NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Saints kicker Brett Maher accounted for 12 of the teams 18 points in Sunday’s 18-10 win over the Panthers, making each of his field goal attempts.
Maher kicked field goals of 41, 27, 41 and 33 yards in the win. He has made 12 in a row.
On a conference call with media Monday, Maher discussed getting into a rhythm and his overall performance since joining the team.
Here is the official transcript courtesy of the New Orleans Saints:
Can you talk about the groove you’re in kicking the football?
“Yeah, first of all I think there is such a thing as being in a groove. I think what I feel like I’m doing really well right now is really just kicking one kick at a time and focusing on going one for one every time I go out there. And we’ve been in some games where I’ve had to do my part for our team to continue to have success and that’s fun to be a part of. I do, I feel like I’m hitting the ball very well, right now outside of the (missed) extra point last night. That’s eating at me a little bit today, but this will be a big week for us coming up this week, as well. So look forward to continuing the rhythm and doing what I can to help us get another win.”
Is there a different kind of pressure that comes with bringing brought in midseason?
“I really try to focus on doing what I can do, what I can control, so much in life in general, and especially in this business that you don’t get to have control of. So when I’m in a position that I’m in right now, where I know that I get to control the kicks that I get while I’m here, so just trying to make the most of those. And, you know, see where that happens and let all that stuff play out however it’s going to play out in the future. But really being present, being where my feet are and focusing on the next kick.”
Was that the longest time you waited to kick during the challenge to see where the ball would be spotted?
“I don’t know if it’s the longest I’ve ever stood before a potential kick, it’s definitely the longest I’ve been out there to not kick, so there’s no doubt about that.”
Was there a sense of urgency heading into the game vs Carolina?
“There’s definitely some urgency in the building, you feel that. This isn’t anything that’s new for this organization, either. So I think people are comfortable operating that way. But it does add a sense of urgency to your daily task, to practices, to meetings and to the stuff you’re doing off the field as well to make sure that you are on point ready to go because as everyone knows, at this point in the year, one slip up and that’s it for this version of the Saints. So just really trying to focus in on doing what we can control throughout this week and let the cards play out, but given ourselves the best chance here going into this week, and then hopefully moving forward.”
When you’re in the zone as a kicker do you feel like physically and mentally?
“I think it is moreso mental than anything. I think going out there with a lot of confidence and that kind of stems from the prep work that you put in (during) the week. That is where I get a lot of my confidence from, a lot of the mental reps, a lot of the emotional control stuff that I work on throughout the week, to where when you are in that moment, you’re used to being in that moment, it’s easier to treat every kick the same. I know it is cliche, but at the end of the day, no matter what the score is, no matter what happened on offense or defense. My job is essentially the same every time I go out on the field and that’s to put the ball through the uprights. So to take all of the outside factors out of it and try to really boil it down and keep it as simple as it is, it’s very challenging. But I think when you’re able to do that is when you can when you can kind of start stacking up those, one kick at a time and eventually you look up and realize that you got to a nice little run going.”
Does it mess with you at all when you have to wait so long before attempting a kick in a situation like that?
“Not having to kick, that was probably the weirdest part of the whole thing. I’ve got a good process in place for those long delays, so they don’t happen very often. But when they do happen it’s no different than like a timeout or something like that at the end of the game or the end of the half sort of to make sure you have a good process in place and to be able to execute that. To put yourself still in a good position to go out there and make a kick and I felt like I was in that spot. Just didn’t get the opportunity with what the situation ended up being.”