Less Pressure On Matt Gay
April 29th, 2020
The Bucs hope to win a Super Bowl this season and their first-year kicker missed five out of his last nine field goal attempts, spanning the final four Tampa Bay games of the 2019 season.
What makes that a little concerning is that the Bucs were eliminated with three games remaining. So Matt Gay struggled most without big-time pressure on him — and two of those final three games were at home.
The Bucs, however, seem highly satisfied with Gay. The Bucs did not sign a kicker in free agency. They didn’t draft one, and what intrigues Joe is that unofficial reports of the Bucs’ 2020 class of undrafted free agents does not include a kicker.
As of today, Gay is the only kicker on the roster.
Yeah, Joe realizes signing an undrafted kicker when teams are forbidden to practice might be a bit odd. Coaches can’t see the guy kick in practice, so one could argue signing one now isn’t the best decision. But one easily could say the Bucs should have nailed down the best available undrafted free agent kicker over the weekend.
Last year, Cairo Santos competed with Gay through training camp and in preseason. Santos, however, went on to miss five field goals in five games with the Titans and got cut. He remains on the street. But it sure seemed like the Santos competition was good for Gay.
Joe just hopes the Bucs don’t play psychological games with Gay and, subsequently, tell him over and over and over that he’s “the man” and not add reasonable competition at kicker.
April 29th, 2020 at 11:23 am
He has to have competition and feel the pressure. He just cannot go to training camp sitting in his comfort zone. What would happen when he needs to kick the winning FG with all the pressure on his shoulders? He wouldn’t manage that because he wasn’t used to.
April 29th, 2020 at 11:30 am
If Bucs draft another kicker in round 6 or round 7 you’ll be here complaining. Nothing the management does please you all.
That’s downright inaccurate in so many ways. You must not be a regular reader. –Joe
April 29th, 2020 at 11:34 am
Agree with this
April 29th, 2020 at 11:34 am
*agree with Joe lol
April 29th, 2020 at 11:34 am
This entire team and Bucs fans have had a GIGANTIC pressure off their shoulder. First of all, he was a rookie last year. He was hitting bombs he just needs to control his length strength mixed with shorter yardage. Gay’s gonna show up and show the punk bandwagoneers he’s been practicing that same thing.
April 29th, 2020 at 11:38 am
Okay Joe, I’m sorry if they offends you. Joe is not offended at all. Joe often corrects or removes errors in this space that relate to misrepresentation of the host.–Joe
April 29th, 2020 at 11:41 am
They will bring one in so the leg is not worn out in TC.
April 29th, 2020 at 11:45 am
We need an upgrade here. He proved last year to be mentally weak early, all the way back to the Giants game. If nothing else a kicker should be mentally tough, no choking allowed. Missing an extra point length kick is all between the ears. He continued to choke all the way to the finish line unfortunately.
April 29th, 2020 at 11:46 am
Those were Winston’s fault
April 29th, 2020 at 11:50 am
Ka’imi Fairbairn
Stephen Gostkowski
others – help?
April 29th, 2020 at 11:58 am
JUST PRACTICE PAT CUS TDs ARE THE ONLY OTHER POINTS WE’RE GOING TO BE MAKING!!!
GO BUCS!!!
April 29th, 2020 at 12:03 pm
Matt Gay is not good. We better fix this kicking situation before it’s too late. Licht really does suck when it comes to kickers. The Bucs had solid kickers with Connor Barth and Pat Murray but he tries to fix what wasnt broken. We clearly need an upgrade here.
April 29th, 2020 at 12:08 pm
There will be less pressure on Gay during games also……with Brady at QB, BA & BL will be more inclined to go for it on 4th downs……
April 29th, 2020 at 12:18 pm
They damn well better bring in competition. Dude lost the Giants and Falcons game. He missed all of three makeable kicks in the last game of the year. I know all the Jameis haters are elated that he choked because that ensure Jameis was run out of town. Regardless, if this dude chokes in like he did in both those games how are you going to feel if were down by 2 in the NFC championship and need him to make a 48 yard field goal. I have no faith in this guy.
April 29th, 2020 at 12:30 pm
Matt gay should get a statue outside 1 Buc. For ridding us of the 5 year stench.
April 29th, 2020 at 12:33 pm
I’m not sure it would be less pressure on gay, Brady always had 2 of the most clutch kickers to ever kick, there would definitely be more pressure on gay this season because of who is playing at QB and the overall expectations of the team. Time will tell if pressure is a good thing for gay, we do know that he somehow prefers to kick longer field goals than short ones which is odd.
April 29th, 2020 at 12:37 pm
Matt Gay is a choker. The first tme he costs Brady a game (like he did against the Giants) Tom Brady will club him with a dead babu seal . He makes two chip shots and the Bucs are 9-7 even with Jameis 29 picks (the last one wouldn’t have happened). He makes a 50 yarder before half time against the Seahawks and the Bucs are 10-6. The Bucs are irresponsible for not signing a kicker to compete. And watch, Brady will have the Bucs bring both Gostkowski and Vinateri in to challenge the Gay kicker. Bucslife.
April 29th, 2020 at 12:39 pm
Yes let’s blame the kicker for 5 years of ineptitude at the QB position.
April 29th, 2020 at 12:42 pm
Just got off a webinar with Jason Licht and he is adamant that there will be competition for Gay this season. The question put to him was whether he was planning on signing Gostkowski to keep on absorbing Patriots castoffs, but after laughing that off, he said that he was going to have some competition for the position in training camp.
April 29th, 2020 at 12:47 pm
I like him.
April 29th, 2020 at 12:49 pm
Young Bucs. How about we blame both? Cause they both contributed to losing.
Yes they need competition. And I would hope they know that. Not getting a college kid might mean they want to bring in a veteran…….I cannot argue if that’s the thinking based on how our luck has gone with kids.
April 29th, 2020 at 12:55 pm
But I won’t sell out Gay. I do want competition but I’m thinking he has the ability to win the job.
His misses are from short range which ya gotta think is easier to correct.
Even if we do go into the season with Gay I will assume the leash is short. But Christ Almighty if they cannot fix this freaking position!!! It’s truely mind boggling when I’ve seen teams fix it midseason at times. Rarely do you see it persist from one year to the next. We are freaking pushing a decade of kicker problems. It’s truely unthinkable. I’m dry heaving over here thinking about it.
April 29th, 2020 at 1:53 pm
The pressure that exists is the always existing pressure that he puts on himself.
Welcome to the NFL…Pressure? There ain’t no pressure!
April 29th, 2020 at 1:54 pm
If your team is kicking 3-5 FGs in one game, there is something wrong with your offense. Touchdowns win games. Seldom is a game won in a FG shootout.
April 29th, 2020 at 1:55 pm
I dont know how more nationally televised games and Brady breathing down your neck after he leads a potential game winning drive with 2 seconds on the clock equals less pressure.
If you cant handle the pressure of a meaningless week 17 game vs the Falcons its not looking good.
April 29th, 2020 at 1:58 pm
Imaigine trotting Gay out there to kick the game winner in the playoffs… scary!
April 29th, 2020 at 1:59 pm
@Youngbucs,
Kickers in the NFL make 34 yard kicks at a 94% make rate. Gay missed two that cost the Bucs both games Giants and Falcons.
QB’s on the other hand do not have a 94% make rate on anything. Even throwing the ball to running backs.
You Winston haters are like the Rob Reiners and Rosie O’Donnells of JBF.
#Triggered!!
April 29th, 2020 at 2:03 pm
JimmyJack – the three he missed in the Atlanta game were all in the 40-48 yard range. He misses from everywhere.
April 29th, 2020 at 2:06 pm
Hawk – he missed THREE! The Bucs scored plenty of TDs last year as the second 3rd ranked offense in the league. Get out of here with that! Each field goal is worth three points so he personally left 9 points off the board that day.
April 29th, 2020 at 2:07 pm
I bet Brady and Gronk are going to bat for Gostkowski.
April 29th, 2020 at 2:33 pm
And the offense left 21 points off the board. Sorry, but *every* coach (from peewee to pros) will tell you their offense failed if they settle for a FG.
The *only* goal of the offense is to score a touchdown. The *only* job of the defense is to keep the opponent from scoring, and the *only* job of the kicker is to put it through the uprights.
I am not excusing his misses. He should have competition, just like everyone else, but FGs do not win games.
April 29th, 2020 at 2:51 pm
Hawk don’t tell Brady that or you might not want him that bad. After all he would not have quite the same resume without a kicker making all those game winning kicks cause his offense, as you say, left so many points off the board.
April 29th, 2020 at 2:53 pm
Yeah NDOG, MR $148k signing bonus. That should be your new nickname. Always laugh at people that try to drag Brady.
April 29th, 2020 at 3:06 pm
Joe you didn’t get the memo? The reason for all the missed kicks was because of Winston
April 29th, 2020 at 3:10 pm
You would think with all the free passes people on here gave Winston Matt Gay could get the benefit of the doubt for one season. Yes bring in competition but it’s funny the same people who want to run him out of town are saying “IF WE JUST GAVE WINSTON ANOTHER YEAR HE WOULD BE GREAT”
April 29th, 2020 at 3:14 pm
Hawk – ever heard the term “just put some points on the board?” Did Brady fail when he got the Patriots into field goal range and the kicker made it on ice and snow and got his team to the Superbowl. Superbowls have been won off of field goals. Just stop man. No team in the NFL has scored a touchdown everytime they got the ball.
April 29th, 2020 at 3:15 pm
Matt Gay needs competition. The guy has a strong leg but has proven to be a head case. He is the weakest link for the team.
April 29th, 2020 at 3:23 pm
Adam.vinetari is out there but I like Matt and would like to see how well he responds in his second season
April 29th, 2020 at 3:24 pm
Say it again JimmyJack, A DECADE of kicking issues. Sound like organizational problems
April 29th, 2020 at 4:23 pm
” Joe just hopes the Bucs don’t play psychological games with Gay. ”
IMO Arians did just that when he attempted to place the ball on a certain hashmark and took a penalty to change the distance of field goal in one of our games early in the season.
Personally hope he settles down and also hope some of our fans do the same.
Afterall ,its not like he was a second round pick.
April 29th, 2020 at 5:08 pm
Reading the expert, unforgiving commentary about Gay brings to mind John McKay’s quote from the time the Tribune labeled the Bucs the “Chokeneers.” He said that people using that term were no better than snakes. Take a deep breath and let it all play out. Gay has all the attributes of a top flight kicker but just a few bats in the belfry. He has great power with a clean, compact swing that most kickers would die for. That does not equate to a clear, calm mind when you’re out there so we need to give him time to toughen his mind to match his physicality. To all the posters who trash him for missing a kick in front of millions of fans as a rookie, I have a dance competition set up that you should apply for. Actually, don’t need it as the long-term stats show that the posters with the tough-guy comments turn out the be the biggest flakes when it’s their ass on the line.
April 29th, 2020 at 5:52 pm
The Colts signed Rodrigo Blankenship on a futures contract. Adam Vinatieri may or may not retire, but they’ve already got his replacement in Chase McLaughlin.
Accurate and strong from distance, Blankenship was 200-of-200 on extra points.
He was on my wishlist.
I personally think he would have been great competition for Gay…not to mention we have great luck with Latino kickers!
April 29th, 2020 at 5:54 pm
I do like Matt Gay though…and my hopes are that he improves this year. But I think it is wise to have competition.
April 29th, 2020 at 8:22 pm
If Gay had made kicks in the ATL finale, the Giant game oand Seattle the Bucs would probably have made the playoffs and Winston would still be a Buc. If Gay won the Giant game you never know how the season could have went….. Even if he simply made one of 3 in the December ATL game that would have negated Winston’s Buc career ending pick 6 and who knows, he might syill be a Buc. Like it or not, Gay is one of the biggest cogs that helped get the GOAT to tmpa with the exception of Jameis himself……
Bonzai, one thing I remember about Blankenship is the jake he had against South Carolina in OT that was quite shocking as it cost the Dawgs the game. So I would not call the kin infallible….
April 29th, 2020 at 10:10 pm
Man there are some fans in here whose moms must have dropped them on the soft spot of their heads when they were babies.
April 29th, 2020 at 10:15 pm
I would have cut this guy after the season. Licht, please stop being irresponsible and sign some competition for this dude. While your at it, please, pretty please, sign at least ONE running back that has accomplished something in the NFL.
April 29th, 2020 at 10:16 pm
PS — Gay will be out of the league in two years. He’s a gagger. That’s been demonstrated.
April 29th, 2020 at 10:24 pm
I have no problem with a team trotting out the kicker for a last minute tie/win. That is a completely different scenario from what I said, but obviously you two have an agenda, or you have trouble with reading-comprehension.
Either way, there is no honor in me having an intelligent debate with an unarmed opponent.
April 30th, 2020 at 12:44 pm
The place kicker is definitely suspect. There is no reason not to bring in some competition for Gay.