came naturally to him because he played several sports growing up and developed good hand-eye coordination.

“I don’t really even think about it,” Barker said. “It’s muscle memory for me. I know where I’m going to catch it. I know I’m going to hit the spot each time.”

Barker said holders should live by his set of golden rules:
• Catch every snap.
• Convince the kicker that you’re going to catch every snap.
• Hit the spot every time.
• Convince the kicker that you’re going to hit the spot every time.

The way Longwell prefers the ball to be held has been a regular topic this season, but Barker said it’s not any different from any of the kickers he’s worked with in his career.

“Most of the good kickers in the league have the ball held in the same way, which is slightly forward and toward the holder,” Barker said. “That is a standard hold. Based on the wind direction, a good holder will understand that if you manipulate the hold a little bit, you can help change the trajectory of the ball and keep the kick straighter.”

Coach Mike Sherman said on Monday he will consider his options, but the reality is, he’ll probably have to stick with Sander. Backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues to work on his holding, but special teams coach John Bonamego said Sander still is the better holder. Signing a holder off the street probably is not an option.

“You can’t use a roster spot for a holder,” Bonamego said. “That’s almost unheard of. I’ve never know anyone to do that.”

In college at Central Michigan, Bonamego was a backup holder but never did it in a game. He said one of the team’s kickers preferred the way he held, which illustrates that some kickers simply prefer certain holders, and perhaps Longwell and Sander might never gel.
“I think there has to be a chemistry there (and) a trust factor that develops,” Bonamego said. “Knowing the ball is going to get down and get down a certain way and for Ryan and B.J., that’s still an ongoing process.”

The Packers have seven games remaining and all have the potential to be cold-weather or snowy games. They have four games at Lambeau Field, beginning Monday night against Minnesota, and road games at Philadelphia, Chicago and Baltimore.

Bonamego said he plans to take Sander and Longwell outside to work on some holds this week but otherwise will stick to a regular practice routine.

“We work on bad (snaps) all the time,” Bonamego said. “I’ll bet B.J. gets over 100 holds a day, and probably 30- some are with Ryan actually kicking.”
source : http://www.packersnews.com/