Roberto Aguayo Doing Just Fine as Buccaneers’ Kicker
The Buccaneers and their fans can rest easy as Roberto Aguayo seemingly has gotten over his hurdle with NFL kicks.
A lot of expectations were placed on the right foot of Roberto Aguayo as he entered the pros as a member of the Buccaneers. This isn’t really surprising, as it isn’t often that a team selects a kicker in the second round of the draft, and it’s less often a trade is made to make the selection. This was the confluence of events that led to the selection of Roberto, so all eyes have naturally been on him.
It didn’t start out well, we all saw it. There were misses in the first two games, including at his bread and butter, the extra point. Admittedly, some nerves were growing around Bucs’ Nation, even so far as booing Aguayo during a practice session, as reported by ABC News. Did the Bucs make a mistake? Though it was only the preseason, fans were beginning to ask the question.
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It’s a good thing that Jason Licht didn’t do anything rash, because Aguayo has turned things around and then some. He was perfect at Raymond James Stadium, making all nine of his kicks. He posted a 6-6 night against the Browns in game three, and hit a 50-yard field goal in the rain and nasty weather of the final game against the Redskins.
Aguayo felt comfortable in the weather, drawing on his college days, as he told Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times:
"“I feel comfortable going now obviously with the weather — obviously you have to adapt, you have to do what you’ve got to do,” Aguayo said. “Coach (Jimbo) Fisher used to tell us ‘Everything works to your advantage,’ and that’s the mindset you’ve got to have. I was glad I was able to hit it smooth, get it through and overall get confidence.”"
Confidence is a very key word for him to use. There is no question that his confidence was hurting after the first two exhibition games. You might think that as a pro he should always have confidence, but that just isn’t the case. With all of the expectations placed on him, not being able to perform hurt.
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Thankfully, Aguayo figured out how to right the ship in the preseason. Whether it was the mental coaching, consulting other kickers, or whatever else he did, he is gaining his confidence. He will be a better kicker for it, and he will be just fine.