It’s difficult for fans to take interest in the kicking game during training camp practices. But Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker managed to make headlines with one nice kick Sunday.
While the Ravens were practicing their end-of-half drills, the Baltimore offense staled. This allowed Tucker to run out and attempt a 69-yard field goal. The Ravens kicker nailed it, causing celebration from just about everyone at Baltimore’s practice.
69-yarder?
Not a problem for @jtuck9.
🎥: https://t.co/8Nssdke6o0 pic.twitter.com/AWezRXC90E
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 31, 2016
It’s just practice, but the length of the made field goal is striking. The NFL record was set by Matt Prater, who made a 64-yard field goal in 2013 with the Denver Broncos. Tucker’s longest in-game field is 61 yards.
After practice, Tucker said he was ready to make the field goal when he ran out. But he later joked that he only had 69-and-a-half yards in him today.
“It’s really a mindset you just have to have before you even think about stepping onto the field from the sideline,” Tucker said. “And [coach John Harbaugh] asked, ‘Are we kicking this?’ And I ran out there and I said, ‘Hell yeah, we’re kicking it!’ Kind of didn’t really give anybody a choice. When you do that, you kind of have to make it.”
Tucker later said that the made field goal brought out a rare response from Baltimore coach John Harbaugh. The Ravens coach chest bumped Tucker, which was a first for Tucker.
And while Tucker might have been confident, he said he realizes that he might not have an opportunity to execute this lengthy of a field goal in a game.
“We’re not just gonna be out there hitting 69-yarders in the first quarter unless we’ve got a 30 mile-an-hour tailwind, and our defense is just ballin’, and we have just the most amazing defense versus offense matchup,” Tucker said. “But when they call upon me, I gotta be ready.”
The timing of the celebrated kick is good for Baltimore. The team is hosting a practice at M&T Bank Stadium on Monday. This kick could motivate a few more fans to head out and see the stadium’s newly placed grass.
