Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Reactions to preseason game 2
By Rob Leeds
Kicking problem has been solved
The final point taken away from the offense in the game last night was Matt Gay. Gay was 2/2 on field goals and was able to hit the game winner confidently from 48 yards out. While a kicker should still probably never be taken in the fifth round of the draft by a team that has many other glaring needs, Jason Licht MAY be off the hook for this one as Gay could be the savior that the Buccaneer kicking game has been searching for since the Roberto Aguayo debacle a few years ago.
While there has been word of a “kicking competition” that is still ongoing in the preseason, now may be a great time to start betting some of your life savings on the fact that Matt Gay will be the starting kicker in week 1. For a team that has dealt with heartbreak and some headaches at kicker, it makes effect sense that they would not come out and immediately brand this kid as their guy but the writing on the wall is clear.
If the kicking woes of the past few seasons are any indication, Gay could be a big part of more than one Buccaneer win this upcoming season. Consistency at kicker is something that the Buccaneers have been without for quite some time but as of now it seems as though the days of missed PAT’s and shanked kicks are behind them.