INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts bet big on Spencer Shrader this offseason.
Indianapolis picked the second-year kicker over established veteran Matt Gay, betting heavily on Shrader’s potential because of his leg strength and makeup.
Shrader is off to a good start so far. The Colts kicker was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September after leading the entire NFL in scoring through the first month of the season.
Shrader has 51 points, 12 more than Seattle kicker Jason Myers in second place. Shrader has made 13 of 14 field goals so far, his only miss coming from 51 yards, and all 12 of his extra points.
“I try not to let the game get to me too much, the moment or the type of situation, but I think that when you’re contributing to the team winning games, you feel like you’re doing your part,” Shrader said. “Now, it’s just a matter of continuing to keep that rolling.”
Shrader has checked off almost all of the boxes a kicker needs to check in order to establish himself as the team’s primary kicker. The Notre Dame product buried a game-winner against Denver after being given a second chance on a leverage penalty, and he made his first field goal of 50 yards or more on Sunday against the Rams.
Shrader hammered a 52-yarder through the uprights in SoFi Stadium, making up for a 51-yard miss against the Titans the week before.
“I had missed earlier against Tennessee, and that was really disappointing,” Shrader said. “You want to go out there, be able to capitalize, be able to perform.”
Always retrospective, Shrader tried to take the award in stride, knowing the game can change in a second. Shrader kicked in five separate games for three different teams last season.
“Let this be confidence-inspiring, but also be humbling,” Shrader said. “Be like, hey, what did I do to get to this point? It was coming in, working hard every day, regardless of the situation. … I just need to continue that.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts PK Spencer Shrader on start, award: ‘Confidence-inspiring but also … humbling’
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
