As he looks back on his second year in the NFL, former Clemson kicker Chandler Catanzaro feels he was a much better kicker in year two than he was in year one.
His statistics back that up. The former Clemson star made 28 of his 31 attempts for Arizona in 2015, including a long of 47 yards which occurred in a Week 3 win over Minnesota. He also got better at driving the ball into the end zone on kickoffs. He had 50 touchbacks this past season to just 38 in 2014.
“I really do think I got better. There is some negativity flowing in from the missed extra points, but as far as hitting the ball, I think I really did improve this year and with kickoffs,” said Catanzaro, who was 5-for-5 in a game against St. Louis this year.
This season, the NFL moved extra points back to the 16-yard line in an attempt not to make points after touchdowns so routine. Catanzaro, like a lot of kickers in the NFL, missed a few. The former walk-on at Clemson missed five of his 58 attempts.
Catanzaro says the long PATs are a part of the game now and he has to adjust, and he has to get better.
“Rules are rules. You can’t really say anything about it,” he said. “Obviously, the margin for error goes down when you back it up. It makes it a little tougher, but you just have to trust yourself. When it comes down to it, it is just a 33-yard field goal so I definitely left myself room for improvement next year.”
Catanzaro’s off-season began last Sunday when he and the Arizona Cardinals lost to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game. The Cardinals finished the year 13-3 and as champions of the NFC West.
But in the NFC Championship Game, seven turnovers did Arizona in as it watched Carolina advance to its second Super Bowl with a 49-15 win.
“It was a tough way to end the year, but it was a good year,” Catanzaro said. “We did a lot of good things and we need to focus on those things.
“This one is going to hurt for a while. I learned through the guys in the locker room that this opportunity does not happen very often. There are not a lot guys, guys who played for 10 years or more in the league, that never get to play in a game like this so it is going to hurt for a while. I feel bad for the veterans. They carried us all year. I look up to those guys. I just feel for them. It’s only my second year so I’m lucky to even make the playoffs the last couple of years, but I feel for the veterans. It’s going to hurt for a while.”
The former All-ACC kicker plans to take the next few weeks off so he can rest his leg. He will see a chiropractor and a massage therapist to get it back in shape following a long season of kicking.
“The main thing is just resting,” Catanzaro said.
After he gets the rest he needs, Catanzaro plans to work with former NFL kicker Morten Andersen, again. He will also go over what he did right and what he did wrong, and then will head back to Greenville to see his family. He also plans to stop by Clemson and catch up with the Tigers to see how they are doing.
Catanzaro says watching them in person play for the National Championship made him proud to be a Tiger.
“I’m just so proud of those guys. I know they came up short in the end, but they have a lot to hang their hat on,” he said. “I feel like they were the better team in the national title game and it is just tough to watch them get all the way their and not get it done, but I’m just so proud of them.
“It is a good testament to see what Coach (Dabo) Swinney and the staff have done over the years. I like to think, me as a walk-on, plus the Dandy Dozen a few years back, are a little piece of that foundation that has been laid. The future is bright for the Tigers.”
And the future is bright for Catanzaro as well.
If you haven’t already order your copy today of Guts & Glory – Tales of Clemson’s Historic 2015 Football Season to help you celebrate and remember this special season.
