ENGLEWOOD, Colo — There is making a 29-yard field goal early in the second quarter to make the score, 6-0. As Wil Lutz did Sunday for the Broncos.
And there is making a do-or-die, 52-yard field goal in the final minutes when making it means winning and missing means losing. Lutz did that, also, for the Broncos in their 19-17 win Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
There are routines kickers go through before their win-or-lose kicks. Routines help compensate for the increased adrenaline and heart rate. And make no mistake: As kickers are human, the heart does race prior to those enormous kicks.
“Obviously, I’m aware of the situation, right?’’ Lutz said Monday in a conference call with the Denver media. “It’s cliché to say every kick is the same and I do believe that to an extent. But you almost have to go through your cues twice in more high-pressure situations just to make sure you really check your boxes and not let the moment beat you.
“I really take a lot of pride in pressure kicks. Make sure I handle it the same as I do, like you said, a 29 yarder in the second quarter. Most importantly it’s trusting your instincts, trusting your cues that you go through on every kick. I just try to slow everything down in those situations and past experience has helped with that.”
Lutz was asked if he grew up dreaming of coming through in those big moments. Not really. He grew up 40 miles outside Atlanta in Newnan, Ga. dedicated to the sport of football of another kind.
“My goal in life was to be a professional soccer player,’’ Lutz said. “I didn’t even start kicking until my junior year in high school so it’s hard to say when I wanted that moment. I fell in love with the game of football, first. I really enjoy being part of a locker room, being on the field on Sundays, in college on Saturdays. I don’t think there’s anything better.”
Sean Payton believes in him. Lutz was Payton’s kicker in New Orleans and when Payton became head coach of the Broncos, he cut the team’s kicker of the previous nine years, Brandon McManus, and eventually replaced him with Lutz. After a tough first game in which Lutz missed an extra point and 55-yard field goal in a 17-16 loss to the Raiders, he has made 22 consecutive kicks – all 12 extra points and all 10 field goals.
“I’ve been fortunate to make a lot of big kicks for Sean Payton-coached teams,’’ Lutz said. “Sean has seen me go through the ups and downs that every position goes through and he’s stuck with me through all that, so grateful for that. But at the end of the day my job is to execute my job. No matter how he talks about me, I’ve got to do my job. Obviously, I’m grateful for the support of my head coach and the locker room and the guys around me but I’ve got to show up on Sundays and do my job. That’s what I’m focused on.”
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Sports