Brandon McManus wrote about his experiences in the NFL thus far in a first-person piece for The Players’ Tribune.
Brandon McManus’ first two years in the NFL introduced him to the many highs and lows of being a kicker.
An undrafted free agent out of Temple, McManus signed with Indianapolis in 2013, placing him alongside legendary kicking veteran Adam Vinatieri. But then he was waived in the preseason and was out of a job until January 2014, when he signed a futures contract with the Giants.
A year, to the day, after being waived by Indianapolis, the Giants , who was suspended four games for violating the league’s drug policy and later released by the Broncos.
But . Again. And then he .
After changing his technique during the offseason, McManus won over the Broncos’ coaching staff, giving them enough confidence in his kickoffs and field goals to name him their kicker for 2015 .
On Thursday, before the Broncos’ final preseason game, his first-person account of his experiences, so far, as an NFL kicker:
Everyone thinks that being a kicker is a lonesome position. In many ways, it is, because most of the time you’re on another field with the punter and the long snapper and the special teams coach. Even more jarring than the isolation is the fact that as a kicker, everything is so black and white. You either make or you miss. Coming close doesn’t get you signed by a team.
Itap an odd profession in that your job performance is very public. When most people have a rough day at work, itap not broadcast for the entire world to watch and judge. But every person knows whether I made or missed my kick. Itap on Twitter and Instagram. Itap posted immediately by ESPN. Everywhere I look I can see the aftermath of my performance. Sometimes the entire outcome of the game is between me, that leather ball and two yellow uprights standing 18 feet, six inches apart.
READ THE FULL STORY AT THE PLAYERS’ TRIBUNE.
