Winning the Jets’ training camp kicking competition won’t change Greg Zuerlein’s mindset one iota.
“I don’t think there’s any relief, if you can say that,” Zuerlein said after Wednesday’s practice, his first a day since Eddie Piñero was released. “I’m still going out there and kicking that there’s a guy next to me. It doesn’t matter if he’s there or not. It’s who you put on tape and it’s all about him. Not here today, doesn’t mean he’s not here the next day, that’s how I do business.
It was a great trade for a man who went by several different nicknames over a decade in the NFL. He converted 82.0% of his field goal attempts for the Rams, including 33 and 60-plus two touchdowns. In the year In 2017, he was an All-Pro and Pro Bowler. In his two seasons with the Cowboys, he had a 2-1 loss against F.G. He hit 82.9 percent of his attempts and had a career-high 80.0% of kickoff returns.
“Greg is a veteran, been there, done that,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “We’ve been against the Rams for years. Back then his nickname was Legatron. Now I guess it’s Greg the Leg. He’s got big feet. He can hit from anywhere over 55 yards. Have a lot of range.”
Both Young praised GZ (another nickname, even though he turned 35 in December) and Saleh Piñeiro, who came on in the last half and hit all eight of his FG attempts, then pushed Zwerlin all offseason and preseason in a neck-and-neck battle between the insteps.
“Ed also did a great job. He deserves it,” Saleh said. But we had to make a decision and that’s what we went for.
