Bucs' Aguayo contacts mental coach after preseason kicking woes

Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Roberto Aguayo is meeting with a mental coach after struggling through the preseason thus far.

Aguayo was billed as one of the most talented kickers to enter the draft in recent memory and was selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. However, the heralded prospect missed two field goals against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 20, and failed to convert a point-after attempt in the Buccaneers' first preseason game versus the Philadelphia Eagles.

The 22-year-old spoke about his decision to consult a mental coach, and said he's spoken to former Green Bay Packers kicker Ryan Longwell for advice.

"I'm just focusing on relaxing and sometimes not thinking about it too much,” Aguayo said to Roy Cummings of 620 WDAE. "When you’re overthinking like, 'OK, I have to do this and this and this,' you get too many thoughts in your head. Sometimes you have to sit back and relax and just kick it. That’s the mindset going into practice and throughout this week."

Aguayo said punters Jacob Schum and Bryan Anger, who serve as the placeholders for his field-goal attempts, shouldn't be blamed for his recent woes.

"Those guys are both getting the work in. Like I said, the holders – Schum and Anger – have both been doing a great job holding for me. They get the ball down. I just tell them, 'As long as you get the ball down I have to find a way to get it in,'" Aguayo said.

Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter did what he could for Aguayo at practice Monday, letting the kicker attempt a field goal of over 50 yards to allow players to leave practice early. To the pleasure of his teammates, Aguayo nailed the kick, according to ESPN's Jenna Laine.