October 1, 2024 • 20 mins
On this episode of Rams Revealed, Los Angeles Rams rookie kicker Joshua Karty talks about his first few weeks with the team, technique as a kicker, preference between kicking on grass versus turf, getting a game ball from quarterback Matthew Stafford, wearing two different colored cleats, and more.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello, and welcome to a new episode of Rams Revealed.
I'm your host JB. Longen. Here in twenty twenty four,
we are presented by Sleep Number, the RAMS Sleep and
Wellness partner, and our guest this week is a rookie
kicker Joshuacarty. Off to a great start and here to
preview this week's matchup with the Green Bay Packers. How
are you? I'm good? Thank you Josh or Joshua? Which
(00:26):
you prefer?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Either's good? Most people come with Josh.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Okay, I'll go with Josh. I'm glad. It's not like
one of those Matt or Matthew things where like you
get fine for calling Stafford Matt around here. So do
you actually I don't know if that's true or not.
He prefers me.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I I haven't made the mistake yet.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Your your preference is not as strong, but we'll go
with Josh.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
All right.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
How's everyone doing around here at one and three? Coming
back from Chicago.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, I mean I think, you know, I think we're
doing better than probably most other one in three teams
in the league. We know that at least I believe
that you know, this is the worst we're going to
be all year. We have the guys, we have the
coaches and just the leadership all around that to make
a push, you know, for the super Bowl, and we know,
(01:09):
you know, we know the chances and opportunities are there.
So I think, you know, we've had some adversity this
year obviously with the injuries and stuff, and even you
know last week with the forty nine ers. We turned
around after things were feeling pretty low. So every week's independent.
(01:29):
Now all our focus is on Green Bay and we'll
just go from here.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Let's talk a bit about the first month of your
professional career, including yesterday in Chicago four for five? What
was it wind on the first miss of the year,
A little bit of LASiS? What do we have there?
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Yeah, it was a little bit of a combination of
a couple of factors just with the snap of the holder. Myself,
all three of us could have done a little bit
better with that one. The I mean, you want to
know the nitty gritty details and stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
I mean, why not we don't get to talk with
the kicker very often?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
All yeah, I mean there's a lot going on.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
First off, you know what's taken for granted is the
snapper has a has a tough job every single kick,
and you know, they're supposed to succeed every single time,
just like the kicker is supposed to make every single
field goal and the holder is supposed to have a
good hold every single time. But so the holder, the
snapper is supposed to snap it so that the holder
catches the ball with the laces already pointed at twelve
(02:25):
o'clock the direction that we're kicking, so lace is out,
and you know, if anyone else just tries to snap
a ball, it's it's tough. You know, you can't you
can't control where the laces are. So that's something that
they all practice, you know, and really consistent that and
so it's hard to do, you know, one hundred out
of one hundred times. And so the laces were a
(02:47):
bit off on that one and the holder Ethan he
he did his best to try and.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Put the ball down.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
And it's a little bit of our communication on all
of us about you know, what to do and situations
like that where you want the laces to be. If
they can't be perfect where you want them to be,
you know, to the side towards you. And then it
was also on myself. I was a little bit fast
on that one. I clocked in at about one point
(03:15):
two seconds flat from the time to snap to kick,
which is a little bit faster than I'd like to
be normally I'm at about like one point two eight,
So it just gives me a little bit less time
to see the ball. So I kind of did that
to myself a little bit. And then yeah, I didn't
hit the best hit, but it was it was you know,
(03:36):
magnified by you know, things that I could have done better.
But yeah, there's there's a there's a learning experience there
for sure, for for all of us. And uh, you know,
Chicago is a fun place to kick.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
There's other variables.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
There's wind, you got to choose, choose targets and every
every kick and yeah but you know, like you said,
four for five. So first miss of my career and
now it's just about bouncing back from it and moving
on to the next game.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
I think I just learned more about kicking in one
answer than in my entire lifetime combined previously. That was
overwhelmingly precise, and it gives me a new appreciation for
like what has to transpire for what we consider a
gimme field goal in the NFL to actually go through
natural grass kind of your comfort zone given all your
days at Stanford.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Yeah, sure, I mean we practice here on grass too
every day, and so I really have no preference. And
all the fields are generally pretty good in the NFL,
whether it is grass or it is turf, as long
as it's you know, flat.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
All your tea boxes are flat, right, Like.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
I mean, there's nothing like going to what Oregon State
in college and in Corvallis, and the field is just
like a mountain, all the rain that they get. And yeah,
if you're on the right hash, you're kicking like downhill.
On the left hash you're kicking uphill.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, but you know, all the fields that feller or
pretty solid.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
I think you made the segue for me perfectly. Let
me brag on your college resume just a little bit,
including as a senior hitting twenty three field goals, most
in a single season in Stanford history. You're the program's
all time field goal percentage leader at eighty five percent
as a Cardinals school record sixty one yard field goal
in the one hundred and twenty fifth Big Game a
couple of years ago. Right, So you got some rivalry Chops,
(05:23):
and you added to your legacy in your first game
against the forty nine ers. I know you've already put
it in your rear view mirror, but can we reflect
on it just a little bit. What was that like
to walk it off essentially at Sofi Stadium.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah, sure, it was a great experience, a lot of fun,
and it's just you know, it was really happy to
get the win and celebrate with the guys, and it
definitely helps to start on a on a good foot,
you know, with the team, with the organization and the
fan base. A lot of fun, you know, winning the
game and then yeah, not a whole lot of time
(05:56):
to celebrate.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
I mean, you go straight into the next week.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
And you know, that's the thing about the NFL is
it's a long season and so you can't really get
caught up in what's going on in the past too much.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
How was it to have Matthew Stafford in his sixteen
NFL season going to the Hall of Fame someday have
the presence of mind to say, you know what, the
rookie deserves the game ball right here.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Yeah, that's a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
I mean, we'll say, there's nothing like you know, being
on the sideline, you know, getting ready for that game
winning kick or you know, game time kick, whatever it
may be. Just knowing that you know, you got, you know,
a guy of that caliber leading your team. Just the belief,
like even in yesterday's game, the belief that I had
and that everyone had on the sidelines. You can definitely
(06:41):
feel it that whenever he's on the field that you know,
we're gonna get in the field goal range, we're gonna
get a touchdown, whatever we need at the end of
the game.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
And so it's a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
You know, it's a privilege being on the team with
him and just you know, knowing that we have a
chance no matter who we play.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
The backstory there is you were questionable all week with
your injury. We didn't know if you would go for
the home opener, Sean may vaceid you only kicked eight
times on that Friday preceding, like that was your week
of work.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Yeah, yeah, I was joking it's like a vet week
pretty much. But yeah, I kind of kept it real low.
I was held out of a lot of the team
stuff in practice and then just kind of did a
check a couple of days before the game and make
sure I was ready to go, and I felt good enough,
so I just went from there.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
What's like an average kicking volume if you're on a
hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Healthy Yeah, so it's a little bit different for everybody.
For me, I normally go, you know, two full days
a week, which is about twenty plus kicks each day,
because you know, it's like being a baseball pitcher where
you need to manage your load every single day, and
you know, if you use the same muscles over and
(07:49):
over over again, then you're gonna weigh yourself out, which
I probably did in my first couple of weeks after
fall camp and stuff like that. So just being smarter,
talking with the trainers and the coaches, creating a sustainable,
long term plan that you know, it's the best for everybody.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
I understand your family missed that game, like out of solidarity.
They were also going through some family injuries. What can
you tell us what's going on behind the scenes with
the parties.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Yeah, No, it's tough.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
The only game that I've never had my mom and
dad there for both of them. My mom made every
single game in college and my dad made every single
one except for two of them, and He's always flying
back and forth because he's a professor at Elon University
and he can't miss class or he gets in a
lot of trouble for this class for football, which I'm
(08:41):
always like, come on, just like, you know, just give
him Alais, you know, do whatever you want.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
You've been there for twenty two years. You're fine.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Just give them all as come to the game. But
so he's still he still comes to a lot of games.
He came to the last game and then he flew
like a red eye back and got home, you know,
really late.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
And then whatever.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
My mom she heard her back a little bit a
couple of weeks ago, so that's why she wasn't able
to come. My dad was staying taking care of her.
But you know, I would have would have loved to
have him there. But just really really happy they were
all doing fine, doing well, and just recovering.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
A little bit.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Your hometown is listed as Burlington, North Carolina. Is that
where they still reside? Everybody okay? With the storm?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Oh yes, we were fine. So it sounds like it
mostly Hurricane Helene came up or down through Georgia, then
up towards like the western tip of North Carolina, and
I heard like near app State and Boon. That's where
like most of the damages. So I have some friends
who like were in college there and the situation was
(09:41):
pretty grave, but it actually kind of was was fine
where we were.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
It's all those impacted who happened to be Brams fans
and catching this show. We send our best. I thought
of a question for you this morning when my four
year old was dragging his feet trying to go to
school for I was trying to get him to go
to school, and he had it in his mind that
he wanted to wear one crock with no socks and
then socks and sneaker on his other foot. And I
know he's a big Rams fan. I couldn't figure out
(10:06):
where he might have got that, and I think it
might have been watching U kick field goals with one
white and one black cleat. What's the backstory there?
Speaker 3 (10:12):
I apologize if I'm if I'm giving him any Yeah,
mis misguidance in his early school days. But yeah, So
the right cleat is a soccer cleat and the left
cleat is a wide receiver football cleat. And so the
reason for that is, I mean, all all the kickers
where soccer cleats on their kicking foot, but some wear
(10:33):
a different cleat on their on their plant foot for
like more support and stability when they come into their
plant and so the football cleat has more studs and
so the studs are longer, so you know, should hopefully
have more stability when I come in to kick the ball.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
I figured it wasn't a fashion statement, but you pulled
off really well. The other characteristic that we have observed
is this two step approach. Right, you mentioned your time
to the football. Where did that start and why do
you think it's an important part of your process to
be quick to the ball.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Yeah, so I actually I want to reiterate, I don't
want to be quick to the ball.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
It's just if you're too slow, you'll get blocked.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
So if you take more more than about one point three,
you know, one point three two seconds, then edge rushers
can can come around and block the ball as well
as the guys in interior. They can get more penetration
and get closer to you. So you'd have to a
higher kick. But it's more about those those edge rushers.
So I want to stay in the higher one two's
(11:33):
to give myself. Basically, the most amount of time to
see the ball without being blocked, because I really only
get to see the ball for about half a second tops,
you know, three tens of a second, two tens of
a second in the same spot as to like all
the kickers. So it's a tough thing to do in general.
And so that's why when there's you know, any variances
(11:54):
in stuff that you do or outside conditions that you know,
you just got to adapt to make the best of things.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Such succeed really about giving yourself more time to put
eyes on the football and shortening up that portion of
your process.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
That's right. Ye.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
So the two step approach though, change to that when
I got to college. My special teams coordinator at Stanford
who recruited me, Pete Alamar, he just kind of changed me.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
One day.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
I was like, hey, I was a three step approach,
which is the alternative way that a lot of guys
do where you take a step with your left foot
first when you go to kick. And so he's like, hey,
you know, your your first steps not really doing much
for you. Why don't you just switch to a two
step and just eliminate that variable altogether. And so, I mean,
you've seen guys like you know, Matt Gay and Harrison
(12:43):
Butcker succeed with it and a lot of other guys too,
And it's really just it takes out a variable of
like you know, sometimes that first step can be a
couple of inches, maybe it could be a few more
inches depending on you know, where you're set up or something.
So just take out the variable. And that's what it's
all about, is trying to have the least amount of
variables at all times.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Still got plenty of range though in power behind it.
Twenty years from now, when you're hopefully illustrious NFL career
is behind you, what do you think your career along
might be? Like? Where's your outer boundary of confidence where
you want Sean McVay to say, Josh, go get it?
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (13:19):
I mean so, I think those are two slightly separate questions.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
I'm good at that. I can give you three if
you want to go ahead and take them on whatever order.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
If I look back, you know, I'd like to be like, oh,
obviously the dream is you know, sixty seven yard field
goal set the record in the NFL. I guess that's
the dream. I'd be lying if I said anything else,
and it's feasible. I mean I I you know, in
pregame and stuff. You know I have the leg for
sixty plus, just depending on you know, what the conditions are,
(13:53):
and you know, especially with just like you know how
kickers are kind of evolving. I mean, you see Aubrey
just kick a sixty five in the middle of the
first quarter, which is kind of unheard of and it
was pretty cool to watch. But I think the record
will be broken pretty soon. And yeah, end a half
in the game situation really want to be you know,
(14:16):
a sixty five and in type of guy that's just like,
you know, get me to the forty five, you know,
forty seven yard line and you know we got a chance,
and I'll just give a good, good hack at it
and try to get the distance and keep it straight.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Since you mentioned it's your goal at your dream to
set the NFL record, why don't we go to the
wind down, which is brought to you by Sleep number.
Each week here on rams Revealed, we get insight into
how sleep and recovery impacts performance in the NFL. Because
you're here, I thought it would be interesting to know,
like do you dream of kicking?
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (14:50):
I do, and you know sometimes I might get a
little violent and physical with it if if someone else
is into bed, and you might let out a little
kick or something.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
But I dream about soccer a lot.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
And without kicking a lot actually cause my old days
in soccer. I just have random dreams still where I'm
kicking the ball a lot, and I do remember I
had a dream about kicking like a couple of nights before.
And sometimes they're good and it's like, oh, I make everything,
and I wake up feeling pretty good about myself. And
(15:22):
then sometimes it's like I miss something in my dream.
I'm like, all right, forget that one. But yeah, I
kick in my dreams fairly often, I bet.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
I hope you don't wake up in any cold sweats
like I do when I have broadcasting nightmares. But your
reality has been excellent so far. We're glad to have
you with the Los Angeles Rams. Let's finish with the
final couple of questions and then get you off to
your off day in preparation for the packers. When you're
not kicking, and I hear that you have a hobby, namely,
you were the founder and president of your prep school's
ping pong clubs. Is that what you're best at besides
(15:53):
place kicking.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
I'm semi retired in ping pong, to be honest, there's
no one to play against anymore.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
But back college, lack of competition.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
I've somewhat I guess you'd call it not not not
like that. There's nowhere to play anymore either, Like we
don't have a ping pong table here. That's my one,
my one, uh, my one, my one ask for the
facilities here. If we get a ping pong table in
the locker room, that'd be pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
And then all public challengers, right, fans want to come in.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Yeah, game, I'm not I'm not. I'm not terribly good.
I mean, my brother beats me still, that's for sure.
He's really good. Actually, But yeah, I founded the ping
pong club just before COVID and in high school and
then we had to kind of stop hosting meetings because
the pandemic hit. But it was a lot of fun.
And then in college we had a ping pong table
in our lounge room in the locker room, and freshman
(16:43):
sophomore year I was in their NonStop, you know, hour
or two at day just playing ping pong, especially in
fall camp. And then a couple of guys graduated, I
didn't have much competition anymore, and I had to kind
of throwing the towel with that. But I actually did
join the club team at Stanford for like a couple
of weeks, but didn't realize, you know, it was during season,
(17:03):
so I was like, I can't do this. I can't
take a bus and travel somewhere and play ping pong
when I have practice and stuff.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
So I was like it was pretty short lived.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Only Stanford would have a traveling ping pong.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Yeah, I don't know, you'd be surprised. Probably be surprised.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
You mentioned your brother along the way they're Jacob. Yep,
you mentioned he's a great soccer player too. Who's got
the better leg between you?
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Oh, I've got soccer for sure.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
He's got the hand eye of coordination sports like tennis
and ping pong, maybe pickleball, we'll see.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
We're still figuring that one.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
And what about this World Championship in robotics? Yeah, yep,
that's real.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
What did he do? He pushed a button? Now it's kidding.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
He is part of a team where they you know,
I think it's called like the first robotics competition. I
don't know what the official titles called, but it's the
whole Like every high school in the country and the
world like competes at it. In his high school, his
team won and in the actual competition, like he was
(18:07):
just pushing the button because that's all it controls itself.
It's like autonomous, but like he pushed the button to
start it. So I joke about that, But yeah, I
mean's he's a really bright guy. My dad went to
Stanford and guy's PhD there too, and we were really
hoping my brother would get into Stanford and he should have,
but you know, he didn't, but we would have loved
(18:31):
to have him there. He's definitely bright and smart enough
to be there.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
I'm in that imagining Jacob on another show somewhere being like,
what does your brother do for a living, and he's like, oh,
he just he just kicks a football.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
That's it. Every now and that's it.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
I remember a quote from jet Toner, who was the
kicker at Stanford before I was in a like local
Hawaiian newspaper when he got his offer to go to Stanford.
It was like he gets a full He's saying like, oh,
I get a full scholarship to try and kick a
ball between two yellow polls. And he's like, yeah, you know,
as simple as that. I'll take that all day long.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Last thing here, I have a little bit of a
surprise for you. Our training fair has been sketching our
guests each week on the grease board. I just found
out about this maybe an hour ago. So first of all,
what do you think.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
About Yeah, I Thinkshaccardi pretty compliment, complimentary, supplementary, complimentary.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Yeah, you're flattered by it.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
I'm flattered, definitely.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
I'll put it here for audience to take a look
to my tin.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Looks pretty good. I have a nice square square jaw.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Uh, what are we thinking?
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Like?
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Nine out of ten, I'll give it.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
A ten out of ten, not not exactly for resemblance,
but a nine out of ten for for resemblance, ten
out of ten for looks, though I think they didn't
get here.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Amazing connection here. I don't know if you remember this,
but Samuel Lechuga from Mexico City, actually her cousin who
came to the United States and stayed with your name
about Yes, there, she is believable. Rams revealed making connections
globally and including here, in Woodland Hills with the Rams.
Thank you, Josh. It was good to get to know
you a little bit. We'll go with Josh from now
(20:09):
on Storr deal deal all right for his ten out
of ten portrait on JB. Long. And this is Rams Revealed,
brought to you by Sleep Number
Hello, and welcome to a new episode of Rams Revealed.
I'm your host JB. Longen. Here in twenty twenty four,
we are presented by Sleep Number, the RAMS Sleep and
Wellness partner, and our guest this week is a rookie
kicker Joshuacarty. Off to a great start and here to
preview this week's matchup with the Green Bay Packers. How
are you? I'm good? Thank you Josh or Joshua? Which
(00:26):
you prefer?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Either's good? Most people come with Josh.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Okay, I'll go with Josh. I'm glad. It's not like
one of those Matt or Matthew things where like you
get fine for calling Stafford Matt around here. So do
you actually I don't know if that's true or not.
He prefers me.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I I haven't made the mistake yet.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Your your preference is not as strong, but we'll go
with Josh.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
All right.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
How's everyone doing around here at one and three? Coming
back from Chicago.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, I mean I think, you know, I think we're
doing better than probably most other one in three teams
in the league. We know that at least I believe
that you know, this is the worst we're going to
be all year. We have the guys, we have the
coaches and just the leadership all around that to make
a push, you know, for the super Bowl, and we know,
(01:09):
you know, we know the chances and opportunities are there.
So I think, you know, we've had some adversity this
year obviously with the injuries and stuff, and even you
know last week with the forty nine ers. We turned
around after things were feeling pretty low. So every week's independent.
(01:29):
Now all our focus is on Green Bay and we'll
just go from here.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Let's talk a bit about the first month of your
professional career, including yesterday in Chicago four for five? What
was it wind on the first miss of the year,
A little bit of LASiS? What do we have there?
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Yeah, it was a little bit of a combination of
a couple of factors just with the snap of the holder. Myself,
all three of us could have done a little bit
better with that one. The I mean, you want to
know the nitty gritty details and stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
I mean, why not we don't get to talk with
the kicker very often?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
All yeah, I mean there's a lot going on.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
First off, you know what's taken for granted is the
snapper has a has a tough job every single kick,
and you know, they're supposed to succeed every single time,
just like the kicker is supposed to make every single
field goal and the holder is supposed to have a
good hold every single time. But so the holder, the
snapper is supposed to snap it so that the holder
catches the ball with the laces already pointed at twelve
(02:25):
o'clock the direction that we're kicking, so lace is out,
and you know, if anyone else just tries to snap
a ball, it's it's tough. You know, you can't you
can't control where the laces are. So that's something that
they all practice, you know, and really consistent that and
so it's hard to do, you know, one hundred out
of one hundred times. And so the laces were a
(02:47):
bit off on that one and the holder Ethan he
he did his best to try and.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Put the ball down.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
And it's a little bit of our communication on all
of us about you know, what to do and situations
like that where you want the laces to be. If
they can't be perfect where you want them to be,
you know, to the side towards you. And then it
was also on myself. I was a little bit fast
on that one. I clocked in at about one point
(03:15):
two seconds flat from the time to snap to kick,
which is a little bit faster than I'd like to
be normally I'm at about like one point two eight,
So it just gives me a little bit less time
to see the ball. So I kind of did that
to myself a little bit. And then yeah, I didn't
hit the best hit, but it was it was you know,
(03:36):
magnified by you know, things that I could have done better.
But yeah, there's there's a there's a learning experience there
for sure, for for all of us. And uh, you know,
Chicago is a fun place to kick.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
There's other variables.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
There's wind, you got to choose, choose targets and every
every kick and yeah but you know, like you said,
four for five. So first miss of my career and
now it's just about bouncing back from it and moving
on to the next game.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
I think I just learned more about kicking in one
answer than in my entire lifetime combined previously. That was
overwhelmingly precise, and it gives me a new appreciation for
like what has to transpire for what we consider a
gimme field goal in the NFL to actually go through
natural grass kind of your comfort zone given all your
days at Stanford.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Yeah, sure, I mean we practice here on grass too
every day, and so I really have no preference. And
all the fields are generally pretty good in the NFL,
whether it is grass or it is turf, as long
as it's you know, flat.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
All your tea boxes are flat, right, Like.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
I mean, there's nothing like going to what Oregon State
in college and in Corvallis, and the field is just
like a mountain, all the rain that they get. And yeah,
if you're on the right hash, you're kicking like downhill.
On the left hash you're kicking uphill.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, but you know, all the fields that feller or
pretty solid.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
I think you made the segue for me perfectly. Let
me brag on your college resume just a little bit,
including as a senior hitting twenty three field goals, most
in a single season in Stanford history. You're the program's
all time field goal percentage leader at eighty five percent
as a Cardinals school record sixty one yard field goal
in the one hundred and twenty fifth Big Game a
couple of years ago. Right, So you got some rivalry Chops,
(05:23):
and you added to your legacy in your first game
against the forty nine ers. I know you've already put
it in your rear view mirror, but can we reflect
on it just a little bit. What was that like
to walk it off essentially at Sofi Stadium.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah, sure, it was a great experience, a lot of fun,
and it's just you know, it was really happy to
get the win and celebrate with the guys, and it
definitely helps to start on a on a good foot,
you know, with the team, with the organization and the
fan base. A lot of fun, you know, winning the
game and then yeah, not a whole lot of time
(05:56):
to celebrate.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
I mean, you go straight into the next week.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
And you know, that's the thing about the NFL is
it's a long season and so you can't really get
caught up in what's going on in the past too much.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
How was it to have Matthew Stafford in his sixteen
NFL season going to the Hall of Fame someday have
the presence of mind to say, you know what, the
rookie deserves the game ball right here.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Yeah, that's a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
I mean, we'll say, there's nothing like you know, being
on the sideline, you know, getting ready for that game
winning kick or you know, game time kick, whatever it
may be. Just knowing that you know, you got, you know,
a guy of that caliber leading your team. Just the belief,
like even in yesterday's game, the belief that I had
and that everyone had on the sidelines. You can definitely
(06:41):
feel it that whenever he's on the field that you know,
we're gonna get in the field goal range, we're gonna
get a touchdown, whatever we need at the end of
the game.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
And so it's a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
You know, it's a privilege being on the team with
him and just you know, knowing that we have a
chance no matter who we play.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
The backstory there is you were questionable all week with
your injury. We didn't know if you would go for
the home opener, Sean may vaceid you only kicked eight
times on that Friday preceding, like that was your week
of work.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Yeah, yeah, I was joking it's like a vet week
pretty much. But yeah, I kind of kept it real low.
I was held out of a lot of the team
stuff in practice and then just kind of did a
check a couple of days before the game and make
sure I was ready to go, and I felt good enough,
so I just went from there.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
What's like an average kicking volume if you're on a
hundred percent.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
Healthy Yeah, so it's a little bit different for everybody.
For me, I normally go, you know, two full days
a week, which is about twenty plus kicks each day,
because you know, it's like being a baseball pitcher where
you need to manage your load every single day, and
you know, if you use the same muscles over and
(07:49):
over over again, then you're gonna weigh yourself out, which
I probably did in my first couple of weeks after
fall camp and stuff like that. So just being smarter,
talking with the trainers and the coaches, creating a sustainable,
long term plan that you know, it's the best for everybody.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
I understand your family missed that game, like out of solidarity.
They were also going through some family injuries. What can
you tell us what's going on behind the scenes with
the parties.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Yeah, No, it's tough.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
The only game that I've never had my mom and
dad there for both of them. My mom made every
single game in college and my dad made every single
one except for two of them, and He's always flying
back and forth because he's a professor at Elon University
and he can't miss class or he gets in a
lot of trouble for this class for football, which I'm
(08:41):
always like, come on, just like, you know, just give
him Alais, you know, do whatever you want.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
You've been there for twenty two years. You're fine.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Just give them all as come to the game. But
so he's still he still comes to a lot of games.
He came to the last game and then he flew
like a red eye back and got home, you know,
really late.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
And then whatever.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
My mom she heard her back a little bit a
couple of weeks ago, so that's why she wasn't able
to come. My dad was staying taking care of her.
But you know, I would have would have loved to
have him there. But just really really happy they were
all doing fine, doing well, and just recovering.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
A little bit.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Your hometown is listed as Burlington, North Carolina. Is that
where they still reside? Everybody okay? With the storm?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Oh yes, we were fine. So it sounds like it
mostly Hurricane Helene came up or down through Georgia, then
up towards like the western tip of North Carolina, and
I heard like near app State and Boon. That's where
like most of the damages. So I have some friends
who like were in college there and the situation was
(09:41):
pretty grave, but it actually kind of was was fine
where we were.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
It's all those impacted who happened to be Brams fans
and catching this show. We send our best. I thought
of a question for you this morning when my four
year old was dragging his feet trying to go to
school for I was trying to get him to go
to school, and he had it in his mind that
he wanted to wear one crock with no socks and
then socks and sneaker on his other foot. And I
know he's a big Rams fan. I couldn't figure out
(10:06):
where he might have got that, and I think it
might have been watching U kick field goals with one
white and one black cleat. What's the backstory there?
Speaker 3 (10:12):
I apologize if I'm if I'm giving him any Yeah,
mis misguidance in his early school days. But yeah, So
the right cleat is a soccer cleat and the left
cleat is a wide receiver football cleat. And so the
reason for that is, I mean, all all the kickers
where soccer cleats on their kicking foot, but some wear
(10:33):
a different cleat on their on their plant foot for
like more support and stability when they come into their
plant and so the football cleat has more studs and
so the studs are longer, so you know, should hopefully
have more stability when I come in to kick the ball.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
I figured it wasn't a fashion statement, but you pulled
off really well. The other characteristic that we have observed
is this two step approach. Right, you mentioned your time
to the football. Where did that start and why do
you think it's an important part of your process to
be quick to the ball.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Yeah, so I actually I want to reiterate, I don't
want to be quick to the ball.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
It's just if you're too slow, you'll get blocked.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
So if you take more more than about one point three,
you know, one point three two seconds, then edge rushers
can can come around and block the ball as well
as the guys in interior. They can get more penetration
and get closer to you. So you'd have to a
higher kick. But it's more about those those edge rushers.
So I want to stay in the higher one two's
(11:33):
to give myself. Basically, the most amount of time to
see the ball without being blocked, because I really only
get to see the ball for about half a second tops,
you know, three tens of a second, two tens of
a second in the same spot as to like all
the kickers. So it's a tough thing to do in general.
And so that's why when there's you know, any variances
(11:54):
in stuff that you do or outside conditions that you know,
you just got to adapt to make the best of things.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Such succeed really about giving yourself more time to put
eyes on the football and shortening up that portion of
your process.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
That's right. Ye.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
So the two step approach though, change to that when
I got to college. My special teams coordinator at Stanford
who recruited me, Pete Alamar, he just kind of changed me.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
One day.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
I was like, hey, I was a three step approach,
which is the alternative way that a lot of guys
do where you take a step with your left foot
first when you go to kick. And so he's like, hey,
you know, your your first steps not really doing much
for you. Why don't you just switch to a two
step and just eliminate that variable altogether. And so, I mean,
you've seen guys like you know, Matt Gay and Harrison
(12:43):
Butcker succeed with it and a lot of other guys too,
And it's really just it takes out a variable of
like you know, sometimes that first step can be a
couple of inches, maybe it could be a few more
inches depending on you know, where you're set up or something.
So just take out the variable. And that's what it's
all about, is trying to have the least amount of
variables at all times.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Still got plenty of range though in power behind it.
Twenty years from now, when you're hopefully illustrious NFL career
is behind you, what do you think your career along
might be? Like? Where's your outer boundary of confidence where
you want Sean McVay to say, Josh, go get it?
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (13:19):
I mean so, I think those are two slightly separate questions.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
I'm good at that. I can give you three if
you want to go ahead and take them on whatever order.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
If I look back, you know, I'd like to be like, oh,
obviously the dream is you know, sixty seven yard field
goal set the record in the NFL. I guess that's
the dream. I'd be lying if I said anything else,
and it's feasible. I mean I I you know, in
pregame and stuff. You know I have the leg for
sixty plus, just depending on you know, what the conditions are,
(13:53):
and you know, especially with just like you know how
kickers are kind of evolving. I mean, you see Aubrey
just kick a sixty five in the middle of the
first quarter, which is kind of unheard of and it
was pretty cool to watch. But I think the record
will be broken pretty soon. And yeah, end a half
in the game situation really want to be you know,
(14:16):
a sixty five and in type of guy that's just like,
you know, get me to the forty five, you know,
forty seven yard line and you know we got a chance,
and I'll just give a good, good hack at it
and try to get the distance and keep it straight.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Since you mentioned it's your goal at your dream to
set the NFL record, why don't we go to the
wind down, which is brought to you by Sleep number.
Each week here on rams Revealed, we get insight into
how sleep and recovery impacts performance in the NFL. Because
you're here, I thought it would be interesting to know,
like do you dream of kicking?
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (14:50):
I do, and you know sometimes I might get a
little violent and physical with it if if someone else
is into bed, and you might let out a little
kick or something.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
But I dream about soccer a lot.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
And without kicking a lot actually cause my old days
in soccer. I just have random dreams still where I'm
kicking the ball a lot, and I do remember I
had a dream about kicking like a couple of nights before.
And sometimes they're good and it's like, oh, I make everything,
and I wake up feeling pretty good about myself. And
(15:22):
then sometimes it's like I miss something in my dream.
I'm like, all right, forget that one. But yeah, I
kick in my dreams fairly often, I bet.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
I hope you don't wake up in any cold sweats
like I do when I have broadcasting nightmares. But your
reality has been excellent so far. We're glad to have
you with the Los Angeles Rams. Let's finish with the
final couple of questions and then get you off to
your off day in preparation for the packers. When you're
not kicking, and I hear that you have a hobby, namely,
you were the founder and president of your prep school's
ping pong clubs. Is that what you're best at besides
(15:53):
place kicking.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
I'm semi retired in ping pong, to be honest, there's
no one to play against anymore.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
But back college, lack of competition.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
I've somewhat I guess you'd call it not not not
like that. There's nowhere to play anymore either, Like we
don't have a ping pong table here. That's my one,
my one, uh, my one, my one ask for the
facilities here. If we get a ping pong table in
the locker room, that'd be pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
And then all public challengers, right, fans want to come in.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Yeah, game, I'm not I'm not. I'm not terribly good.
I mean, my brother beats me still, that's for sure.
He's really good. Actually, But yeah, I founded the ping
pong club just before COVID and in high school and
then we had to kind of stop hosting meetings because
the pandemic hit. But it was a lot of fun.
And then in college we had a ping pong table
in our lounge room in the locker room, and freshman
(16:43):
sophomore year I was in their NonStop, you know, hour
or two at day just playing ping pong, especially in
fall camp. And then a couple of guys graduated, I
didn't have much competition anymore, and I had to kind
of throwing the towel with that. But I actually did
join the club team at Stanford for like a couple
of weeks, but didn't realize, you know, it was during season,
(17:03):
so I was like, I can't do this. I can't
take a bus and travel somewhere and play ping pong
when I have practice and stuff.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
So I was like it was pretty short lived.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Only Stanford would have a traveling ping pong.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Yeah, I don't know, you'd be surprised. Probably be surprised.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
You mentioned your brother along the way they're Jacob. Yep,
you mentioned he's a great soccer player too. Who's got
the better leg between you?
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Oh, I've got soccer for sure.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
He's got the hand eye of coordination sports like tennis
and ping pong, maybe pickleball, we'll see.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
We're still figuring that one.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
And what about this World Championship in robotics? Yeah, yep,
that's real.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
What did he do? He pushed a button? Now it's kidding.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
He is part of a team where they you know,
I think it's called like the first robotics competition. I
don't know what the official titles called, but it's the
whole Like every high school in the country and the
world like competes at it. In his high school, his
team won and in the actual competition, like he was
(18:07):
just pushing the button because that's all it controls itself.
It's like autonomous, but like he pushed the button to
start it. So I joke about that, But yeah, I
mean's he's a really bright guy. My dad went to
Stanford and guy's PhD there too, and we were really
hoping my brother would get into Stanford and he should have,
but you know, he didn't, but we would have loved
(18:31):
to have him there. He's definitely bright and smart enough
to be there.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
I'm in that imagining Jacob on another show somewhere being like,
what does your brother do for a living, and he's like, oh,
he just he just kicks a football.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
That's it. Every now and that's it.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
I remember a quote from jet Toner, who was the
kicker at Stanford before I was in a like local
Hawaiian newspaper when he got his offer to go to Stanford.
It was like he gets a full He's saying like, oh,
I get a full scholarship to try and kick a
ball between two yellow polls. And he's like, yeah, you know,
as simple as that. I'll take that all day long.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Last thing here, I have a little bit of a
surprise for you. Our training fair has been sketching our
guests each week on the grease board. I just found
out about this maybe an hour ago. So first of all,
what do you think.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
About Yeah, I Thinkshaccardi pretty compliment, complimentary, supplementary, complimentary.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Yeah, you're flattered by it.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
I'm flattered, definitely.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
I'll put it here for audience to take a look
to my tin.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Looks pretty good. I have a nice square square jaw.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Uh, what are we thinking?
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Like?
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Nine out of ten, I'll give it.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
A ten out of ten, not not exactly for resemblance,
but a nine out of ten for for resemblance, ten
out of ten for looks, though I think they didn't
get here.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Amazing connection here. I don't know if you remember this,
but Samuel Lechuga from Mexico City, actually her cousin who
came to the United States and stayed with your name
about Yes, there, she is believable. Rams revealed making connections
globally and including here, in Woodland Hills with the Rams.
Thank you, Josh. It was good to get to know
you a little bit. We'll go with Josh from now
(20:09):
on Storr deal deal all right for his ten out
of ten portrait on JB. Long. And this is Rams Revealed,
brought to you by Sleep Number
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!