Colts head coach shares full confidence in a struggling starter, but is it warranted
The Indianapolis Colts are 2-2, with plenty of highs and lows throughout the first four weeks of the regular season. One of their lowest lows, though, has been the play of high-dollar starting kicker Matt Gay. Even through his struggles, Colts head coach Shane Steichen still believes in his kicker. But the question now is whether […]
The Indianapolis Colts are 2-2, with plenty of highs and lows throughout the first four weeks of the regular season.
One of their lowest lows, though, has been the play of high-dollar starting kicker Matt Gay. Even through his struggles, Colts head coach Shane Steichen still believes in his kicker. But the question now is whether or not that belief is warranted.
Should the Colts move on from Matt Gay?
The Colts made a big move during the 2023 NFL offseason to give Matt Gay the largest free-agent contract for a kicker in league history. He signed a four-year $22 million contract to become the Colts starting kicker, and many are starting to question if he's earned that money on the field.
During his first year with the team, Gay made 80.5% of his field goal attempts, with him making 33 of his 41. Five of his eight misses in 2023 came from 50+ yards out, two misses from 40-49 yards out, and one miss coming from 30-39 yards out. And so far in 2024, his struggles from 50+ yards out remain a major problem. He has made three of his five attempts to start the year, with him missing both of his two attempts from beyond 50 yards.
One of those misses came against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the team's Week four win. In a game where the Colts only won by three points, every point matters. And it's becoming increasingly clear that the team can't trust Gay to kick a long-field goal in a critical moment. His projected "field goal range" seems to be shrinking every single week. And for an offense run by one of the more aggressive 4th down play callers in the NFL, Gay isn't giving Steichen and the Colts any reason not to go for it in those situations.
Though these facts are out there, they haven't deterred head coach Shane Steichen. He echoed similar sentiments from his Week 4 post-game press conference on Monday when he spoke to the media.
“Yeah, I mean Matt's (Gay) our kicker. He's been doing it for a long time. Obviously, he missed the kick yesterday, and he knows he's got to make those going forward, but he is our kicker.”
– Colts head coach Shane Steichen
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