Apparently, all the outside help Roberto Aguayo is getting isn’t helping yet.
The Buccaneers rookie kicker, who never missed a field goal inside 40 yards in college but suddenly can’t seem to hit one, had another bad day in practice.
According to Pat Donovan of WDAE, Augayo missed two more in practice today, including “one of the worst practice shanks I’ve ever seen.”
And while the organization was proud of trading up to get the Florida State kicker in the second round, the locals have apparently already become skeptical. He’s already missed two field goals and an extra point in two preseason games. According to JoeBucsFan.com, “half the fans” at today’s joint practice with the Browns “seemed to have been heckling Aguayo.”
In the interest of #selfawareness, our daily chronicling of every practice make or miss probably isn’t helping the situation. The poor kid — who was an excellent kicker in college and has dealt with pressure before — is clearly in a slump. And being browbeaten with regular updates about how bad the slump has gotten may not be the best way to break out of it.
Then again, we’re not the ones who made a bold move to draft him higher than anyone expected and then bragged about it. Considering all the money being made, pressure’s part of the NFL. It’s just that no one imagined it unraveling this way for a kid who was the best kicker in college last year.
It’s a fascinating discussion, at least, and longtime NFL kicker Jay Feely will join PFT Live tomorrow to talk about Aguayo’s struggles and how best to shake them.