Raiders Kicker Matt Gay Mindset

Mon, Aug 3, 2026

Video Transcript

Both, I mean, physically and just taking care of my body, making sure that everything feels healthy, feels good.

I think eliminating some of those things in the swing has helped my body feel good.

I think keeping it simple as, you know, my body hasn't felt as sore, I'm not doing as much movement and things like that.

The swing feels simple, and then mentally it's just being able to like.

Coming off, you know, Quote unquote, a couple of, you know, rougher years.

As people would say, just being able to like get that out, check it out, go back to be like, hey, I'm back with Joe, I'm back with the Saints.

This is what's capable, like putting on film and like, hey, this is what I'm capable of, this is what I'm chasing, and everything's in front of me still.

So I just, you know, looking forward and looking at the future as opposed to, you know, focusing on those last couple of years, take glimpses of the past that have been really good and use that to just look forward and keep, you know, stacking days on days so I feel good going into the season.

I'm old enough to have covered Morton Anderson, and he told me that the best kickers approach it like a golfer.

Think about your leg almost as an extension of a club.

Is that how you do it?

Uh, yeah, I definitely think there's a lot of similarities between kicking and golf, uh.

I think there's a lot of similarities on the mental side as well.

Uh, I think.

And, and especially in games, right?

Like miss one, make one, doesn't matter.

Like you're, what's the next shot at hand?

What's the next kick at hand?

So it's like, no matter you have bad drive, good drive, you have to go up and assess the next shot, hit the next shot .

So it's like, whatever happens, miss, make, you kind of have to wash it to the side, move on to the next one.