Pittsburgh inspires Rocca
Sav's a Philadelphia Eagle!
Congrats Sav and welcome to Philadelphia. It's going to be a fun year! Next week in the first game I think he'll be the Oldest rookie ever to play in the NFL.
Veteran punter Dirk Johnson, who spent the last four seasons with the Eagles, also was released. Johnson was beaten out by Sav Rocca, a former Australian rules football player.
Rocca averaged 45.4 in the preseason with a net average of 38.9 yards. Johnson had a gross average of 43.9 yards and a net of 34.8 yards. Last season, Johnson averaged 42.6 yards gross, the highest of his career but 18th overall in the NFL.
"That was the hardest decision we had to make," Heckert said. "It was really close. I think Dirk will be punting for somebody next week. It was a close competition, but we decided to go with Sav because he has a big, big, leg."