Lions kicker Jake Bates is in the midst of an uncharacteristic rough patch. Bates has had a kick blocked in each of the last two weeks, each of them coming off Bates’ foot with too low of an arc relative to the distance of the attempt.
It’s one of several issues that are going on with the Lions special teams. Coordinator Dave Fipp is working with Bates to tweak the kicker’s game and get him back on track as one of the NFL’s better placekickers. Fipp talked about Bates’ struggles in his press conference ahead of Week 11
“We had the low trajectory kick, we really had two of them in the Washington game, one of them that got blocked,” Fipp said of Bates. “So, obviously something we have to get fixed. I think I’ve said every year since Bates has been here, that he’s going to have some ups and downs. We really haven’t seen the downs so much. We’re seeing them right now a little bit.”
Fipp continued, showing his confidence in the young kicker and their ability to work together through the current rough patch.
“At the end of the day, I think that anytime you’re in a situation like this, this game will humble you. But in a situation like this, it gives you an opportunity to grow and get better. And I think he’ll do that, probably in multiple ways. Maybe a little bit of technique stuff, also mindset stuff. I think 15 years down the road, he’ll probably look back and say, ‘It was good for me, it made me better.’ So, he’s got to attack that the right way and he’s got to respond obviously and get better. I’ve got to help him out, certainly my job too. I do know this, he is a great player. I won’t waver one bit with him. It’s hard to find good kickers in this league, and he’s certainly one of those.”
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Dave Fipp still confident in Lions K Jake Bates despite recent blocks
Reporting by Jeff Risdon, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
