California Golden Blogs Interview Cal Kicker Tom Schneider

by TwistNHook on Mar 4, 2009 4:30 AM PST in California Golden Bears Football

You thought you knew all there was to know about Tom Schneider, didn't you? Didn't you, you cheeky bastard? After checking Wikipedia, you knew that Tom Schneider is a professional poker player from Phoenix, Arizona. You knew that Schneider was a certified public accountant and former president and chief financial officer for three Arizona companies before beginning his poker career in 2002. You even knew that Tom Schneider is the author of the book Oops! I Won Too Much Money: Winning Wisdom from the Boardroom to the Poker Table which provides lessons for both poker and business.

Well, if all you did was read the "Tom Schneider" Wikipedia article, you wouldn't really know anything about Cal kicker Tom Schneider. Wikipedia hasn't failed this much since it cited to me as a legitimate source of information and news. You wouldn't know that he had to leave Cal, because the NCAA only granted him an extra year of eligibility for D-II football. You wouldn't know that he played a year at Northern Alabama University to prepare for the NFL. He even has his own blog about it, BamaTom. You wouldn't even know that Tom Schneider wrote a book about Cal sports! It's called "Nate Longshore And 4th Quarter Interceptions: The Eternal Love Affair Continues." Actually, it is a photographic recap of the Cal football team during the 2007 season. It's gorgeous.

It is called Inside The Huddle. You can buy it here. We met him here. He agreed to do an interview and here are the results.

1. How different is kicking in practice versus in actual game situations?

Kicking in games versus practice is very different. I will try and close the gap by making my practice sessions as intense as I can. For example I will not let myself leave the field before I make a certain number of kicks from certain spots of the field.

2. How does one usually get into kicking?

Most players get into kicking through soccer; that was my path. I played soccer throughout high school and was convinced I would play in college. My senior year in high school the football coach convinced my to come out and kick for one season. The season went well, and in the end I had better collegiate opportunities playing football, then playing soccer.

3. When did it become a real possibility that you'd kick at the D-1 and Pro levels?

The winter of my senior year of high school I got word of a high school kicking combine (competition) in Los Angeles. I attended the combine, won it, and had the opportunity to go to school pretty much any where I wanted to.

4. Does kicking require a lot of natural gifts or just years of technique adjustment and practice?

Kicking is a goofy talent. Kicking has a lot to do with natural motion/leg speed/muscle memory/control of the leg. I'm not the strongest/fastest/flexible person on the team, but for whatever reason I can strike a football well.

I'm not saying one can learn to strike a football well, but having a natural intrinsic ability to kick a football is almost a prerequisite to being a good kicker.

5. If you were to describe the ideal PK in term of body size (leg length, foot size, etc.), what would he look like?

Looking at the average size PK in the NFL, I would say Ideal size would be 6 foot, 200 pounds, with a size 10 or smaller shoe.

6. If I were to start my theoretical son (who should, in theory, have ridiculously long legs like his old man) placekicking as early as possible, what type of books, drills, videos, and camps should I look into?

Personally I enjoyed not getting into kicking until later in my athletic life. Football is still pretty fresh/new/and fun for me.

I would recommend getting your son into as many sports as possible.

Soccer/basketball/golf/whatever. I think situations where he can be competitive with a little bit of pressure.

When your theoretical son wanted to start kicking I would tell him to get in touch with a personal instructor (like former Cal Kicker Mark Jensen markjensenkicking@gmail.com), that is the best way to get better, someone who knows what they are doing, watching hands on.

7. Take us through your mental and physical preparation as you get ready to make a kick. What are you thinking as you set up and start the kick? Do all those little coach tricks work? For example, do you think kickers can get iced? And what's up with that "Take a Timeout 1 second before the kick" trick? Does that actually work?

Before I step up to kick a field goal I go though a mantra that signals to my body it's go time. I do this every time I kick practice/game whatever.

I don't think freezing works. I would be interested on some statistics on it.

I figure it just gives me more time to ensure I am aligned properly.

8. How much do you get to work with your "game" holder during practice? And how much does the snapper/holder/kicker unit get to work together during practice each week?

This depends on the experience the unit has together.

Typically, Assuming we have a game on Saturday, we will go through some snap hold kicks, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Probably about twenty-thirty reps a day.

Later on in the season, we may not go on Mondays.

9. Does wearing a helmet with that kicker facemask make you feel like as big a dork as it seems it should?

eh not really. It would be more weird to be the only one without one. I wish we didn't have to wear them, but no big deal either way.

10. Is kicking from the hashmarks significantly more difficult from the middle of the field?

I want to say no, but looking at my career statistically, I have missed a few more kicks from certain hashes, I don't know if that had to do with anything, but it may have.

"The other Tom Schneider" via upload.wikimedia.org

11. Discuss the kick at the end of regulation at Autzen in 2005 – did you think you'd made it? How is your process different when you have a major time constraint like that?

I knew the kick was going to be close. Watching the film after the game is only missed to the left by about a foot. We practice last second field goals a couple of times throughout the week to be prepared for situations like that. Its a bummer not to hit them all, but the challenge/risk/reward is what makes it fun/exciting

12. What was the recruitment process like for you going into college? Did you know you wanted to go to Cal right out? Were there any other schools you were seriously considering? The rumor is that Tedford flew to Australia just to see a kicker. Did he manage to make the 20 minutes drive to the Dub See to personally see you?

I wanted to go to Cal for three main of reasons. The team was on the up and up with a hot new head coach, the team didn't have many kickers on the team so I knew I could get in right away and start playing, and they were close enough to home I could get help with laundry/food if needed.

13. Your former high school has been in the Cal recruiting news recently. Las Lomas High WR superstar Diante Jackson decided to go to Oregon instead of taking advantage of the offer that Cal never extended to him. Many have criticized you for not doing enough to get Diante Jackson. What do you say to these people, like everybody, who think you really let Cal down here?

I would happily help Cal out with anything. From my understanding he was looking to get out of the state. I believe his big two were Colorado and Oregon. I have also been away from the bay area for much of the past 8 months.

I think that Cal does a great job in selecting players to bring in, and have full confidence in Coach Tedford and his staff to recruit and compete at the highest of levels.

14. Do they REALLY have live Lions at Northern Alabama football games?!?!?!

Two of them, Leo and Una. And they eat meat Popsicles during the game.

Poll

On a scale of Marshawn to Marshawn, how Marshawn is Tom Schneider?

Somewhat Marshawn

24 votes

Really Marshawn

22 votes

UNBELIEVABLY Marshawn

22 votes

Boo-Boo

19 votes

87 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 13 comments | 2 recs |

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Comments

Meat popsicles?!?!?

TYRANNICAL KING OF UC EUGENE! BRING ME THE HEAD OF SEATTLE QUACKER!

www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com

by TwistNHook on Mar 4, 2009 7:55 AM PST reply actions

That’s what she ate?

"After review, it has been determined that the previous play was not reviewable"
The Pac-10: where quality officiating happens.

by Berkelium97 on Mar 4, 2009 9:20 AM PST up reply actions

In the spring we’d make meat helmets. Pretty standard, really.

I'm Fijian. Yes, the water is like that.

by Spazzy Mcgee on Mar 4, 2009 1:16 PM PST up reply actions

When I was unruly I would be placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds.

"After review, it has been determined that the previous play was not reviewable"
The Pac-10: where quality officiating happens.

by Berkelium97 on Mar 4, 2009 2:59 PM PST up reply actions

….right.

I'm Fijian. Yes, the water is like that.

by Spazzy Mcgee on Mar 4, 2009 3:01 PM PST up reply actions

2009 Football Schedule

Apparently Cal added a home game against Eastern Washington and now there’s a schedule up at calbears.com:

2009
Sept. 5 – Maryland
Sept. 12 – Eastern Washington
Sept. 19 – at Minnesota
Sept. 26 – at Oregon
Oct. 3 – USC
Oct. 17 – at UCLA
Oct. 24 – Washington State
Oct. 31 – at Arizona State
Nov. 7 – Oregon State
Nov. 14 – Arizona
Nov. 21 – at Stanford
Dec. 5 – at Washington

Our first two Pac-10 games are @Oregon and USC?!!??! And @UCLA after that?!

Fuuuuuuuuuuuudge. At least it only gets easier after that.

by Oski4Heisman on Mar 4, 2009 9:26 AM PST reply actions

It is definitely going to be a hard schedule. And we saw just a few years ago that at Stanford slash at Washington can be a tough way to end the season.

TYRANNICAL KING OF UC EUGENE! BRING ME THE HEAD OF SEATTLE QUACKER!

www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com

by TwistNHook on Mar 4, 2009 10:31 AM PST up reply actions

Rec’d!

I’ve always had a soft spot for Tom Schneider, so yay! for this interview.

by kolwave on Mar 4, 2009 9:39 AM PST reply actions

TWIST, I’M GOING TO DEBONE YOU FOR ASKING THAT DIANTE JACKSON QUESTION. DE-FUCKING-BONE YOU. &@#$%)&

Nice interview. I especially liked how I proposed a majority of these questions…

Thank you for all you’ve done for Cal, Tom, and good luck on Sundays!

Robert Woods Anthony Jefferson Robert Woods Anthony Jefferson Robert Woods Anthony Jefferson Robert Woods Anthony Jefferson Robert Woods Anthony Jefferson

by Thoroughbred on Mar 4, 2009 9:52 AM PST reply actions

Why did we lose out on Diante Jackson?

by BearsNecessity on Mar 4, 2009 10:16 AM PST up reply actions

Probably because of this guy:

It's spelled "S-H-U-G-A-R-S-U-B-S-T-I-T-U-T-E"

by JShufelt on Mar 4, 2009 10:21 AM PST up reply actions

Good interview, and kudos to Schneider for gamely and apparently willingly interacting with Twist. He’s a class act and I hope he continues the proud tradition of Cal kickers in the NFL.

Twist, if you have the opportunity for follow-up Q’s, please ask him why he relies so heavily on the forward slash that appears in/peppers/inundates his writing.

50% of Defacto Ohio Cal Alumni Club

by CALumbus Bear on Mar 4, 2009 10:01 AM PST reply actions

Wow, props for asking that facemask question, and double props to Tom for only partially answering it. Of course, the real answer is that those lame kicker facemasks do make the kickers feel like total dorks. Look at Martin Gramatica … why do you think he did all those antics? Right, because that facemask made him feel like a dork, so he had to behave like one.

Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

by SoCal Oski on Mar 4, 2009 10:56 AM PST reply actions

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Golden Bears Football Schedule

Fresno St.	Sat 09/03	W 36 - 21
@ Colorado The Ralphie Report	Sat 09/10	W 36 - 33
Presbyterian	Sat 09/17	W 63 - 12
@ Washington UW Dawg Pound	Sat 09/24	L 23 - 31
@ Oregon Addicted To Quack	Thu 10/06	L 15 - 43
USC Conquest Chronicles	Thu 10/13	L 9 - 30
Utah Block U	Sat 10/22	W 34 - 10
@ UCLA Bruins Nation	Sat 10/29	L 14 - 31
Washington St. CougCenter	Sat 11/05	W 30 - 7
Oregon St. Building The Dam	Sat 11/12	W 23 - 6
@ Stanford Rule Of Tree	Sat 11/19	L 28 - 31
@ Arizona St. House Of Sparky	Fri 11/25	W 47 - 38
@ Texas Burnt Orange Nation	Wed 12/28	L 10 - 21

Pacific-12 Conference Standings

(updated 1.2.2012 at 11:12 PM PST)

North	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Oregon Ducks Addicted To Quack	8	1	12	2
Stanford Cardinal Rule Of Tree	8	1	11	2
Washington Huskies UW Dawg Pound	5	4	7	6
California Golden Bears California Golden Blogs	4	5	7	6
Oregon St. Beavers Building The Dam	3	6	3	9
Washington St. Cougars CougCenter	2	7	4	8

South	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
USC Trojans Conquest Chronicles	7	2	10	2
UCLA Bruins Bruins Nation	5	4	6	8
Utah Utes Block U	4	5	8	5
Arizona St. Sun Devils House Of Sparky	4	5	6	7
Arizona Wildcats Arizona Desert Swarm	2	7	4	8
Colorado Buffaloes The Ralphie Report	2	7	3	10