The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost on Sunday due to their poor field-goal kicking, but the team won't be making any knee-jerk reactions to the performance of rookie Matt Gay.
The 2019 fifth-round pick missed three kicks during a 32-31 loss to the New York Giants, including a would-be game-winning 34-yard attempt as time expired. Nonetheless, he'll remain Tampa Bay's kicker.
"He ain't goin' anywhere," head coach Bruce Arians said on Monday, according to ESPN's Jenna Laine.
It's been difficult for the Buccaneers to find a consistent kicker since Martin Gramatica held the position from 1999 to 2004. Over the last 10 years, no Bucs kicker has connected on more than 83% of their kicks, a conversion percentage that Matt Bryant, Connor Barth, and Patrick Murray reached.
Asked about the team's cursed kicking game, Arians dismissed the notion.
"This history shit... this is a new team," he said. "This is our team, a new team. Just go kick. Just go kick."
