Sunshine’s success makes ex-teammate proud
WOW … WOW!
That is my in-depth, expert analysis of the Seattle Seahawks’ come-from-behind overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers in Sunday’s NFC championship game.
Any other words would not do that finish any justice, so ... WOW!
The Seahawks’ 28-22 victory makes conversation around the water cooler, as well as the topic for this week’s article, easy. The subject is, of course, former Sheldon-Williams Spartans star and current Seahawks punter Jon Ryan.
My J.R. story begins much later than that of many people who knew him when he was growing up in Regina. Jon and I were teammates upon my return to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2005. That was only his second season in the league and the year in which he set an enduring CFL record for punting average (50.6 yards).
I had no idea who this kicker was when I entered the Winnipeg locker-room, which I frequented for my first three CFL seasons before spending the next three with the Ottawa Renegades.
Playing with Troy Westwood (among others) taught me that kickers are always a different breed of athlete, but Jon looked too good to be a kicker. In fact, he looked too good to be any kind of football player.
With his bulging muscles, eight-pack abs and flowing long red locks, this dude looked more like he needed a surfboard and a ride to Malibu Beach than a helmet and shoulder pads to cover up such perfection. So, naturally, he was given the nickname “Sunshine.”
His athleticism was obvious as he dominated all those dumb games you play in the locker-room to pass the time — leg wrestling, garbage ball, ping pong, “Hey, I bet you can’t (fill in the blank),” and any other game boys will invent.
I wish I had a juicy tidbit to reveal about Ryan, but he just did his job and kept quiet — until we hit the practice field. We offensive linemen are rarely involved in the special teams portion of practice, but Ryan couldn’t help but be part of ours.
You see, during one of my first practices back in the ’Peg, I heard what previous life experiences summering in Lebanon led me to believe was cannon fire. As I ran for cover, as one instinctively does in such circumstances, fellow O-lineman Matt Sheridan — who like any good teammate knew what I was thinking before I did — stopped me and sympathetically explained that this was a sound I was going to have to get used to.
We figured that we didn’t know much about punting, but “KAAA-BOOOOOM!!!” had to be good!
With Westwood as a teammate, I had gotten used to watching the habits of kickers. In Ottawa, I was a teammate of another future Super Bowl-champion kicker, Lawrence Tynes. It took me a while to figure out Tynes, but I finally realized that he didn’t suck. He was purposely hitting the uprights with his kicks in practice and calling the bounce! These cats are a different breed.
I eventually got used to the “cannon fire” as Ryan would routinely hit 70-yard punts in practice that we would all stand around and enjoy like, well, the sunshine.
I soon realized that “Sunshine” did not just refer to Ryan’s laid-back appearance. His punts stayed in the air longer than the sun did on some of those blistery Winnipeg afternoons. And as his 50-plus-yard punting average suggests, he did not reserve these 70-yard bombs for practice.
Many, many, many times he got us out of the shadows of our own goalposts and truly flipped the field for our defence, but what I think he learned that season was how to use superpowers and the responsibility that comes with having them.
Young players don’t always know what they can do, let alone gear their play according to the situation of the game — down and distance, field position, etc. That only comes with maturity.
It’s funny the things that stick in your head over your career. The only Ryan football stories I can recall pertain to me sitting on the bench watching his 70-yard punt from the opposition’s 50-yard line sail through the end zone — earning us a rouge, but netting us 30 yards — 40 fewer than the distance of the kick.
Having spent 10 years in the CFL, I had lots of teammates and we’ve all helped each other grow. When you are around for as long as I was, you get to see these young dudes mature and become professionals on and off the field.
And I am sure many of you who know Ryan can relate to the pride you feel when you have to opportunity to watch someone who has been a part of your life — even a small one — demonstrate such passion and grow into being the best at what they do. It’s just ... WOW! There has never been any doubt that Ryan can simply “KAAA-BOOOOOM!!!” that pigskin. But what makes me proudest is when he punts the ball 30 yards and out of bounds deep in the opposition’s zone or line-drives it to prevent the wind from being an issue. That’s a pro and, no matter the position, it only comes with time.
I recently shared a plane ride with Ryan and we caught up on old times. The abs and the hair were gone, but he’s still making the sun shine in Seattle.