Justin Tucker’s Pregame Routine Inspired by Adam Vinatieri
In a profile piece on Justin Tucker, ESPN’s Jamison Hensley noted that there will be added significance to the All-Pro kicker’s pregame routine when the Ravens visit the New England Patriots on Sunday.
“As he has done before every game and practice since college, Tucker will finish his warm-ups with a kick from the right hashmark, 48 yards out,” Hensley wrote. “It was from that exact distance 20 years ago that Tucker’s idol, Adam Vinatieri, kicked a last-second field goal to lift the New England Patriots to their first Super Bowl victory, 20-17, over the St. Louis Rams. Tucker remembers watching that game as a 12-year-old. But it took him a few years, after he found his passion for kicking, to really appreciate the magnitude of the moment.”
Tucker told ESPN: “To me, this is one of the biggest kicks that’s ever been, if not the biggest kick that’s ever been made. This [routine] just puts myself in that mindset, each and every day. How am I going to approach this kick and this moment when it arrives? That’s one of the greatest parts of sports, seeing one guy propel his team to that winning moment.”
Hensley noted that “Tucker learned about Vinatieri through Doug Blevins, a personal kicking coach who helped Vinatieri transform from an unknown out of South Dakota State into a Super Bowl legend with four rings. When Tucker wanted to fully commit to being a kicker in high school, his family tracked down Blevins, who noticed one key similarity.”
“They both want to be on the stage,” Blevins said. “They both want to be ‘the guy.'”
Ravens Special Teams Coach Randy Brown equated Tucker to Mariano Rivera, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.
“They’re the guys who want the ball at the end of the game and the end of their tournament,” Brown said. “Justin’s ability to focus, and his need for the ball at the end of the game, is really what sets him apart from others.”
The article also touched on Tucker’s musical background, the significant role Drew Brees’ stepmother played in his career, and more.
