Aguayo Gets A Leg Up
August 2nd, 2017
Well, look who stepped up from long range at practice today!
Roberto Aguayo looked like a very confident and powerful kicker Wednesday.
Before today, judging just on visible training camp performance, Joe would have said Aguayo and kicker favorite/challenger Nick Folk were performing at the same level. Very solid.
Today, Aguayo appeared to break the tie. From Joe’s various vantage points, Aguayo made more kicks during a busy day of kicking, including a 56-yarder with plenty of extra leg in the kick. Folk stepped up after that long-range bomb and delivered a bad hook and miss from the same distance.
It’s very early but it’s getting interesting in the most heralded kicking battle in Bucs history.
August 2nd, 2017 at 1:39 pm
He’s got the leg. Always had. Now if he just maintains consistency in technique. What a bonus if he finds his stroke again. Saw Martin in the Rock Riley video, I wonder if he watched in. Would’ve loved to have heard his commentary. I have spoken with Martin a bit, we think of the position to be a pretty low impact position, but he has quite a different take. His knees and hips are a mess from the reps he took and the shock of hitting the football over and over again.
August 2nd, 2017 at 1:44 pm
Should be no excuses but I personally think being picked in the 2nd round was a lot on his shoulders. Just needed some pressure taken off…what’s ironic is there is more pressure than ever. He will be fine
August 2nd, 2017 at 1:49 pm
“…including a 56-yarder with plenty of extra leg in the kick”
Yet people here think he doesn’t have the leg. That pretty much proves for good that he DOES have the leg.
So consistent accuracy is what we need from him.
August 2nd, 2017 at 1:52 pm
Come on Aguayo!! Go NOLES
August 2nd, 2017 at 1:52 pm
I’m with BONZAI, one kick in practice is plenty of proof for me.
August 2nd, 2017 at 1:52 pm
ROBERTO!!!!!
First of many great kicks this year!!
#CAMP2017
August 2nd, 2017 at 1:55 pm
I still believe he needs to seriously outperform Folk to keep his job.
August 2nd, 2017 at 2:20 pm
Time was I’d have said no way Aguayo wins the job – making a comeback from the yips is a rare thing. I still say let the best man win. It doesn’t cost me any cred if a second rounder gets cut in his second pre-season, but all else being equal I’d rather not see Jason Licht take a hit for a wasted pick.
August 2nd, 2017 at 2:24 pm
BucTired, you’re tripping. Folk would have to seriously outperform Aguayo to take his job.
August 2nd, 2017 at 2:25 pm
I was there and I saw that today. He was very impressive!
Do you know what else I saw? Hundreds of people cheering for Gerald McCoy early in the practice when he took the field. Not one person said anything negative or booed or anything. Turns out the haters are nothing more than keyboard warriors.
August 2nd, 2017 at 2:30 pm
May the best man win.
May the best man win games for us.
August 2nd, 2017 at 2:34 pm
Message received, Joe.
(exits stage left)
August 2nd, 2017 at 2:44 pm
I am rooting for Agaryo but also realize that it would take some stone cold nuts from Licht to give this guy the job. Just thinking about it makes me nervous.
August 2nd, 2017 at 2:51 pm
Aguayo no esta acabado…
August 2nd, 2017 at 2:54 pm
If it’s even Aguayo should get the nod imo.
younger / better pedigree/ better on kick offs / and on a drafted contract
His issues were all through preseason and in camp last year. It’s not like the pressure of the regular season changed him into a worse kicker.. he was just performing bad throughout.
If he does fine through TC/preseason I’m fine rolling with him. Hearing that he’s making a bunch of 50+ yarders this offseason has been the best news honestly… i really was worried about his range after seeing not seeing a single kick that would have been good for 50+ last year – practice or preseason or regular season
August 2nd, 2017 at 2:54 pm
Yeah D-Rome. The McCoy haters are just a small handful of silly dreamers who blame all the worst on the organization on McCoy because he was not the next Sapp like Reginald Roundtree predicted.
It’s rare to get a fan be that truly stupid but rest assured they are few. It just seems like there are more of them because they are obsessive by nature and are JBF worshipers because this place has more news. Also because they will completely troll any GMC article making them look bigger in numbers.
And I’m not talking about any fan who criticizes Gerald, a lot(most) off that is warranted. I’m talking about the dreamers who have allowed their smashed dreams to turn into hatred over GMC. These dreamers can be spotted saying things like GMC is deadweight or that he is easily replaced ect.
August 2nd, 2017 at 3:04 pm
Folk is a decent short term fix… but aguayo has more upside & a real chance at longevity on his side… think the kid will have a solid & long career (ie. Sebastian Janikowski, Mike Nugent, Jason Hanson, Chris Bahr)
teams & fans overreact with kickers… matt bryant has made 86% of his kicks during his career and we ran him out of town for an unproven kicker with a total of 10 NFL kicks under his belt… and barth has made 84% of his kicks & was ran out of town for another unproven kicker LOL
August 2nd, 2017 at 3:25 pm
I for one, am pulling for RA19!!!!! If he wins, its better for the Bucs in the long run!!!!! I just hope that some will give the guy a shot and not be on pins and needles just waiting for him to fail so they can boooooo him!!!!! And it was pretty classless last year the so called “fans” that did boo him in training camp last year!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 2nd, 2017 at 3:27 pm
I’ll say it again: it will take Aguayo VASTLY outperforming Folk for him to stay on this team. Franchises do NOT hand out almost a million $$$ in guaranteed money to a kicker they plan on cutting JUST to create “competition”. That is craziness. If they wanted to create competition, they would have signed some UDFA kickers like every other team does.
Folk has a proven track record of clutch kicks. Even if Aguayo does well in training camp and preseason, chances are the yips come back when REAL pressure is on during close games. The Bucs are all-in to win this season, and they want a kicker they can trust. Unless Folk looks considerably and obviously worse than Aguayo, he will be our kicker.
Say it with me Stick Carriers: “Aguayo Bye Bye-o!!”
Go Bucs!!!
August 2nd, 2017 at 3:36 pm
Glad to hear Aguayo is doing well so far this year. Hitting a 56 yarder w/ plenty of extra leg under it is encouraging. 2nd report this year of Berto hitting a 55+ and Folk missing the same kick. Consistency is the key so the kid better keep hitting them if he wants be employed this year.
August 2nd, 2017 at 3:41 pm
The yips are like herpes, once you get them you never get rid of them. Hopefully Roberto the kicker doesn’t get a flare up in December.
August 2nd, 2017 at 3:43 pm
Yet people here think he doesn’t have the leg. That pretty much proves for good that he DOES have the leg.
actually it still doesn’t….do it in a preseason game or week1 and i’ll say he has the leg….hell I can go out and kick a football 40yards without any pressure…no oline…no crowd noise….but I am pulling for the kid….nothing hurts me more than seeing a buc fail….GO BUCS!!!
August 2nd, 2017 at 3:46 pm
I just hope that some will give the guy a shot and not be on pins and needles just waiting for him to fail so they can boooooo him!!!!!
those damn MIAMI fans!!!…LOL…GO BUCS!!!
August 2nd, 2017 at 3:52 pm
we will see what happens in real game action but i don’t know i feel i can’t be the only one rooting for aguayo to win just for the simple fact that he was great in college and young so if he gets his problems corrected he should hold down our kicking job for a long time.
August 2nd, 2017 at 4:01 pm
“It’s me your Father Roberto”
August 2nd, 2017 at 4:07 pm
Aguayo just needs to cruise right on through camp and the job is his
August 2nd, 2017 at 4:23 pm
I’ll say it once again for the dopes out there that don’t know any NFL history – but here’s a fun fact for you – MANY, and I mean MANY, of the all-time great kickers in NFL history had bad rookie years, it’s pretty common. They generally bounce back with OK 2nd years before hitting their groove by year 3. The kid knows how to kick and he made the only kicks under pressure he had to make last year – he will be fine this year and I personally believe he’ll go on to play for a decade or two in the NFL. Last year I said early on just put him on IR with turf toe or something and he’ll be fine this year. BTW fine means that, not great, just fine – maybe he’ll do better and move up that timeline, but you don’t forget how to kick in one offseason. Hopefully he adapts to the pressure and wins the job – because unlike seemingly most of the Bucs “fans” here I would like us to not have wasted a 2nd round pick. He needs to win the job, but in my mind a tie is a win. If he did get cut by the Bucs he’ll get signed by someone (like almost all former Bucs kickers) and will go on to play for a very very long time in the NFL.
For Folk the good news about him, if he wins the job straight up, is that while he’s 32 and will be 33 during the season, as a kicker that still means he can last another decade. So if he wins the job straight up he can be our longterm guy – and he has good power, better than current kicker has, and while that will decline over the coming seasons all we need to do is look at Matt Bryant to realize that you can play for a long-long time in the NFL if you’re accurate – which is the calling card of current kicker if he plays like he did in college.
August 2nd, 2017 at 4:40 pm
The fans are impatient with Roberto. I liken it to the Glennon Mob; it’s a Folk mob mentality. Did we expect him to be that bad last season? No. I’ve maintained that he’s always had the leg. Fans need to get over the fear factor and their “I told you we should of never drafted him” ego and let the kid do his thing. Justin Tucker for example, arguably the best kicker in football was just 40-45 percent in 2014-2015 from 50 plus. Then he hit all 9 50 yarders last season. Just goes to show you how volatile one season can be from the next even for the game’s best. The talent is there in Roberto, it was mainly the technique and pressure he was putting on himself. I think he has his form back and we will see less sidewinding (finesse), and more head down, head still, while properly planting and driving his leg through the ball and between the goal posts. With the proper form, you dont have to finesse or overkick for accuracy. The ball will just fly off your foot….
August 2nd, 2017 at 4:42 pm
I get that Rod but that doesn’t mean squat with our kicker. A lot of kickers have also struggled in their first year or preseasonr and never kicked in the league again.
August 2nd, 2017 at 4:43 pm
It will be very interesting to see who gets the first kick next Friday.
August 2nd, 2017 at 4:50 pm
JimmyJack – Correct, I should have said that. I personally think he’s going to be fine, but maybe he isn’t. Just Joe keeps pushing this idea that a tie means current kicker is out, but I don’t see how or why that would be the case, if it’s a tie you go with the younger, cheaper talent that you spent a 2nd round pick on. If kick stinks in the preseason then yeah, you’ll be forced to cut him – but personally I’d find some injury for him to have which would lead to him being on IR for the year. But Folk is a very good kicker and if he wins the job I’m not going to worry about it too much if he’s kicking for a decade.
August 2nd, 2017 at 4:59 pm
Rod Munch Says:
August 2nd, 2017 at 4:50 pm
JimmyJack – Correct, I should have said that. I personally think he’s going to be fine, but maybe he isn’t. Just Joe keeps pushing this idea that a tie means current kicker is out, but I don’t see how or why that would be the case
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Correct….Roberto has way more upside. The team didn’t miss the playoffs because of him last year. It wasn’t just Roberto that got off to a bad start last year…..the entire team did as well. I have faith and confidence in the kid even if I am in the small majority.
August 2nd, 2017 at 5:23 pm
Reginald Roundtree?
August 2nd, 2017 at 5:25 pm
Maybe I’ve missed it, but I haven’t heard a single media person or fan say one word about the most important factor when it comes to kickers IMO: the Trust Factor. I loved Matt Bryant & was sick when we got rid of him. Matt wasn’t just an 86% kicker overall; he was an 86% kicker in the clutch. With the game on the line, Matt was going to punch it through 6 out of 7 times. High ‘Trust Factor’ in other words. Pretty much the same IMO with Conor Barth … high ‘Trust Factor’. Thought a lot of him too. You knew that with the game on the line, Conor was going to hit 5 out of 6.
Roberto suffered from a low ‘Trust Factor’ last year IMO … of his own doing. Can he bounce back? I personally think he can, but it takes awhile to rebuild trust. Of course, my opinion counts for, oh yes, nothing. It’s what Jason Licht & Dirk Koetter think that matters. Whichever kicker wins the competition, I’m confident that the Bucs’ kicking game will be better this year than it was last year. And to me that’s the only bottom line that counts. Competition brings out the best in everyone. May the best kicker win.
August 2nd, 2017 at 5:28 pm
I say folk, Roberto miss some game winning field goals last year, if it wasn’t for him , we’d be in the playoffs last year.. but that was his rookie year, this season should be good, like there saying it’s too early, see who steps up..
August 2nd, 2017 at 5:56 pm
Don’t want to hear from people who said he can’t kick past 40yds. YOUR WRONG , so shut your comments.
STill say let best man win !!!
August 2nd, 2017 at 6:46 pm
I’m definitely going for Roberto. Maybe just a very nervou in rookie year 2016, especially as it continues on. Now that I think about it, this might be what I’m looking at the most in preseason.
August 2nd, 2017 at 6:57 pm
I was there at practice today. Folk went 1 for 5 in kicks and Aguayo went 5 for 5 today.
August 2nd, 2017 at 7:16 pm
mike n Says
“I’m with BONZAI, one kick in practice is plenty of proof for me.”
Can’t tell if you are being sarcastic…but it really should be. If he can make it the distance once, he can do it again…which means he has the leg.
Accuracy and consistency is what he needs the work on…under pressure.
Which is why I think they keep two kickers…at least for the first 3 games.
August 2nd, 2017 at 7:26 pm
Jeebs the Honey Bear Says
“I’ll say it again: it will take Aguayo VASTLY outperforming Folk for him to stay on this team.”
“Will” is a strong word.
If I were calling the shots, and the competition was really close, or even if Aguayo were slightly ahead in it…I would keep him, but I would have Folk take that free roster spot that the Martin suspension provides.
That gives three games to test Aguayo under real game pressure. At that point…a decision would have to be made…but if they can at all swing it, keeping both is the smart thing if it is close. It proves Aguayo is improving dramatically…and that means the Bucs would be stupid to let him walk.
But having Folk available for a contingency plan would seem a smart thing to do.
August 2nd, 2017 at 9:06 pm
Folk is money. You have to go with experience and maturity. Look at all the older kickers in the league “bringin it”. The yips don’t go away after one year….
August 2nd, 2017 at 10:51 pm
I’ve read such diverse versions of how the kickers performed today I have no idea who did well or what happened.
PR summary
Chris Baker was back to practice today and was a full participant, including getting in the heads of the kickers as they set up for field goals to try to simulate pressure.
That pressure apparently worked because both kickers, Aguayo and Folk, were awful today. After making a 55-yard field goal in the one-minute drill, Aguayo had a couple bad misses in the field goal drill, as did Folk. Bad day for them.
August 2nd, 2017 at 11:10 pm
D-Rome you are so ignorant.
Ppl that that criticize McCoy dont hate him. We know he can do better and thats what we say what we say but we will never BOO him.He is our player. So dont be so touchy touchy and butt hurt.