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Former AFL player Sav Rocca says he is relishing the cut-throat nature of the NFL as he looks to help extend Philadelphia’s post season.
The Eagles overcame the odds last week to snare a National Football Conference wildcard spot with a resounding 44-6 victory over the Cowboys and will travel to Minnesota to face the Vikings on Monday (AEDT).
Rocca will feature in his first NFL play-off.
“It’s not like Australia, where you have the security of a three-year contract,” said the punter.
“When you first come over here, initially it’s day by day because if they don’t like you, you’re out the door very quickly.
“There have been players brought in during the season, and there have been players cut during the season. So it is very much cut-throat.
“But I think that’s what keeps the competition at a very high level. You have to perform at a very high level because there’ll be someone knocking at your door to take your job.”
The Eagles, who finished the regular season with nine wins, six losses and a tie, were considered long-shots to make the play-offs after a 10-3 loss to the Washington Redskins in the penultimate round of matches.
But they produced a stunning performance against their divisional rivals to grab the wildcard berth – albeit they needed lowly Oakland to upset Tampa Bay and Houston to beat Chicago in two more shock results.
“We’re feeling very positive as a team and myself. I think we’re probably one of the better sides going into the finals,” Rocca said.
“We won four of our past five and we had the Washington game which wasn’t that good.
“We had to win but we needed two other teams to lose and it worked out. Our boys are a pretty strong side.”
Rocca, who played 257 AFL games for North Melbourne and Collingwood, kicking 748 goals, had a quiet but effective afternoon against the Cowboys, averaging 42.7 yards from three punts.
He signed with Philadelphia in 2006 after securing the punting job from incumbent Dirk Johnson and now spends eight months a year in New Jersey with his wife Rose and sons Matthew, 6, and Lucas, 3.
The 35-year-old punter became the second Eagle in history to be named the NFL’s special teams player of the month in September, leading the league with a 44.1-yard net punting average and downing seven punts inside the 20-yard line and becoming the second Eagle in history to win the award.
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