Colts kicker not making excuses after horrible showing vs. Bengals

While Gay understands the conditions, he said that is normal for any kick he attempts. He revealed that he practiced the same kicks in warmups before the game and that he was hitting them well, but it didn’t translate to the actual contest.

“Any time you have an open stadium, you’re going to get conditions,” Gay said. “I thought I had it down in warmups. In pregame, I was hitting the ball really well. It’s just one of those deals where I hit it good and it wasn’t good enough — the wind took it.”

When it comes to the second missed kick being the PAT or the extra point attempt, there was not a perfect snap from the long snapper to the holder, but that wasn’t even mentioned by Gay or Mason. They take accountability for the misses and the special teams coordinator stressed that the first whiff shouldn’t set the tone for future kicks.

“You can’t allow one miss to be a second miss,” Mason said.

Colts fans should not call for Gay to be out of the team as he’s been really good so far for in his tenure. While he averages about 87 percent in terms of kicks made in his career, it is down for this season at 82.1 percent or hitting 23 of 28 field goals. He had a masterful game this season where the Colts upset the Baltimore Ravens earlier this season where Gay made four field goals where each were more than 50 yards out.

Gay knows what he’s capable of in this league

Because of the immense success Gay has had in the NFL and especially with the Colts, it “irritates” him that he had a game not up to his standard Sunday. However, he has the mindset of correcting his mistakes and moving on to the next game.

“When I look at what I’ve done, it irritates me, because I know I’m better than that, than what I showed on the field,” Gay said. “But definitely, I can self-correct, I can move on quicker (than he did when he was younger). I am confident in myself and my ability. This is not something that affects me going forward.”

Simply, Gay wants to “make” every field goal or point after the touchdown he can get. While maybe that is not realistic for any kicker, he has the grit and confidence that people rarely talk about in terms of a special teams player.

“It’s obviously frustrating for me,” Gay said. “I want to make every kick that I take, and I just have to be better.”

Gay will have a chance to bounce back as the Colts next game is Saturday, December 16 where they will try to defend home-field as they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Indianapolis is still in the hunt as they have a 7-6 record which puts them behind the Jacksonville Jaguars by a game in the AFC South. Meaning, every game is a must-win for the Colts moving forward.