How the Baltimore Ravens' Justin Tucker became one of the NFL's all-time greatest kickers

play

12:00 AM ET

There will be added significance to the pre-game routine of the Baltimore Ravens kicker.

Tucker will end his warm-ups with a kick from the right side of the field. Tucker's hero, Adam Vinatieri, kicked a last-second field goal to give New England their first Super Bowl victory.

Tucker was 12 years old when he watched that game. It took him a while to appreciate the magnitude of the moment after he discovered his passion for kicking.

Tucker said that this is one of the biggest kicks that has ever been. Each and every day this routine puts me in that mindset. I don't know how to approach this kick when it arrives.

It's one of the best parts of sports, seeing one guy lead his team to victory.

Tucker became a legend.

• Mahomes greatest Sept. QB ever?

• Geno Smith fix for Seattle's offensive woes?

• Bears' passing game off to rocky start

• Has karma come for the Raiders?

Tucker was introduced to Vinatieri by Doug Blevins, a personal kicking coach who helped Vinatieri transform from an unknown out of South Dakota State into a Super Bowl legend. When Tucker wanted to be a kicker in high school, he was tracked down by his family.

Both of them want to be on the stage Both of them want to be the guy.

Tucker earned a Super Bowl title, five first-team All-Pro selections, and an immense amount of respect from around the league when he was a first-year player 10 years ago. "Tucker would've made it" is posted on social media immediately after a kicker misses a field goal.

Tucker has the best field goal accuracy of all time. He is the best in high-pressure situations. He has converted 59 consecutive field goals in the fourth quarter and overtime, which is the longest active streak in the league. The 66-yarder in the closing moments of the Detroit game is an NFL record.

They have known Tucker since he was a child. They've seen his ability to thrive in the spotlight, whether it was a fifth- grade talent show, a game-winning penalty kick in high school or a singing auditioning for the University of Texas'Butler School of Music, because of his confidence.

There have been problems. He was able to convince his mother to allow him to play football. The person who helped him achieve that goal was the person's stepmother.

Randy Brown, the Ravens special teams coach who has been on the sideline and practice field for every one of Tucker's kicks, compares him to other sports stars. The guys who want the ball at the end of a game are the ones who are in the tournament.

It's his ability to focus and his need for the ball at the end of the game that distinguishes him.

Tucker's first sign that he wasn't afraid of the moment was when he took the mic and sang "Danke Schoen." The parade scene from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" came to mind. Tucker went up and down the aisles of the auditorium while wearing a suit.

Paul Tucker said that his son is not afraid of being in the public eye.

He doesn't have any inhibitions, according to a professional photographer. I don't know what's going on, but he's wired that way.

During Tucker's first year at the high school, there was an example of that. He was the only freshman on the soccer team, and he was the only one who got a chance to play in a game. He grabbed the ball and set it down on the spot, even though he wasn't the one who usually handles penalties.

Tucker made a point that he's taking this. I'm not going to play this game anymore.

Tucker kicked his first game-winning kick.

Tucker's parents believed soccer was his best chance of getting a scholarship. Tucker tried to convince his mom to let him play football.

You need to focus on soccer. Her son had been playing the sport since he was 4 years old.

She had lunch with Amy. Tucker and Drew are likely headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and they are both graduates of the same high school. Amy is Drew's stepmom.

Good god, woman!" He should be allowed to play! Amy talked to her friend. There are a lot of pads. He has more protection than soccer. Allow him to play.

Tucker played two sports in the fall. He practiced soccer for two hours at night and two hours in the day. Tucker was dripping with so much sweat, so that's why he was brought two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, two Gatorades, and a towel.

"I feel like an idiot because football is what opened the door for him," she said.

When he was a student at the University of Texas, Tucker decided broadcast journalism was not for him. Tucker was a big fan of music and was able to teach himself how to play the guitar by watching videos on the internet. He had to take four months of singing lessons with a graduate student before he got a chance to try out for the school.

Tucker had to perform in front of judges in order to get admitted. He belted out a song and was admitted.

Tucker majored in recording technology at the University of Texas. Tucker sings in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Latin and Russian.

Tucker made 83.3% of his field goals in his college career, which was the third best percentage in school history. He wasn't invited to any of the games.

Tucker trained for the draft by graduating early. Tucker made all 10 of his field goal attempts in a five-minute video to promote himself. He looked at the camera and said, "pick me"

The thing didn't work. Tucker was signed by the Ravens after coach John Harbaugh picked him over Billy Cundiff.

Tucker was asked to give the graduation speech two years after finishing school because he wouldn't walk across the stage to get his degree.

The Texas graduates were told that his art is on a football field. The field goal operation is a performance.

Tucker said in May that those 1.3 seconds were a kind of cathartic beauty. I become so focused that I lose myself in that moment, like a musician who has studied and practiced a piece for many years.

One of the gutsiest decisions ever made by a kicker was TUCKER's 66 yard field goal in Detroit.

Tucker went through his usual routine when the Ravens were behind 17-16. After taking three steps back, he moved two steps to his left.

Tucker realized that the goal posts are a long way away. I need to find something extra to get the ball.

Tucker was short on his attempts before the game He had practiced a "crow hop" for a long time, but never used it in a game. He moves back a bit to generate more power.

I just decided. Tucker said that he would let it rip and see what happened.

This angle of @JTuck9's record-breaking kick is incredible. #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/H1udG62DFi

— NFL (@NFL) September 26, 2021

Tucker's kick was in the air for three seconds before bouncing off the bar and clearing the field.

"When it left the bar, my first thought was, 'Oh my gosh, it was so close,'" saidMichelle, who was watching the game with the rest of the family. I was confused when the ref put his hands up. What just occurred?

Tucker is the only kicker to hit two field goals of 60 yards or longer. He was 16-for-16 on field goals in the last minute.

Brown said that he is not afraid to fail.

Tucker's white jersey, black pants and socks were sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and it's reasonable to wonder if Tucker will ever make it there. He went 4-for-4 in the Ravens' Super Bowl run, including a double-overtime game winner over the Broncos.

Two kickers are in the Hall of Fame. Over three decades, Stenerud converted 66.8% of his kicks, and Anderson made 79.7% of his tries. Both are close to Tucker's conversion rate.

Tucker tries not to think about that. It's important to take it one kick at a time. When I was trying out for the high school team, my agent told me to just kick, it was one of the best advice he had ever given me.

I guess, between those two principles, less is more, simpler is better.