DaKCMan AP
09-06-2007, 06:16 AM
Posted on Wed, Sep. 05, 2007
Chiefs’ Medlock remains confident
By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star
H e doesn’t change what he eats for breakfast, and forget about switching shoes or picking up pennies in the parking lot.
Superstitions have never been part of Justin Medlock’s routine.
Instead, whenever he misses a kick or finds himself in a slump, Medlock remembers what the legendary Al Del Greco told him during a recent conversation about life in the NFL.
“He just reminded me that a lot of kickers get off to a rough start when they enter the league,” said Medlock, a Chiefs rookie. “He said the best thing for a young kicker is to show patience.”
Medlock vows he can do just that.
But can the Chiefs?
With Sunday’s season opener at Houston less than a week away, the team summoned six kickers to Kansas City for a workout Monday afternoon. No one ended up with a contract, but the audition was enough to indicate the Chiefs may be losing confidence in Medlock, a fifth-round pick in last spring’s draft.
A former UCLA standout, Medlock missed three of his six field-goal attempts during the preseason.
“I don’t know if I’d say it was a message, so much,” Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said. “He’s going to take it any way he wants.”
Medlock said: “At first I didn’t know what to think. But being a rookie in this business, you don’t know what to expect. I was like, ‘You know what? I can’t worry about these other guys. I just have to worry about me.’ ”
Aside from a rocky first week of training camp, Medlock’s problems haven’t been in practice. He made 12 of his 15 field-goal attempts last week and, according to Edwards, he was true on all eight of his attempts Monday.
Special teams coach Mike Priefer said Medlock made 90 percent of his attempts during training camp.
“And he was perfect — 36 of 36 — from inside the 40,” Priefer said. “There’s a reason we drafted him. Mentally, if he stays focused and just worries about kicking the football — and not about the hold or the snap — he’s going to be fine.”
The problem with Medlock, though, hasn’t been a lack of focus. If anything, he’s been too focused.
Karl Dorrell coached Medlock for four years at UCLA. Talented as Medlock may be, Dorrell said he’s often “ultrahard on himself,” and that his “perfectionist” persona causes him to overanalyze situations.
“I know he’s having a rough beginning in Kansas City,” Dorrell said. “But believe me, there’s not a guy out there that works harder than Justin. He’ll get it figured out. He just needs to settle down and stop putting so much pressure on himself.”
That’s not always easy. Medlock was booed during his first appearance at Arrowhead Stadium after missing a kick that would’ve given the Chiefs a preseason victory over Miami.
“He’s definitely pressing,” holder Justin Colquitt said. “Anytime you come out of the preseason 50 percent, you’re going to do that.
“The snaps are there, the holds are there — and he’s hitting the ball well. It’s just one of those things he’s going to have to figure out on his own.”
Medlock insists he’s not worried. If anything, he’s taking comfort in the fact that he’s never been in a major slump.
As a junior at UCLA, Medlock said he missed three of his first six field-goal attempts before making 10 of his next 11. He was off on his first attempt of his senior season and then made 14 in a row.
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/v-print/story/262441.html
KFD Justin Medlock!!
Chiefs’ Medlock remains confident
By JASON KING
The Kansas City Star
H e doesn’t change what he eats for breakfast, and forget about switching shoes or picking up pennies in the parking lot.
Superstitions have never been part of Justin Medlock’s routine.
Instead, whenever he misses a kick or finds himself in a slump, Medlock remembers what the legendary Al Del Greco told him during a recent conversation about life in the NFL.
“He just reminded me that a lot of kickers get off to a rough start when they enter the league,” said Medlock, a Chiefs rookie. “He said the best thing for a young kicker is to show patience.”
Medlock vows he can do just that.
But can the Chiefs?
With Sunday’s season opener at Houston less than a week away, the team summoned six kickers to Kansas City for a workout Monday afternoon. No one ended up with a contract, but the audition was enough to indicate the Chiefs may be losing confidence in Medlock, a fifth-round pick in last spring’s draft.
A former UCLA standout, Medlock missed three of his six field-goal attempts during the preseason.
“I don’t know if I’d say it was a message, so much,” Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said. “He’s going to take it any way he wants.”
Medlock said: “At first I didn’t know what to think. But being a rookie in this business, you don’t know what to expect. I was like, ‘You know what? I can’t worry about these other guys. I just have to worry about me.’ ”
Aside from a rocky first week of training camp, Medlock’s problems haven’t been in practice. He made 12 of his 15 field-goal attempts last week and, according to Edwards, he was true on all eight of his attempts Monday.
Special teams coach Mike Priefer said Medlock made 90 percent of his attempts during training camp.
“And he was perfect — 36 of 36 — from inside the 40,” Priefer said. “There’s a reason we drafted him. Mentally, if he stays focused and just worries about kicking the football — and not about the hold or the snap — he’s going to be fine.”
The problem with Medlock, though, hasn’t been a lack of focus. If anything, he’s been too focused.
Karl Dorrell coached Medlock for four years at UCLA. Talented as Medlock may be, Dorrell said he’s often “ultrahard on himself,” and that his “perfectionist” persona causes him to overanalyze situations.
“I know he’s having a rough beginning in Kansas City,” Dorrell said. “But believe me, there’s not a guy out there that works harder than Justin. He’ll get it figured out. He just needs to settle down and stop putting so much pressure on himself.”
That’s not always easy. Medlock was booed during his first appearance at Arrowhead Stadium after missing a kick that would’ve given the Chiefs a preseason victory over Miami.
“He’s definitely pressing,” holder Justin Colquitt said. “Anytime you come out of the preseason 50 percent, you’re going to do that.
“The snaps are there, the holds are there — and he’s hitting the ball well. It’s just one of those things he’s going to have to figure out on his own.”
Medlock insists he’s not worried. If anything, he’s taking comfort in the fact that he’s never been in a major slump.
As a junior at UCLA, Medlock said he missed three of his first six field-goal attempts before making 10 of his next 11. He was off on his first attempt of his senior season and then made 14 in a row.
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/v-print/story/262441.html
KFD Justin Medlock!!