Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Roberto Aguayo leads kicking battle
The battle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicking battle just got a little tighter as second-year player Roberto Aguayo is coming on strong.
It seems as though Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Roberto Aguayo is in midseason form, and that is a good thing. Per Dan Hanzus of NFL.com, Aguayo had a great day on the practice field Friday going 7-for-7 during the Bucs’ practice, which was two hours in length:
"“[He was] lights-out,” Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said. “Best day of training camp, best day in a long time. He looked great today. Today, Roberto was money on both ends. I don’t think he missed all day. Yeah, he was money.”"
Aguayo seems to be a bit more relaxed as he goes through this camp than he was last year. There is no doubt that he struggled last year and when that happens, sometimes players can get into their own heads a bit.
Judging by the comments he made to the media Friday, he seems relaxed, focused and ready to put the nightmare that was 2016 behind him, also from NFL.com:
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"“I’m just having fun with it,” Aguayo said Friday. “I’m just relaxing and letting it happen. I’m talented, I know what I’ve done and what I’m capable of doing. I’ve done it since I was nine years old. I’m just letting my body take over, really.”"
As Taylor Jenkins of PewterReport.com tweeted, Nick Folk, the man brought in to challenge Aguayo, struggled while Aguayo shined. Although Folk would go on to finish the practice strong, the consensus was clear to many.
For Tampa Bay, this is a very good sign. Aguayo, picked in the second round, was thought to be a reach due to his position and the fact that he probably would have been available in the later rounds. Although Folk is a competent kicker, he was brought in not only in case Aguayo struggled, but to challenge him. Now, the latter seems to be performing well and that is encouraging. If he gets some of the confidence back he had heading into last season, that would be even better.
There are still a lot of practices to be had during the preseason and things could change quickly, so as far as Folk goes he should not be discouraged. It is a long preseason and there is still time to perfect his craft. That is the beauty of training camp.
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It will be interesting to see how the kicking battle plays out over the next couple weeks.