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Ryan becomes first Regina native to play in an NFL game

Ryan becomes first Regina native to play in an NFL game

Jon Ryan - a true product of Regina minor football -- became the first Reginan to play in an NFL game when he suited up for the Green Bay Packers in their 26-0 loss to the Chicago Bears. The 24-year-old made it memorable by completing a fake-punt pass in the 2nd quarter.

Ryan began playing in the Regina Intercollegiate Football League and then played with the CIS Regina Rams.

The 24-year-old punted six times for a 45-yard average. He also completed a pass -- a 16-yard fourth-down trick play to Noah Herron -- late in the first half.

Trailing Chicago 16-0 with just over two minutes left in the first half Sunday, the Packers called for a fake punt on fourth-and-4 near midfield. Punter Jon Ryan surprised the Bears by throwing a pass in the right flat to Noah Herron, who made a fingertip grab and turned the play into a 16-yard gain for a first down at the Chicago 39-yard line.

"Before the game we kind of talked that we might use that, so be ready for it," Ryan told Packers.com, who recalled the last threw a pass on a fake punt came as a senior at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan in 2003. "I was pretty pumped when we did call it."

"I saw that guy crossing pretty hard off the right edge, and I tried to plop it up over top of him, but by no means was it a beautiful throw. A couple bobbles, and he made a great catch."

Unfortunately, the Packers couldn't take advantage to get on the scoreboard.

In his first NFL game, Ryan was a busy man. In addition to completing the pass on the fake punt, he also punted six times for a solid 45-yard average.

The downside came in the fourth quarter when Bears rookie Devin Hester broke free for an 84-yard return for a touchdown. According to Ryan, whose net average dropped to just 24.3 because of that long return, the irony is that it was one of his better punts that Hester turned into a score.

"I felt like I hit it fairly well," Ryan told Packers.com. "I felt it was pretty good distance and hang time, and then that's the one they take back on you. It's just the way the world works, the way the game of football works."

On another note, Ryan also had something else to worry about, only it had nothing to do with football. His father Bob, who Jon said he is "very, very close to," had surgery yesterday after doctors found a tumor in his left hip flexor three weeks ago.

"It's tough being so far away and finding out stuff like that," Ryan admitted. "They're going to fly him to Calgary and continue treatment and radiation, and what-not. He's fighting through it right now. So we'll have to find out how the surgery went yesterday and go from there."

Ryan, who spent the 2004 and 2005 CFL seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, signed with Green Bay as a free agent in January. He proceeded to beat out incumbent B.J. Sander for the punting job.

Jason Nicurity, a former coach of Ryan's, was in the stands at Lambeau Field for the local boy's NFL regular-season debut.

Two other Saskatchewanians have played in the NFL. Arnie Weinmeister played for the New York Giants in the early 1950s and North Battleford's Rueben Mayes was the offensive rookie-of-the-year with the New Orleans Saints in 1986.