Here's The Youtube Video That Got A Norwegian Kicker A Tryout With The Jets

Back in September, a 27-year-old from a tiny Norwegian town named Havard Rugland uploaded this video to Youtube. Despite only ever having played soccer, he's able to do some crazy things with a football: Over-the-head kicks, drop kicks, kicks across gorges, kicks onto a moving boat, kicks from the coffin corner. But most importantly to the NFL personnel people who saw the video, Rugland has the leg to kick 60-yard field goals.

Rugland came to San Diego to work with kicking coach Michael Husted, who spent most of his nine NFL seasons with the Buccaneers. And finally, on Tuesday, he got his first NFL tryout— with the Jets, despite his hype video being set to "The State of Massachusetts," and despite the fact that New York already has a good kicker. Maybe they want to convert Rugland to quarterback or something.

There's precedent. Sebastian Janikowski didn't play football until he was 18, Sav Rocca made his bones in Australian football, and the Jets have rugby player Hayden Smith at tight end. But this is the new world of the NFL legs race: A team either has Greg Zuerlein, or it's trying to catch up.

[ Reuters]