Tag: Justin Tucker

Panthers K Eddy Piñeiro asked about his absences from offseason workouts

Did Panthers K Eddy Piñeiro answer questions about his earlier offseason absences?

So, why did Carolina Panthers kicker Eddy Piñeiro skip out on offseason workouts? Well, he’s not the guy to ask.

Piñeiro, who did not attend voluntary minicamp nor team organized team activities, returned to the squad for mandatory minicamp this week. When speaking to reporters for the first time since his reappearance, he was asked about the absences.

“My decision on that is kinda private right now between me and the Panthers,” Piñeiro replied on Wednesday. “So I’m not gonna comment on me missing anything.”

The 28-year-old also declined to comment on if the absences were related to his current contract, one that ranks 20th in average annual value amongst all kickers.

He did, though, note the importance of the past few and upcoming months leading into the final year of that pact.

“This is a big offseason for me,” Piñeiro added. “I have a lot of goals. I wanna have a great season this year. I’m the third-most accurate kicker in NFL history right now. My goal is to be No. 1. So, that’s how I’m gonna attack this offseason.”

Piñeiro has successfully converted on 89.0 percent of his career field goal attempts. As he stated, he sits third in that category—behind Baltimore’s Justin Tucker (90.2) and Kansas City’s Harrison Butker (89.1).

According to Joe Person of The Athletic, who was in attendance for this afternoon’s practice, Piñeiro went 2-for-4 on his field goal tries during team drills.

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Justin Tucker is bulking up and doing tackle drills for the first time since high school because of the NFL’s new kickoff rules

Justin Tucker is in the lab, folks 😤

The NFL’s new kickoff rules are about to change the lives of so many kickers around the league this season.

The league’s new (kind of weird!) kickoff rules emphasize a landing zone instead of having kickers boot the ball out of the back of the endzone.

That’ll lead to a lot more returned kicks and, with the kicking team’s players being lined up closer to the receiving team’s players, it’ll lead to more circumstances where the actual kicker will legitimately be the last line of defense on a play.

That’s why the Chiefs are considering benching their kicker on kickoffs and using a safety instead. For some kickers across the league, it’s a real “get with it or get lost” situation.

Justin Tucker is doing his best to get with it. The Ravens’ kicker said he’s been in the weight room a lot more than usual to try and adjust to the league’s new rules. He said he watched XFL film and noticed that kickers were involved in “20 to 25 percent” of the tackles.

Not only has he bulked up, but he’s also doing tackle drills for the first time since *checks notes* high school to get himself ready.

“I’ve mixed it up a couple of times. I’ve gotten in there. But, you know, I’ve got to get some more shrugs — get the traps going a little bit — you know, just to make sure I’m prepared for a little more contact.” 

Folks. This is not a drill. Justin Tucker is hitting the weight room. I can’t blame him — being the kicker who tries and fails to make a touchdown-saving tackle on a kick return has to be one of the most embarrassing things in football. It never looks good. Best to figure out how to tackle now than to be embarrassed by it down the line.

Ravens’ Justin Tucker hitting the weight room hard to prepare for new kickoff rule

Justin Tucker went to say that he isn’t exactly what most people think of when it comes to the concepts of being “shredded” or “swole.”

Justin Tucker is more than just the most accurate placekicker in history. And while he’s also an accomplished opera singer, who can can belt out a tune in seven different languages, he’s also a very engaging interview subject.

And this season, you might be able to add tackling machine to his CV.

The NFL has approved a new kickoff rule, one appropriated from the XFL, which will require placekickers to potentially be the last line of defense against kickoff return touchdowns.

While PKs will continue kicking off from their own 35, the other 10 players on the kicking team will line up at the receiving team’s 40, just 5 yards away from the first wave of the return team.

In other words, we’re going to see more tackles from kickers this upcoming season.

Tucker was asked, during the media session at today’s OTAs, whether he plans to bulk up for this.

“I have put on, like, 3.8 pounds,” he hilariously responded.

“Can you guys tell? Probably not. But yeah, I’ll leave it at that.”

Tucker went to say that he isn’t exactly what most people think of when it comes to the concepts of being “shredded” or “swole.”

“This might be really surprising to a lot of you guys and a lot of my teammates because I don’t hang out in the weight room too frequently,” he continued.

“Now I got to get some more shrugs, get the traps going a little bit, just to make sure I’m prepared for a little bit more contact.”

While Tucker isn’t exactly the embodiment of “beast mode” or “jacked,” he has made eight tackles over the course of his career; the last of which came towards the end of the 2022 season.

Perhaps you’ll be seeing footage of him in the weight room this season, and in that footage he’ll stacking plate like IHOP as he builds his own personal fortress of swolitude.

“I don’t think (tackling opposing ballcarriers is) necessarily something that is encouraged (for kickers), but it’s not discouraged either,” he said.

“It kind of just comes with a territory. It’s a football play.

“We’re all football players out there, and ultimately if a returner is beelining toward the end zone and I’m the last guy there to stop him, it is part of my job description.”

Given that more tackling could be required of Tucker this season, he might be doing some tackling drills (for the first time since high school) at training camp next month.

“It’ll probably be really bad TV, but we’ll have fun doing it,” he added.

Indeed, you know what they say: “sun’s out, guns out.”

Justin Tucker makes list of players who should grace the cover of ‘Madden NFL 25’

Justin Tucker is receiving a lot of positive press this offseason, even though he hasn’t done anything that would be considered “news.” According to NFL.com’s Bobby Kownack, Tucker is one of his five leading candidates to grace the cover of the next …

Justin Tucker is receiving a lot of positive press this offseason, even though he hasn’t done anything that would be considered “news.”

According to NFL.com’s Bobby Kownack,  Tucker is one of his five leading candidates to grace the cover of the next edition of the popular Madden video game series.

The Madden series has had a history of putting players on the cover who embody the rule changes made by the league in that given year.

With the new kickoff rule taking effect this upcoming season, who better to grace the cover than the most excellent kicker ever?

Tucker temporarily lost the title of most accurate placekicker of all time late last season but has since reclaimed it. He has a 90.2% accuracy rate over his career.

His most extended field goal a record of 66 yards could last a long while.

However, it isn’t just speculation over video game cover imagery that draws attention to Tucker this summer.

Given how Tucker and the Kansas City Chiefs PK, Harrison Butker, are basically on a level above everybody else in the league, they are inevitably and consistently compared to one another.

Butker came under fire last month due to some extremist views that he presented while giving a commencement address at an ultra-conservative college. 

In the public backlash against Butker, Tucker’s virtues have been pushed back to the forefront. Not just on social media but in regular mainstream media, we’re seeing the Tucker vs Butker narrative return, although it comes in an off-the-field theme this time.

As you may or may not know, Baltimore’s All-Pro placekicker is an accomplished opera singer who can belt out a song in seven different languages.

He has been singing for charity in the offseason for nearly a decade.

However, his vocal prowess and philanthropic efforts are currently back in the news. That is largely due to critics of Butker juxtaposing him against Tucker, as they praise the Ravens PK and spotlight his best traits.

Jake Bates joins Justin Tucker in Ford Field kicking history

Jake Bates has something in common with Ravens great Justin Tucker

It must be something about Ford Field.

Jake Bates kicked a 64-yard field goal on Saturday to give the Michigan Panthers an 18-16 victory over the St. Louis Battlehawks in UFL play.

If long field goals at the venue sound familiar, that would be because Justin Tucker nailed a 66-yard field goal to give the Baltimore Ravens a victory over the Detroit Lions there in 2021.

Tucker’s feat … or foot.

NFL free agency: Looking at the Ravens history with the franchise tag

With 27 pending free agents and several key players looking for big money, we’re taking a look at the Baltimore Ravens’ history with the NFL franchise tag

When the Chiefs Super Bowl parade was completed, the NFL world started to focus on 2024 entirely and the critical offseason that awaits.

As teams around the league prepare for the NFL scouting combine, the franchise tag window opens on Tuesday and closes on March 5.

Any unrestricted free agent not tagged in that period will be able to sign with any suitor when the new league year and free agency opens on March 13. (The negotiating period, when teams can reach out to agents of potential free agents to start talks, begins March 11.)

Lamar Jackson was among six players tagged last year, with two, including defensive tackle Daron Payne (Giants) and tight end Evan Engram (Jaguars) signing long-term extensions.

The 2024 salary cap hasn’t been set yet, but it’s expected to land north of $240 million, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.

Baltimore has a long history of tagging players and getting a deal done at a later date. They have done so with five of their previous seven franchise-tagged players.

With the new league year fast approaching and Justin Madubuike or Patrick Queen likely candidates for the designation, we’re looking at the Ravens’ history with the franchise tag.

Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes said they were getting a taunting penalty if Justin Tucker missed his FG

Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes had something special in mind for Justin Tucker if he’d missed a kick on Sunday.

The strangest feud of the 2024 NFL Playoffs almost escalated in a very funny way, according to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

While talking with Pat McAfee and company on the former Indianapolis Colts punter’s ESPN show, Kelce revealed that he and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes were planning on taunting Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker if he had missed a kick during a key moment of Sunday’s AFC title game.

Mahomes even popped in the interview to back up with Kelce’s recollection.

The tiff started when Kelce and Mahomes kept moving Tucker’s kicking equipment before Sunday’s game, which the Ravens kicker alleges had never happened to him in the past during warmups.

Mahomes countered by saying that it’s only ever against the Ravens that a kicker won’t move when the Chiefs come on the field, and Kelce agreed.

According to Kelce, he and Mahomes were more than ready to take on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to mock Tucker openly if he’d missed a field goal attempt during the fourth quarter to cut the lead to one score.

Tucker made the kick, but it’d be Mahomes and Kelce who would win the game.

This whole situation feels like everyone probably owns a little bit of the blame, which makes it much less serious and much easier to laugh about.

The Chiefs would get the last laugh in the end, but we’re guessing Tucker and the Ravens wouldn’t mind a playoff rematch next year to add fuel to this budding rivalry.

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Patrick Mahomes said Justin Tucker is the only kicker he’s had pregame issues with

Patrick Mahomes said he’s had three pregame run-ins with kickers — all in Baltimore.

Patrick Mahomes addressed his run-in with Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker Tuesday, telling 610 Sports his side of the story after Tucker offered up his own explanation Monday.

Video of pregame warm-ups before the Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs played in the AFC championship Sunday showed Mahomes and Travis Kelce tossing Tucker’s equipment, as the sides were attempting to warm-up in the same area. Tucker said he was just going through his normal routine, but Mahomes said it was also his normal routine and kickers typically cooperate — except for three times, all in Baltimore.

“He does that little stuff to try to get under our skin,” Mahomes said, corroborating Kelce’s account of the situation.

After hearing all three sides, I’m still not sure we’re any closer to knowing what or who to believe.

Patrick Mahomes explains Chiefs’ pregame issues with Ravens kicker Justin Tucker

#Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes explains Kansas City’s pregame issues with Baltimore #Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.

Many critics viewed the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday as an upset on their way to another Super Bowl appearance. Resilience on the road in hostile environments has changed the narrative around Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes regarding road post-season games.

Mahomes is now a road warrior after going undefeated in both road playoff games this year. He was ready for the tough crowds in Buffalo and Baltimore but may not have been prepared for the hostile pregame routine conditions he faced on Sunday.

Speaking to Carrington Harrison on 610 Sports Radio show “The Drive” during his weekly check-in, Mahomes revealed the reason for the odd pregame interaction between him, Travis Kelce, and Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.

“I’ve had like seven years of doing that same warm-up routine and there’s only been, I think, like three occasions where there’s been a kicker that wasn’t necessarily moving out the way, or you thought you weren’t sharing the field in the right way,” Mahomes explained. “I mean, it was in Baltimore all three times. He does a little stuff, I think, to try to get under our skin.

“I asked him to move his stuff, and he got up and moved it, I think, two inches, but didn’t move it out of the way. And I was gonna kind of let it fly. But Travis (Kelce) got it and moved it for me. And then after that, I wasn’t gonna let them put it back down.”

The video was released shortly before the kickoff of the AFC Championship game, as it initially appeared as if Mahomes and Kelce were bullying the Ravens kicker. Mahomes providing his perspective gives the video more context and understanding.

“So it’s something that we move on,” Mahomes said. “I have a lot of respect for him (Tucker) as a player and as a kicker. One of the best kickers of all time, probably the best kicker of all time, but at the same time, you [have] got to have respect for each team. We all share the field, and we try to do that in a respectful way.”

The Chiefs will have an extra week of preparation before they play in Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, February 11th.

Travis Kelce calls out ‘[expletive]’ Justin Tucker while breaking down Chiefs – Ravens pregame spat on New Heights podcast

Travis Kelce had an NSFW breakdown of the Justin Tucker incident in the AFC title game.

Yes, Travis Kelce spilled some tea over the pre-AFC title game incident in which he and Patrick Mahomes had to forcibly move some of Justin Tucker’s equipment while the Baltimore Ravens kicker warmed up right where Mahomes was doing the same.

We knew — along with the Chiefs teammates — that it was some pre-playoff contest mind games, although Tucker claimed he didn’t do anything different than what he’s done the past 12 years of his career.

On the latest New Heights podcast, Kelce and his brother Jason broke down the incident around the 23-minute mark. Travis explained that both teams have their own sides of the field, and specialists like kickers get a chance to kick to both sets of goal posts. The unwritten rule is to generally stay on your own side of the field.

“If you want to be a [expletive]ing [different expletive] about it, you keep your helmet and your football and your [expletive]ing kicking tee right where the quarterbacks are warming up,” Travis remarked. “If you’re not going to pick that up, I’ll happily move that for you.”

Travis went on to say Tucker was winking at him, so they knew what was up. He finished by apologizing for “[taking] it to a level that you didn’t think it could get to,” but added that “if you’re going to be an [expletive], I promise you I can one-up you every time.”

Listen below but WARNING: NSFW LANGUAGE AHEAD!