By
Published: Oct. 25, 2024 at
1:42 AM EDT | Updated: 12
hours ago
DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - Growing up in DeWitt, Casey
Kreiter learned a unique skill from his favorite coach.
“My dad taught me in the back
yard.” said Kreiter.
“I
think we were just playing catch, he just said hey try this and we just kind of
worked on it a bit.”
Long
snapping has taken Casey a long way.
“I
think I just took to it a little naturally. I didn’t even think about it, it
was just something I did in between offense and defense in high school and then
Iowa asked me to walk on at junior camp, did well, they wanted me to play
linebacker, but in hindsight I think they asked me to walk on because I had the
ability to long snap.”
Two decades after his father
taught him how to long snap, Casey is still playing the game he loves.
“I
just wanted to play football and funny enough that’s what I tell our coaches
now. I love playing football, it’s been a passion and a dream of mine to do
it.”
Casey
is the long snapper for the New York Giants, playing his 9th season in the NFL.
“I
just want to keep playing at a high level.”
Kreiter is one of 5 Giants voted
as a captain for this season by his teammates, it’s his 2nd time receiving the
incredible honor.
“It’s
my job is to have the punters and kickers have success so whoever they are that
I’m working for, I want to see them have success and if they’re having success,
it probably means I’m doing a good enough job.”
In 2018, Krieter made it to the
Pro Bowl for the Denver Broncos.
“The
thing that separates the people like even on our roster right now who can long
snap to what makes me who I am at my job is the protection part of it.”
Casey’s
success didn’t come easy. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the
Dallas Cowboys in 2014 only to be waived, eventually resigned and then
released. It took Kreiter two years to earn a roster spot as the long snapper
for the Denver Broncos.
“There’s
been a lot more failures in my career in my path to where I am today than
successes.”
Casey’s mentors helped him
persevere.
“I think just the resiliency
that the mentors and leaders I’ve had in my life. Starting with my mom and my
dad, coaches along the way you know Larry Curtis was my youth coach.
From
the small town of DeWitt, to the bright lights of New York, Casey Kreiter will
never forget the people who helped him get where he is.
Krieter tells TV6 someday after
his NFL career is over, he can see himself coaching just like his father Kurt
did at Central DeWitt.
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