Matt Prater can win free Bud Light for Detroit if he makes a longer FG than Denver’s Brandon McManus
Do you like watching Matt Prater kick long field goals for the Detroit Lions? Do you like free beer?
If you answered yes to both questions, Bud Light and the Lions kicker have a chance to make you a happy fan. And you can thank both Prater’s powerful right leg and his social media persistence.
Bud Light originally made a pledge to buy everyone in Denver a free beer if Broncos kicker Brandon McManus set the NFL record for the longest made field goal. Prater holds that record at 64 yards, a mark he set in Denver back in 2013.
Being the rightful record-holder, Prater butted in on the action and wanted to know if Bud Light would do the same if he broke his own record. It took a couple of days and some prodding from the Pat McAfee Show, but the brewer responded with a win-win situation.
During his time in Duval, Calais Campbell my have been the most loved Jacksonville Jaguar on the roster in the eyes of fans. That’s exactly why many hated to see him traded, however, the team was in a situation where they needed to reallocate money …
During his time in Duval, Calais Campbell my have been the most loved Jacksonville Jaguar on the roster in the eyes of fans. That’s exactly why many hated to see him traded, however, the team was in a situation where they needed to reallocate money after two straight losing seasons.
In a recent interview on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Campbell was brought on as a guest and was asked whether he envisioned being traded from Jacksonville. Like most fans, Campbell admitted that he was indeed shocked and that he expected to play out his contract in Duval.
“No, I didn’t know it was coming. Obviously, I guess it’s always a possibility, and being an older person in this league, I’ve seen it all so you’re never surprise,” said Campbell to McAfee. “I was expecting to be in Jacksonville throughout the remainder of my contract and maybe even longer. I thought maybe an extension would come before a trade would come. So I was kind of caught off guard but it happened to be to one of the best teams in football, so it was kind of a win-win situation.”
Those are words that may hurt Jags fans as Campbell was a solid player both on and off the field and probably the best free-agent signing in team history. While the team wasn’t winning, he still garnered the respect of pretty much every fan, and quite frankly, the fanbase has rarely seen a star of his magnitude who was an example on and off the field.
All of this isn’t to say the Jags didn’t want Campbell either, though. There was talk of an extension last season, but nothing came into fruition and Campbell played on his deal for a 2019 cap hit of $14.5 million. It’s unknown if they tried the same in 2020, but he told Action News Jax that restructuring would have to “make sense” financially earlier this offseason, so maybe the conversation occurred a second time.
While it was a move that left the fans heartbroken, moving on from Campbell made sense because taking the $15 million cap hit from him in a season where the Jags may not make the playoffs would’ve been questionable. Instead, they elected to use the money on younger options who could be around for longer and help out their long-term future.
As I’ve said in the past, it’s easier for a front office to pay high salaries when the team is winning. However, general manager Dave Caldwell has proven he can find bargain free-agent deals on the defensive line (like Sen’Derrick Marks), so maybe that played into the Jags’ decision to move on from Campbell.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, former Broncos offensive lineman Mark Schlereth offered a “dose of reality” about Denver’s prospects for the 2020 NFL season.
Schlereth praised quarterback Drew Lock but noted that the team’s inexperienced roster shouldn’t be expected to compete for a title this year.
“You have two rookie wide receivers that you’re counting on,” Schlereth told McAfee. “You’ve got a plethora of [young players] . . . you’ve got Courtland Sutton who’s the veteran there who’s only going into this third season [and] he was raw when he came out of college.
“You’ve got an offensive line that’s got issues that’s going to be anchored by a rookie center . . . all I say is, ‘Hey guys, before we put them in the Super Bowl, let’s actually let them play a little bit of football and see what they become.'”
After an excellent offseason, the Broncos have received plenty of praise from several members of the national media. Schlereth, who won two Super Bowls with Denver, thinks fans should temper their lofty expectations.
Matt Prater’s praise for Denver was part of the reason why Sam Martin signed with the Broncos.
During an interview on The Pat McAfee Show last week, Denver Broncos punter Sam Martin spoke about opting to change teams in free agency instead of re-signing with the Detroit Lions.
“I did have an offer in going back to Detroit and I was definitely interested in going back to Detroit but Denver had been — you know, as a punter, it’s a really appealing place to go, right?” Martin told McAfee.
Lions kicker Matt Prater, who broke the NFL record for the longest field goal while playing for the Broncos, also had a part in Martin landing in Denver.
“[There was also] praise I used to get from Prater on Denver on a weekly basis about how much he loved the city and Colorado in general. [So] it became a place where I really wanted to land. And Detroit was definitely still on the table but Denver was a little more appealing and the contract was as well.”
Martin signed a three-year, $7.05 million contract with the Broncos in March. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Lions, averaging 45.9 yards per punt with a net average of 40.8 yards per boot.
Longtime Lions punter Sam Martin confirms he was ‘definitely interested in going back to Detroit’ but chose Denver instead
Former Lions punter Sam Martin confirmed he did have an offer to remain in Detroit but chose to accept a free agent deal with the Denver Broncos instead. Martin made the admission during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday.
Martin was asked by McAfee why he chose to go to Denver and if he had an offer to remain with the Lions, where he has been the punter and primary kickoff specialist since 2013.
“I did have an offer to go back to Detroit,” Martin said. “I was definitely interested in going back to Detroit.”
However, he liked the idea of going to Denver. Lions kicker Matt Prater, who began his career with the Broncos, helped sell him on the benefits of playing in the Mile High City as a specialist. So did a bigger payday.
“Combined with all the praise I used to get from Prater on Denver on a weekly basis about how much he loved the city and Colorado in general, it became the place where I really wanted to land,” Martin said. “Detroit was definitely still on the table but Denver was a little more appealing and the contract was as well.”
"All the praise I used to get from @MattPrater_5 on Denver on a weekly basis about how much he loved the city and Colorado in general it became a place where I really wanted to land"
Former NFL punter Pat McAfee believes Broncos kicker Brandon McManus has the leg to break the NFL’s field goal record.
Pat McAfee, a former Colts punter who now works for DAZN, tweeted Wednesday that Broncos kicker Brandon McManus will break the NFL’s record for the longest field goal in league history. McAfee included a complimentary condition with his prediction, though.
“I’m calling it now #Broncos kicker @thekidmcmanus is going to break the longest field goal record if he doesn’t rip his [expletive] leg apart first,” McAfee tweeted.
McAfee’s joke about ripping his leg apart was a reference to McManus’ short runup for kickoffs that shows off his powerful leg strength.
“You’re stupid, you do like a three-step approach,” McAfee told McManus in a light-hearted tone on his show on Wednesday. “You’re just trying to rip everything in your leg — and I enjoy watching it. Your leg is so strong, you can do that, it makes no sense to me.”
The current record for the longest field goal is 64 yards, set by Lions kicker Matt Prater when he played for Denver in 2013. Before that, Tom Dempsey (1970) and Jason Elam (1998) shared a record-long of 63 yards.
McManus tweeted that if he breaks the record, “all the beers will be on me.”
McManus nearly had a chance to break the record last season but coach Vic Fangio opted against having his kicker attempt a 65-yard field goal against the Chargers. Later in the game, McManus converted a 53-yard game-winning field goal. Getting a win was great, but McManus still hopes to break the record someday.
“At the end of the day, I’m mad because I didn’t get to kick, and in his mind, he made the right decision for the team,” McManus said following a 23-20 win over Los Angeles in December. “I have no problem with that, but like I said, I would love to have my name in the history books.”
Former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee was a steady contributor on special teams throughout his career and gained some recognition from Pro Football Focus.
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The fan-favorite in McAfee was graded as the best punter of the decade from 2010–2019 by Pro Football Focus with a grade of 95.3. New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morestead (92.4) and Los Angeles Rams punter Johnny Hekker (91.0) closely followed in the rankings.
McAfee earned two Pro Bowl selections (2014, 2016) and one All-Pro selection (2014) during his eight-year career in Indy. He played in all 16 games every season until his retirement before the 2017 campaign.
Of his 575 career punts, 193 of them were downed inside the 20-yard line. He also averaged 46.4 yards per punt while recording a career-high 49.4 during his final season.
McAfee brought a charismatic persona to the position—a spot that rarely gets any recognition. But his run with the Colts was great and strong enough to earn the highest-graded spot of the decade from Pro Football Focus.
The final XFL game of the weekend – between St. Louis and Dallas – hasn’t exactly been one the best football games ever played but it’s the second weekend of February and football is on TV so I guess that’s good enough.
Former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee has had sideline duties for ESPN in this game and he’s at least been able to keep things entertaining while the teams try to figure out a way to score points.
One of those times came when St. Louis punter Marquette King (formerly of the Raiders) had a perfect punt that landed inside the 2 yard line… only to have it ruined by a teammate who slid into the end zone with it.
Former Dallas Cowboys QB Troy Aikman offered a lot of praise to the XFL in an interview Sunday.
The XFL is getting strong reviews from current and former players. During the game between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Dallas Renegades Sunday, ESPN’s Pat McAfee snagged an interview with former Dallas Cowboy QB and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.
The current FOX analyst, who works alongside Joe Buck, was effusive in his praise of the new league. FOX does show XFL games, so one could view Aikman’s take with some caution. However, he did make salient points about what the NFL could gleam from the XFL.
Aikman also had to make a quick move to get out of the way of a play that headed the way of McAfee and him during the interview.
Peyton Manning once benched former Colts wide receiver Austin Collie after he attempted a one-handed catch.
Former Colts punter Pat McAfee, who played with quarterback Peyton Manning from 2009-2011, now has his own show and some of his best episodes feature hilarious stories about Manning.
During one of his shows last fall, McAfee told a story about when Manning got upset with former Indianapolis wide receiver Austin Collie, who failed to catch a pass after running an out route.
“It was a little bit out of his each but Austin reached with one hand to catch it and it hit off his hand and it just dropped [to the ground],” McAfee said. “Austin had been having an incredible season thus far and he put his head down and — it was probably first or second down — he jogged back to the huddle and before he got like probably five feet away from the huddle, Peyton Manning just pointed at the sideline and he said, ‘Get out.'”
Jim Caldwell, who was the Colts’ offensive coordinator at the time, tried to send Collie back into the game but Manning wouldn’t let the wide receiver back on the field. Indianapolis went on to score a touchdown on that drive and Manning then spoke with Collie on the sideline.
“I was told that if I ever try to catch a ball with one hand again, I will never be on a football field again when Peyton Manning’s the quarterback,” Collie told McAfee after speaking with the QB.
During his three seasons with Manning, Collie caught 172 passes for 1,839 yards and 16 touchdowns. He retired from football in 2016.
