Kicking Battle Update
August 26th, 2020
Well-rounded competitor in camp
A Buccaneers kicker drilled a 56-yarder in training camp practice with no problem at all, Bucco Bruce Arians said this morning.
You may not know his name. He’s Elliott Fry, the 25-year-old in camp putting up a strong challenge to incumbent Matt Gay, who struggled very late last season and hasn’t beaten out Fry.
Arians was asked today how he’d lean if Fry and Gay battle to a tie. Would a tie go to Gay, because he’s actually kicked in real NFL games?
The head coach wouldn’t go there. He said “the most consistent guy” would get the nod and shrugged off the suggestion Fry didn’t have enough range.
“Fry kicked a 56-yarder with no problem,” Arians said, adding that a tie likely would go to whoever is “the most consistent inside 35.”
August 26th, 2020 at 10:43 am
I don’t believe anyone think Gay’s leg isn’t stronger. You sure don’t have to be strong to make it from 25-40.
August 26th, 2020 at 10:43 am
Yup, Gay seemed to struggle more with the mid range / chip shots than he did with the long kicks.
Makes no sense, but kickers are a strange bunch.
August 26th, 2020 at 10:46 am
We will keep both. One to the 16-member practice squad.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:06 am
Forget range — short and long. It just may come down to whomever has the better “mental” fortitude and earned confidence in their skill. Are there kicker tests for that? 😉 Sure wish so.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:20 am
agree with @unbelievable and @scotty…
gay struggled with chip shot FGs….
it would be smart to keep both….
GO BUCS!!!!
August 26th, 2020 at 11:24 am
Im not sure who the kicker will be…. just remember, if the kicker misses one and Brady throws 4 picks and we lose… it’s the kickers fault.
August 26th, 2020 at 11:31 am
miken
😂
August 26th, 2020 at 11:31 am
Gay has already showed us the choke gene. We need to go with someone else, sorry to say imo
August 26th, 2020 at 12:20 pm
BA is not reassuring. I say it is time restructure contracts and dip back into the Patriot well and sign Gostkowski! If Gay couldn’t correct his mechanics during the off season, he needs to go.
August 26th, 2020 at 12:40 pm
We just need a kicker for 7 extra points a game.
August 26th, 2020 at 12:42 pm
Need to keep Gay to eventually bust the NFL record for the longest FG.
August 26th, 2020 at 1:53 pm
It;s a great year to keep both. Use one to kick the short yards, and one to kick the long ones. It’s not like Matt Bryant didn’t require a second kicker when he was here. Or does no one recall that?
August 26th, 2020 at 1:53 pm
From what games I saw last season it seemed like Gay tried to kick full power from short range. Hopefully he fixed his short range
August 26th, 2020 at 1:57 pm
Brandon Bob Says
“Gay has already showed us the choke gene. We need to go with someone else, sorry to say imo”
The reason we don’t have a good kicker is simple: People give up on them too quickly. When we found Matt Bryant, we had kept two kickers on the roster.
You have to give them time to develop, just like any other player, and we won’t find a good kicker until we do.
Matt Gay is better than you think. Don’t give up on him so quickly. While he develops though, it never hurts to have a proven veteran kicker with him.
August 26th, 2020 at 2:36 pm
BB don’t expect anyone here to cut a player, even a rookie kicker slack. After all, every player that has come into the league that has been worth anything was great from day 1. People here want Fry until he misses one then he’s a worthless plan B.
August 26th, 2020 at 4:06 pm
Gay lost us, single handedly, two games last year – and basically took the Bucs out of any playoff hunt with his chipshot last second miss versus the Giants.
Said it earlier this offseason, are all you morons that blamed everything bad that ever happened on Winston, are you dopes going to pin Gay losing games on Brady if it happens again?
Of course the answer is no, you’ll talk about how Gay lost the Giants game, Gay lost the Falcons game — and you’d be correct, which is totally opposite of before.
The other issue with Gay is that in his entire life he’s never made a game winning kick, ever, at any level — and we know he choked with the one chance he had last year.
With all that said, stop screwing around and changing kickers every year then complaining about consistency. If you’re trying to win now, then get a known kicker. If you’re building a team, then take a risk on a guy and deal with their early growing pains. Pretty much all kickers in the HOF were not good early on, they generally sucked year 1, were OK year 2 and by year 3 were starting to show how consistent they can be. Stick by the Gay and stop with the short leash stuff or we’ll go through another 4 kickers this year.
August 26th, 2020 at 4:30 pm
Leg strength does not matter as long as someone can kick it off, and the K can hit 98% of extra points and 80% of FGs.
August 26th, 2020 at 6:30 pm
Time to dump Gay. If this team is all in, then they better give Gostkowski a chance. We need a veteran kicker that can make all the extra points and short yardage FGs. Gay isn’t that guy, he’s a head case that will lose close games. I saw enough last year……
August 26th, 2020 at 7:54 pm
I give Matt Hetreo credit for kicking well after the Giants game (that would’ve been the end for most kickers, but he showed some resiliency), until he didn’t again against the Falcons. I don’t really care too much who wins the job, as long as he makes most of his kicks. I’m guessing there must be injury concerns with Gostkowski, otherwise he’d be on a team already.
August 26th, 2020 at 7:54 pm
*Matt Hetero*
August 26th, 2020 at 8:01 pm
As crappy as the place kicking situation is across the NFL, whoever they cut will be immediately signed and kicking in the NFL this season
August 26th, 2020 at 9:41 pm
Wait I thought Jamies was the problem with this team ???? Why are we having a competition with the kickers ? All I’ve heard was we got rid of the problem and it was Jamies . So now can yall amid that Matt Gay lost us 4 games ?? Lol 😆🤣😂lol😆🤣
August 26th, 2020 at 9:46 pm
Anybody with any intelligence knows JayMiss is a Back Up Quarterback!!! You in Kindergarten O’Neil? Or are you one of those still slurping on JayMiss balls?
August 27th, 2020 at 4:21 am
Matt Gay had a better rookie season than Sabby Janikowski. Janikowski turned out alright. If the competition is close, Gay should get a chance.
If not, Fry has proven himself under pressure in the spring league. We’ll be fine.