Wil Lutz talks about the kicking competition in Saints training camp, and makes it known about his happiness for Zach Wood.
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00:00 I'm not sure why he did not have a press conference like Cam Jordan.
00:05 >> [LAUGH]
00:06 >> But we're all super excited for him.
00:10 Zach and I have been together for seven years with New Orleans and man,
00:13 that guy's gotten better every year.
00:15 And just I know Blake's super excited and it's a long time coming for him.
00:20 So I just wanna congratulate Zach to you guys.
00:22 >> He gave a lot of credit to you and Thomas and Blake as well when we spoke to
00:27 him here, how did you feel?
00:28 I just kinda see that.
00:29 >> Yeah, no, it was really cool.
00:31 Look, Zach's one of my best friends, he was at my wedding.
00:33 Zach's friendship means a lot to me outside of football.
00:38 Blake, Zach and I are all really close and I think that's important.
00:43 I think this organization values keeping a battery together that has shown works.
00:48 We've made a lot of big kicks together and
00:52 obviously I hope that continues for the duration of that.
00:56 No, you're good.
00:56 >> The 63 yarder today.
00:58 Did you know it coming off the foot?
01:00 How's it feel to do that?
01:02 >> Yeah, I mean, there's a good one behind me.
01:06 So Rizzy kinda knows when I'm grooving and
01:09 just kinda let me have some fun out there.
01:12 And look, right now I'm trying to get back to my old ways and
01:17 kinda find a rhythm and I didn't have a great day the other day.
01:21 So I thought today was really important to bounce back and hit the ball well.
01:24 So overall I was happy with today and right now I'm in the business of trying to
01:30 stack some good days together and I guess I get back to what I was doing in the past.
01:35 >> Will, if this makes sense, how aware are you of the competition with Blake as
01:40 opposed to the league with yourself?
01:42 >> Well, I'll say this first, Blake is extremely talented.
01:45 You guys see it.
01:45 We see it every day.
01:48 He works hard.
01:48 He's got the moxie to him to be in this league.
01:52 So look, you guys act like I don't compete with everybody every year, right?
01:57 And that sounds cliche, but the first five years I was here,
02:02 we didn't have competition and I never looked at it that way.
02:06 Right now there's about 64 other guys in the league that I'm competing with and
02:10 that's just part of the business.
02:12 Obviously it's a little more close to home when a guy as talented as Blake is
02:17 in the building, but man, we're making each other better.
02:22 And honestly, I've enjoyed it.
02:23 I feel like it's pushed me to be better and it's been a fun competition, so
02:28 we'll see how it plays out the rest of the year.
02:29 >> Will, with the great day you had, was that like icing on the cake,
02:32 cuz peer pressure, whether you're running sprints or not?
02:35 >> I mean, that's fun, right?
02:37 I think there's a lot more to the game than kicking six field goals in a row.
02:41 Right? It's easy to get a rhythm when you're
02:44 snap kick, snap kick, snap kick.
02:45 But look, on game day, I'm sitting on the sidelines for three hours.
02:51 You might kick a field goal in the first quarter, in the fourth quarter, and
02:53 that's it.
02:54 So I like that coach has us doing that.
02:57 I hope he continues to do it.
02:58 I think it kind of puts pressure on you that you don't get the field air training
03:02 camp, and I think that's really important.
03:04 So yeah, I mean, that was a fun kick to make and
03:08 hopefully we string a few more together.
03:10 >> Will, you say trying to get back to how you used to feel or
03:13 back to your old ways, dating back to winter, spring.
03:16 Have you felt as good as you did pre-injury?
03:19 >> Yeah, look, I feel great.
03:20 I felt great last year.
03:22 Mentally was tough last year.
03:24 I felt like I wasn't in the right headspace coming out of 2021.
03:29 And I was a deer in the headlights, I felt like a rookie again.
03:32 So physically, I felt great last year.
03:34 Physically, I feel good this year.
03:36 And really, it's a matter of getting back to that mental game that I've always been
03:40 so strong at, that I really take pride in.
03:43 >> Do you know your official camp number?
03:47 I'm sure you guys keep up with it.
03:48 What are your official numbers?
03:49 >> I don't know the actual numbers.
03:53 I believe, so I've missed three.
03:55 I missed a 47 early on, extra point, and a 42 the other day.
04:01 And I believe I was 26 of 29 going into today, I think.
04:08 So somewhere in that area.
04:09 I know I've missed three kicks.
04:10 Those are the ones I remember, unfortunately.
04:13 >> You mentioned the battery, and just when you are working a new guy in there,
04:16 when is that process when they have blue holders that are-
04:20 >> Yeah, it's different, and
04:21 I give blue credit, he's a good holder.
04:23 Me missing with him has nothing to do with him.
04:26 The difference is it's just new.
04:28 And so I got a little work with him in OTAs, and took us a little bit to kind of
04:32 gel, but he's got good hands, he gets the ball down quick.
04:36 So he's moving in the right direction, getting comfortable with Zach and
04:40 I, Brookie and Blake Gilligan.
04:43 Look, me being comfortable is everything, and
04:48 that's something I'm trying to work with him right now.
04:50 And like I said, me missing with him is not that different to him.
04:53 It's me trying to get used to him again.
04:55 >> Look, you mentioned how you're making each other better.
04:59 Is it possible that he's one, and that's 32 out there today?
05:03 >> Look, that's not for me to decide.
05:06 I think Blake's really talented, like I said.
05:07 So my job right now is to take it one kick at a time, make my kicks, and
05:13 kinda see how it plays out with him.
05:16 Obviously, he wouldn't be here if he wasn't talented, and
05:19 he's shown it on the field.
05:20 So that's not really my area to judge.
05:26 My job is to come in here and make kicks and take that into the season.
05:31 >> Well, this is probably a question for Derrick Rizzy and
05:34 others making decisions, but if the nature of your job is even the best,
05:38 you're gonna make 85%, how do you judge which ones are okay to miss?
05:44 What you need to see from a kicker knowing that three out of the other two
05:49 out of ten might be- >> That's a tough question to answer.
05:52 Like I said, there's more to it than just kicking six field goals in a row.
05:58 Like today, we end with a 62 yarder, and that's great.
06:02 I was getting a rhythm there, right?
06:03 So it's just different.
06:05 I think it's important to see how you interact with your teammates,
06:08 how you carry yourself, how you can handle pressure situations.
06:10 There's just so much more to it than kicking.
06:14 And I try to, any rookie that comes in here,
06:15 I try to at least give a little knowledge in that area.
06:20 So I mean, everyone's got their, I guess,
06:25 algorithm that they choose at each position.
06:27 But yeah, I just think at the end of the day, I gotta make kicks, but
06:32 there's more to it.
06:33 >> My algorithm is I think you hit the camera pole or
06:37 drop five times, is that something you're aiming for?
06:39 Are there bonus points for that?
06:41 >> You know, it's funny, the pole is in the middle when you're down the middle.
06:45 But when you're on the right and the left hash, it's not in the middle anymore.
06:48 So I mean, I kinda do pick, the way I play that pole is I'll say,
06:52 I'm gonna go just left of the pole or just right of the pole.
06:55 We're going right at the pole.
06:56 I hit it, it's cool, I guess, right?
07:00 Cuz you see it hit something, but yeah,
07:03 I said I don't really think about that one.
07:04 >> We can't mess up the maker mess of the answer though.
07:06 >> That's right, unless you have some crazy sidewinder on there, but none of those.
07:11 >> Will I ask you about this when the group first came about?
07:14 Are you expecting a change to your approach when you pick out rules?
07:17 >> Yeah, that's gonna be interesting.
07:18 As far as my approach, no,
07:19 I still have to be able to dial up and touch back with each time.
07:23 But I think that's what preseason's for.
07:26 I know the special teams coaches talk a little bit.
07:28 They try to figure out, kind of get the gist of what they're gonna do.
07:33 I mean, I hate the rule.
07:34 Honestly, I think you're taking one of the most exciting plays in football out.
07:37 There's already so little returns as it is.
07:40 Unfortunately, people get paid to be returners.
07:45 And now you're kind of taking that out of the game.
07:47 Not a fan of it, but as far as the way we're gonna approach it,
07:51 we'll see how that goes next week, really.
07:54 >> Out of range question again.
07:58 Last year you hit the 60 yarder in England, right?
08:00 And then today, what was it, 62?
08:02 >> Today was 62, yeah.
08:04 >> How, do kickers talk about whether the relative,
08:09 in terms of how teams value range, as opposed to all the other things
08:14 that place kickers do, is range being more valued or
08:17 expectations rising when it comes to range?
08:20 >> Range is important, like strength is important, right?
08:22 You gotta be able to show that if it's needed, you can hit it,
08:25 which I believe I've shown.
08:28 But obviously, you gotta make your kicks inside 55 yards in this league.
08:31 And I think that's the most important.
08:33 I think if you ask any coach, you say, hey, my kicker can hit 260 yards a season,
08:38 but he's not gonna do well inside 50.
08:41 He's probably gonna tell you the guy's gonna do well inside 50.
08:42 So I take a lot of pride in my leg strength.
08:45 So I think that I've shown that leg strength isn't an issue when it comes to
08:51 field goals, but right now I'm trying to work on my consistency inside 55.
08:55 So the long ones are fun, but look,
08:58 the ones, the average kicks every day are the ones that make your money.
09:01 So my goal is to make those kicks inside 55, and
09:04 it's icing on the cake when you make the long ones.
09:07 >> Do you think that the expected range, though, is going back?
09:10 In other words, people could say, well, how important is it to prove you can make
09:14 one from 60 if you only take a couple of those a year?
09:16 But would there be more if people showed they can do it,
09:19 like it seems like more guys are hitting 60?
09:20 >> Well, I mean, it's all strategic, right?
09:22 No one's gonna go out and hit a 60-yarder in the second quarter on fourth and
09:25 four of a three-point game, right?
09:28 So there's circumstances.
09:31 I mean, shoot, you look at a guy like Brad Maher,
09:32 who set the record for most 60-yarders in the season.
09:35 Guy's got a fiery leg.
09:36 Greg Zerline's hit a lot in his career.
09:37 So you gotta be able to show that you can do it.
09:39 But look, some guys who arguably the best kickers in the league will go their
09:46 whole career without hitting a kick longer than 57 yards, and it's just circumstance.
09:51 So I've already had, shoot, I guess, four attempts in seven years.
09:57 So and some guys have had one in 15.
10:00 So I don't think it has anything to do with kickers not being capable of it.
10:04 I just think there's a time and place for it, and some teams have it and
10:08 some teams don't.
10:09 >> Let's talk to one more.
10:09 [BLANK_AUDIO]