Riley Patterson 'doing exactly what we expect' to solidify Detroit Lions kicking game
Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press
The kicking game has been an afterthought for the Detroit Lions this season, which is exactly how Riley Patterson likes it.
"I don’t want anyone to think about me," Patterson told the Free Press on Thursday. "I want them to say, 'All right, Riley’s out there, it’ll go through,' and then go on with their lives."
One of the Lions' biggest question marks entering the season, Patterson is a perfect 5-for-5 on field goals and 13-for-13 on extra points through four games.
It's a small sample size and Patterson has yet to attempt a kick longer than 38 yards, but a quarter of the way into the season the Lions might finally have found some stability at a position that's long been a thorn in their side.
"He’s doing a good job," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "He’s doing exactly what we expect him to do and when he’s called upon to make those kicks, he’s been nailing them so got a lot of confidence in him and he’s doing a good job for us."
The Lions used six different kickers in games in the 2021-22 seasons and have rostered 11 kickers total since letting Matt Prater leave in free agency in March of 2021.
Patterson, in his second stint with the Lions, made 13 of 14 field goals during a seven-game cameo with the team in 2021 and won a training camp battle that really wasn't with Parker Romo this summer after spending last fall with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He said he has improved significantly as a kicker since first go-round in Detroit. Physically, he has made technical adjustments such as using the ground more to get better distance on his kicks, and mentally he has been better about staying locked in on his job.
"I understand games a lot more," Patterson said. "My rookie year, obviously everything’s new, NFL’s new, but just managing yourself throughout the game, understanding situations in the game and just staying in a consistent mindset and feel the ball coming off my foot during game day is where I think I’ve learned the most. And then in Jacksonville, learned a lot throughout the season, growing the confidence throughout the season and now I have that confidence with me here. So, yeah, mostly just mindset stuff has changed for the better."
As a rookie in 2021, Patterson said he occasionally let his mind wander between kicks. He'd catch himself watching games or thinking back to what happened in practice that week, and while it didn't impact his performance he said he has a better sense now of what it takes to be a pro.
“You pretty much know when you can be told to go out there and kick a field goal," Patterson said. "It’s not like we have a playbook, but just making sure throughout the entire game that I’m ready at every moment for a pick-six or whatever, and making sure my leg feels good the entire game. Making sure I’m thinking about contact, not thinking about anything else during the game. Little things like that I think separate guys in the NFL and I think that’s something that I’ve grown a lot over this past year in just being a professional and not just learning stuff on the fly."
Patterson made 30 of 35 field goals with the Jaguars last season, with a long of 53 yards. In the playoffs, he went 3-for-3 and made the game-winning 36-yard field goal as time expired in Jacksonville's 31-30 wild card win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Lions traded for Patterson this spring, after Jacksonville signed Brandon McManus as his replacement, in part because of his playoff success, and Patterson said he's glad the Lions' faith in him has paid off so far.
"It means the world, man, for them to give me a shot," he said. "But at the same time I got to just make sure I think about myself, too, and not worry about other people’s affirmation or anything like that. Just making sure I stay in my zone, know how to hit my ball, know how to hit my kicks, and everything else will kind of figure itself out."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press
The kicking game has been an afterthought for the Detroit Lions this season, which is exactly how Riley Patterson likes it.
"I don’t want anyone to think about me," Patterson told the Free Press on Thursday. "I want them to say, 'All right, Riley’s out there, it’ll go through,' and then go on with their lives."
One of the Lions' biggest question marks entering the season, Patterson is a perfect 5-for-5 on field goals and 13-for-13 on extra points through four games.
It's a small sample size and Patterson has yet to attempt a kick longer than 38 yards, but a quarter of the way into the season the Lions might finally have found some stability at a position that's long been a thorn in their side.
"He’s doing a good job," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "He’s doing exactly what we expect him to do and when he’s called upon to make those kicks, he’s been nailing them so got a lot of confidence in him and he’s doing a good job for us."
The Lions used six different kickers in games in the 2021-22 seasons and have rostered 11 kickers total since letting Matt Prater leave in free agency in March of 2021.
Patterson, in his second stint with the Lions, made 13 of 14 field goals during a seven-game cameo with the team in 2021 and won a training camp battle that really wasn't with Parker Romo this summer after spending last fall with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He said he has improved significantly as a kicker since first go-round in Detroit. Physically, he has made technical adjustments such as using the ground more to get better distance on his kicks, and mentally he has been better about staying locked in on his job.
"I understand games a lot more," Patterson said. "My rookie year, obviously everything’s new, NFL’s new, but just managing yourself throughout the game, understanding situations in the game and just staying in a consistent mindset and feel the ball coming off my foot during game day is where I think I’ve learned the most. And then in Jacksonville, learned a lot throughout the season, growing the confidence throughout the season and now I have that confidence with me here. So, yeah, mostly just mindset stuff has changed for the better."
As a rookie in 2021, Patterson said he occasionally let his mind wander between kicks. He'd catch himself watching games or thinking back to what happened in practice that week, and while it didn't impact his performance he said he has a better sense now of what it takes to be a pro.
“You pretty much know when you can be told to go out there and kick a field goal," Patterson said. "It’s not like we have a playbook, but just making sure throughout the entire game that I’m ready at every moment for a pick-six or whatever, and making sure my leg feels good the entire game. Making sure I’m thinking about contact, not thinking about anything else during the game. Little things like that I think separate guys in the NFL and I think that’s something that I’ve grown a lot over this past year in just being a professional and not just learning stuff on the fly."
Patterson made 30 of 35 field goals with the Jaguars last season, with a long of 53 yards. In the playoffs, he went 3-for-3 and made the game-winning 36-yard field goal as time expired in Jacksonville's 31-30 wild card win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Lions traded for Patterson this spring, after Jacksonville signed Brandon McManus as his replacement, in part because of his playoff success, and Patterson said he's glad the Lions' faith in him has paid off so far.
"It means the world, man, for them to give me a shot," he said. "But at the same time I got to just make sure I think about myself, too, and not worry about other people’s affirmation or anything like that. Just making sure I stay in my zone, know how to hit my ball, know how to hit my kicks, and everything else will kind of figure itself out."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
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