Szymanski being cautious as season approaches

[PonyPride]

SMU kicker/punter Matt Szymanski has been visible by his absence from most drills this fall, raising concern that the senior might be injured.

Not true, he said Thursday.

When the Mustangs practice at Pettus practice field, the kickers and punters are inside Ford Stadium, and vice versa. When they have joined their teammates for field goals, backups Mike Loftis and Marcelo Sada have handled the field goal chores, while Szymanski has watched from the side. But he insisted he is not injured. Instead, Szymanski said, he is being cautious, holding out because of some body "tightness."

"I can't go 100 percent right now, but I can kick," he said. "I've been doing that inside Ford — you just haven't seen me. But I've done some punting and tapped some field goals, and I have been running some 'stadiums' (up and down the steps in Ford Stadium)."

Szymanski quickly dismissed any doubt about whether he'll be ready to take the field Sept. 5 when the Ponies open the 2010 season at Texas Tech.

"Oh yeah, I'll be ready," he said. "If the game was today, I'd be ready to go. But since we have a couple more weeks, and I've had this tightness, we're just being careful."

Szymanski said the tightness is a result of increased running and lifting he has done with strength and conditioning coach Mel deLaura and his staff.

"Mel and his staff have done a tremendous job," Szymanski said. "I'm stronger than I have ever been, and in better shape than I have ever been. I didn't go home in May — I stayed here and worked with those guys, and they really pushed me."

Gone are the days that kickers and punters were small and scrawny, looking as much like they should be sporting a pocket protector as a helmet and shoulder pads.

"It's a new era" for kickers, said Szymanski, who appears to carry more than his listed 196 pounds on his 6-foot-1 frame. "You look at guys like (Pittsburgh Steelers punter) Daniel Sepulveda (who is listed at 6-3, 230), (New Orleans Saints punter and SMU grad) Thomas Morstead (6-4, 225) and (Dallas Cowboys kicker) David Buehler (6-2, 225) — these guys are leading the NFL, and they're strong and athletic."

Szymanski smiled a little sheepishly when told about SMU special teams coach Dennis McKnight's comment (viewtopic.php?f=1&t=46879) that Szymanski is an NFL-caliber kicker and punter, but said he is not worried about the next stage of his career just yet.

"I'd like to think so," he said when asked if McKnight's assessment was accurate, "and I appreciate him saying that. But that's not for me to say. I'm not going to run my mouth about things like that. I have to perform if I want to be considered for a spot (in the NFL)."

Szymanski has had the opportunity to work with several people who know what it takes to get to the NFL: he and Morstead were teammates at SMU, and he has had a chance to work with Dallas Cowboys punter Mat McBriar and former Dallas kicker Nick Folk. He also has been working with former Dallas kicker Chris Boniol, who has emerged as a well-regarded kicking coach.

"He's the reason Buehler is kicking as well as he is," Szymanski said. "He's an excellent teacher, and he has helped me a lot."

Szymanski said he is not bothered by the fact that he was left off the preseason All-Conference USA team, insisting that such accolades aren't important.

"I don't care about that stuff," he said. "If you get named all-conference, or even All-America ... great. But if you don't, but you're still able to help your team win, that's what's important. I don't need awards to feel good about myself. If you get that kind of recognition, it's nice.

"But that's not what's important right now. We're thinking about Texas Tech."

[SmooBoy]

Don't be dissin' the pocket protector.

[mrydel]

That's what we should call our offensive line. The Pocket Protectors.

[cutter]

great write-up. love the focus this team has.
thanks.

[SmooBoy]

That's what we should call our offensive line. The Pocket Protectors.

You beat me to it, even though I thought it immediately and didn't type it out. Now I know how Vladimir Zworykin felt.

[smupony94]

That's what we should call our offensive line. The Pocket Protectors.

3 out of 100 from you are true gems

[mrydel]

That's what we should call our offensive line. The Pocket Protectors.

3 out of 100 from you are true gems

I am striving to once again become your signature line.

[Pony_Fan]

Should there be any concerns about Delaura running kids too hard? --- similar to what someone had said what he did when he was in Hawaii.