Advertisement

‘Must-see TV’: NFL team holds kicker tryouts in warm-up

After Carolina Panthers kicker Zane Gonzalez suffered a knee injury during warmups, the team had to host impromptu tryout for his replacement. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images)
After Carolina Panthers kicker Zane Gonzalez suffered a knee injury during warmups, the team had to host impromptu tryout for his replacement. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images)

The Carolina Panthers were forced to hold impromptu tryouts to find a make-shift kicker just moments before the start of their clash with the Buffalo Bills on Monday morning (AEDT).

Regular place-kicker Zane Gonzalez had to be helped from the field after injuring his right quadricep during the warm-up. Cue panic stations.

‘VOODOO’ PUNT: Aussie wreaks havoc with knuckleball kicks

DOPPELGANGER: Aussie NFL star’s hilarious lookalike

A host of Panthers players from different positions put their hand up to fill the void, but it’s fair to say none of them really built a strong case with their showing in pre-game warm-ups.

Among those considered to step into Gonzalez’s shoes was Australian punter Lachlan Edwards. Edwards was spotted practicing kickoffs and attempting drop-kick field goals prior to the start of the game.

However, the 29-year-old was eventually overlooked for the role, with NFL on FOX presenter Curt Menefee explaining the reasoning behind the decision.

“You would think a punter could kick but he’s Australian. He didn’t grow up kicking field goals so he doesn’t know how to do it,” Menefee said.

“They’re going to rely on other players to do that.”

Carolina Panthers explain unconventional kicking decisions

Speaking after the game, Panthers coach Matt Rhule elaborated on why Edwards wasn’t called on the kick field goals.

“We tried Lachlan out, but he just wasn’t really comfortable kicking off,” Rhule said.

The Panthers eventually settled on wide-receiver Brandon Zylstra handling kickoff duties while opting not to attempt a field goal or extra point throughout the duration of the contest.

As a result, Carolina were forced to go for it five times on fourth down and only converted one try. The Panther were ultimately unable to match it with the Bills, who ran away with a 31-14 victory on the back of three touchdown passes from Josh Allen.

Rhule said not having the option to attempt field goals and take points on offer was a big factor in the outcome of the game.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t start off by thanking (Brandon) Zylstra for stepping up and kicking off and just kind of doing whatever he could to help the team after Zane’s injury in pregame.” Rhule said.

“Obviously, it precluded us from kicking some field goals at times and keeping it a different game.”

The severity of Gonzalez’s injury is still to be determined, but it doesn’t look promising for the 26-year-old.

“He did his warm-up, went to make his first kick and pulled his thigh,” Rhule said.

“It was pretty sever. We had to help him off the field.. the extent of it beyond that, I don’t know.”

The loss saw the Panthers record drop to 5-9 on the season, all but ending their playoff hopes, while the Bills improved to 8-6, keeping them in the hunt for the AFC East division title.

Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.