With everything else in his head, the last thing Eagles coach Andy Reid wants to worry about is whether his punter is going to launch a 65-yard bomb or shank it to the left.
"Absolutely, it's about consistency and being able to get the punt off every time," said Rocca, who is already developing a cult following with Eagles fans despite not yet making one NFL punt. "Being consistent is the key factor."
That's why Rocca can't wait until the preseason opener at the Baltimore Ravens on Monday.
He's been through individual workouts, he's been through minicamps, and for the past 2 weeks he's been at Lehigh for training camp.
But nothing can adequately simulate what will happen on Monday when Rocca will get his first action in an NFL game.
It will be the moment when Rocca and the Eagles begin to figure out where he is and how far he has to go.
"That's what I can't wait for," said Rocca, who at 6-5, 265 pounds looks more like a linebacker than a punter. "I'm looking forward to it, and I don't know what to expect, either.
"I do know what's coming, but I don't know what the future holds at the moment, so let's go."
If you look at it logically, despite Johnson being the Birds' punter for the past four seasons, the job is almost Rocca's to lose. Nobody on the coaching staff will say it, but they are hoping they've got lightning in a bottle.
They hope Rocca can be like former Pro Bowl punter Darren Bennett, who made the NFL's 1990s All-Decade team after transitioning from Australian Rules Football, or like New York Jets punter and former Australian Rules player Ben Graham. After becoming the NFL's oldest rookie ever at 31 in 2005, Graham signed a 6-year contract extension.
The Eagles didn't sign Rocca, who played 15 seasons in the AFL for Collingwood and North Melbourne, as a gimmick. You don't bring a 33-year-old rookie halfway across the world unless you think he's got some serious potential.
