Entering his 11th season with the Eagles, kicker David Akers is the team's longest-tenured player. Many of us don't remember that his NFL career actually began two years earlier when he was signed by the Carolina Panthers as a rookie free agent out of Louisville.
While we may not remember Akers in another NFL uniform, he recalls the experience as if it happened yesterday. In fact, Akers said that his time in Carolina helped mold him into the kicker that he is today.
"I learned so much from (Panthers kicker) John Kasay. If you look at our form, we're very, very similar. In my opinion, he's the best kicking technician out there," Akers said. "It seems like it was just yesterday. It was a blink of an eye. That's the way life is. You embrace the moment and go on from there. It was such a wonderful experience to be there. It changed how I kick and gave me an opportunity to play in the NFL."
Kasay taught Akers how to square up his body and move more down the field which allows his weight to transfer which shifts the momentum into the ball.
"There are so many people who help us in life. John Kasay was a big, big factor in me making it in the NFL," Akers said. "The way he explained it; he just took the time to show me. It was something that he didn't have to do. It really helped me out."
Akers admits that as a 22-year-old his leg was stronger, but if you look at his stats from last season you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. He led the NFC with a franchise-record 144 points. He set a new career-high with 17 touchbacks, the most by an Eagle since 1992. At one point, he nailed 15 straight field goal attempts. Akers is the franchise's all-time leader in field goals (230) and points (1,041).
"There's a difference now being able to control and harness your stuff. You have power. Back then, it was just raw," Akers said. "You put into effect your technical side of it, your experience and then still leg strength. You hope that package becomes more refined. I hope that's what happens this year."
As Akers prepares to return to where his NFL career started, he can't believe that he's spent a third of his life with the Eagles. He doesn't take for granted the opportunity that the Eagles presented him back in 1999.
"If you think about it, it's been truly remarkable that I've been given the opportunity and I've said time and time again I'm forever grateful to the Eagles and Andy Reid for giving me the opportunity where 31 other teams never really gave me a chance to stick," Akers said.
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 10:38 a.m., September 10
