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Wil Lutz a rarity: a kicker the Saints are actually sticking with

Mike Triplett
ESPN Staff Writer



METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints have used 11 kickers over the past 10 years and five kickers over the past four.

So it’s a bit of a shock to the system to see second-year pro Wil Lutz running unchallenged in training camp, with a virtual stranglehold on the job for the second year in a row.

But that’s exactly what the Saints were hoping for when they made the surprising decision to sign Lutz as an undrafted rookie last year during Week 1 of the regular season, after he had been cut by the Baltimore Ravens. They wanted to finally find a young kicker they could develop and count on for the long term.

The Saints had to stick with the strong-legged rookie from Georgia State through some growing pains early last year. But he finished the season strong. And now the Saints appear to have been rewarded with a battle-tested 23-year-old who looks and feels comfortable in the job.

“I feel like I’m hitting the ball well,” said Lutz, who has looked great early in training camp. “Of course there’s always a couple I’d like back to hit better. But I think the operations are smooth right now, and it’s good to be hitting the ball well this early. So I’m excited to hopefully keep it going.”

Lutz said it certainly helps that he has spent the entire offseason with one team, instead of showing up five days before the season opener like he did last year.

He also seemed to gain a lot last year from working with veteran special teams assistant Kevin O’Dea, who was brought in late last season after the Saints were plagued by blocked kicks.

Though it wasn’t Lutz’s fault every time (the linemen and the snap-hold operation got their share of the blame), the Saints were infamously doomed by blocked kicks last year.

They lost to the Denver Broncos, 25-23, in Week 10 when a potential game-winning extra point was blocked and returned for a two-point conversion. Their 16-13 loss at the New York Giants in Week 2 included a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown. And their 23-20 loss at the Carolina Panthers in Week 11 included a blocked field goal that set up a touchdown just before halftime.

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“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill