Brandon McManus has some classy things to say about Temple fans.
The big story out of the March 3rd Regional kicking combine was that 47 reporters requested credentials.
Usually, it's no more than four or five.
Reason?
Lauren Silberman was trying to make history as the NFL's first female kicker.
She either paid $275 or was given $275 to make the trip.
She would have fared much better putting a 50-1 bet on the Temple men's basketball Owls winning the NCAA championship.
CFPA winners
Year | Placekicker | School |
2013 | Brandon McManus | Temple |
2012 | Carlos Santos | Tulane |
2011 (tie) | Caleb Sturgis Randy Bullock | Florida Texas A&M |
2009 | Brian Walsh | Georgia |
As it stands now, and stood then, the bet on Temple cutting down the nets would have been much safer.
Her two kicks TOTALED 30 yards, one 19 and one 11.
All 47 reporters raced to her side to do the story.
Here's the real kicker: Brandon McManus is one.
At the other end of the field, McManus was going 6 for 6, including 3 for 3 from beyond 50.
None of the reporters bothered to talk to him, but that wasn't why he was there.
His stock immediately soared for the upcoming NFL draft.
Kickers are almost never picked in the draft but now it seems McManus could go somewhere in the middle rounds because of his performance at the combine on the heels of an outstanding season at Temple.
On Sunday, McManus received his CFPA as the specialist of the year for his performance while at Temple and got a rousing ovation from the 10,200 fans in attendance to watch the Owls top VCU.
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| France checking in, and we don't mean former Soul and Eagle kicker Todd France. |
McManus ended his collegiate career as Temple's career leader in scoring (338), punting average (45.4), field goals made (60), and field goals attempted (83). The 2012 first-team All-BIG EAST punter and 2012 second-team All-BIG EAST kicker set the season record for field goal accuracy (82.4) and set game records at Army for extra points made (9) and attempted (9). McManus played in EVERY game of his collegiate career. In 2012, McManus led the Owls in scoring (74) and went 32-of-33 in PAT. He punted 54 times for 2,433 yards (45.1 average), including a career-long 68-yard punt against No. 19/17 Rutgers, while 15 punts longer than 50 yards. McManus went 6-of-7 on field goals of 40+ yards, including a 50-yarder in the win over South Florida. He also kicked the game-winning field goal at Connecticut in overtime and contributed 40 touchbacks on 56 kickoffs (71.4 percent).
McManus had a Temple connection long before he arrived on campus. His coach at North Penn High, Dick Beck, was the captain of the 1990 Temple team that went 7-4.
Jim Cooper, Jr., the kicker coming on board this year, has another Temple connection. His dad of the same name was the kicker for Bruce Arians in the late 1980s.
McManus proved that you can stay home and do great things at Temple, following in the, err, footsteps of his good friend, Bernard Pierce, of the Baltimore Ravens.
While the reporters were taking notes talking to Silberman, let's hope future recruits were making mental notes watching McManus.
That's the bigger story, after all.
