Plain old day for Bryant
No parades or keys to the city, just another winning kick.
By JOHN ROMANO
Published October 16, 2007
TAMPA - The day came and went without a proclamation. Dignitaries did not rise, and ticker tape did not fall.
Matt Bryant kicked another long, winning field goal, and not one bay area newborn was named in his honor.
Aw, Matty, can you forgive our thoughtlessness?
"That's all right," Bryant said. "The one day was enough."
Such graciousness. Such humility. Here we are, one week from the one-year anniversary of Matt Bryant Day in Tampa, and the Buccaneers placekicker is again in the headlines.
Last season, a 62-yard winning field goal against Philadelphia prompted Mayor Pam Iorio to name Oct.23 in Bryant's honor. This week, Bryant's foot revisited his feat with a 43-yard winner against the Titans on Sunday.
With knighthood for Bryant apparently not in the offing, Bucs players will be left to devise their own celebrations Oct.23.
"If I recall Matt Bryant Day correctly, I think all government offices are closed. So that kind of limits your options," punter Josh Bidwell said. "I think I'll just send him flowers. Maybe call him every hour and make him feel stupid."
The point, I suppose, is we have come to expect great things from Bryant. In a little more than two seasons in Tampa Bay, Bryant has kicked four winning field goals and converted the highest percentage of kicks in franchise history.
Not bad for a guy initially snubbed by the NFL coming out of Baylor in 1998. And by snubbed, we don't mean cut or waived. Bryant couldn't even wrangle a legitimate NFL tryout. And by initially, we don't mean for a month or two. Bryant, 32, spent about three years working behind the counter of a Texas pawn shop before getting his first big break.
Which might explain the calm in his step and the steel in his gaze when he walks on a field to do his job. Bryant has lived with pressure long enough to be quite comfortable in its presence.
"I've gotten myself ready for this since I was 5 years old and playing with my dad," Bryant said. "Is there going to be pressure? Sure, but I've prepared for it to the point where I feel confident I will overcome it and do my job.
"When I first got to the league, my mentality was, 'Do good this week so I can stick around until next week.' I've had some success and I've proven myself, but I still look at it the same way."
It is, perhaps, a kicker's greatest compliment to suggest you never think of him. That you assume, once his name is called, that points will soon be added to the scoreboard.
And, around here, that's never been more true.
Bryant has converted 23 of his past 26 field-goal attempts, with his three misses coming from an average distance of 49.67 yards. He recently passed Steve Christie for the highest field-goal percentage in Bucs history, and his 62-yarder broke Michael Husted's team record of 57 yards that had stood for 13 years.
All of this after taking more than three years to break into the NFL, then being waived four times by three teams from 2002 to '04.
"I remember back when I was interviewing agents at Baylor, and they said it may take 3-4 years before I would get a shot in the league, and I remember thinking, 'You're out of your mind. If you can get the job done, you're going to make it,'" Bryant said. "But that's not necessarily the case. Sometimes you have to wait your turn.
"There were many times where I thought to myself, 'What am I doing here? I'm barely getting by, I'm putting my entire life on hold, and I'm just waiting for someone to give me a break.'"
The break finally came when Bryant was spotted by an evaluator at some rinky-dink kicking camp and was invited to a showcase in Nevada where he caught the eye of Giants coaches.
These days, Bryant figures his job is to be Jon Gruden's security blanket. To be the guy Bucs coaches can call on when they are in a jam and not worry about the possibility of failure.
As job descriptions go, this one is not ideal. Today's hero is one play away from being next week's chump. Martin Gramatica was with Tampa Bay for six seasons and is the team's all-time leading scorer but was cut loose after a two-month slump in 2004. If that move seemed cruel or disloyal, just remember it led to Bryant's arrival.
"I waited my turn to try to get my foot in the door," Bryant said. "Now, I'm on the other side, and I'm trying to hold off everyone else trying to stick their foot in my door."
.FAST FACTS
Right between the goal posts
After making eight of nine field goals this season, Matt Bryant has moved ahead of Steve Christie as the most accurate kicker in Tampa Bay history.
Kicker Years FGM FGA Pct
Matt Bryant 2005-07 46 56 .821
Steve Christie 1990-91 38 47 .809
Martin Gramatica 1999-2004 137 179 .765
Donald Igwebuike 1985-89 94 127 .740
Michael Husted 1993-98 117 160 .731