Punts and Puppies with LSU’s Zach Von Rosenberg

Punters are people too. Or so we’re told.

But according to LSU punter Zach Von Rosenberg, staying in the shadows isn’t such a bad thing.

“I’m okay with not being talked about,” he said. “That means I’m doing my job. Punters usually get talked about when it’s in a negative way. So, if my name’s being said, I’ve either gotten arrested or I’m doing horrible.”

LSU’s special teams unit as a whole hasn’t been all that impressive in the past. But with the success of guys like Von Rosenberg and the addition of star kicker Cole Tracy, the specialists are drawing more positive attention.

With this, you would expect morale to surge upwards. But obviously, there’s more to creating a positive vibe than the kicker with the “golden leg.”

“Cole (Tracy) obviously does bring an element to the room that everybody enjoys. Everybody likes having him around,” Von Rosenberg said. “But it really all comes down to the Miami game. For a lot of guys, if they weren’t bought in then, they were definitely bought in after it.”

“People were like, ‘Man, we handled those guys, we’re the real deal.’ You know, that type of attitude. I think that mentality rolled over into the Auburn game, and we realized we could go toe-to-toe with anybody.”

One of the things that stands out about Von Rosenberg is his age. On a team full of athletes that mostly range from 18-21 years of age, Von Rosenberg is 28 years old and listed as a sophomore.

Speaking of age, Von Rosenberg holds strong opinion on it. That is, in regards to dogs. Specifically puppies.

Most of us would agree that after a year or so, a dog has passed up the puppy stage. But according to Von Rosenberg, an 11-month old dog is still a puppy. Not an adolescent, but yes, a full-on puppy.

To be fair, many have come to the consensus that a dog reached adulthood somewhere in the ballpark of two years old.

“Well my dog’s not two years old. It’s not even one,” he said. “He’s not even a year yet. He’ll be a year in October. The 17th, to be exact.”

Here’s a picture of Zach’s dog as a puppy. Yogi is just a few months old here.

This is Zach’s dog now at 11 months.

Tiger Rag’s Tyler Nunez said we had ought to settle the argument at a dog being a preteen. I went with the term “tweenager”, and so we ended the argument there instead. Zach loses, I win. The joys of being right.

And according to Animal Health writer Jane Williams, a small-breed dog is indeed an adult by 11 months. Before that, even.

“In general, smaller breeds up to 30 pounds are typically full-grown between 10 and 12 months of age, while medium-sized breeds up to 80 pounds take one year to 16 months.”

We’re sure Yogi will be watching fondly from home as Von Rosenberg and the Tigers take on the Florida Gators this Saturday.