Rams kicker Matt Gay goes from practice squad to Pro Bowl team

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INGLEWOOD — When Matt Gay got the connection from a Rams publicist connected Wednesday that he’d been picked for the Pro Bowl, the kicker reread the substance to marque definite it was real, past phoned his woman with the news.

Then helium thought astir his career’s end-over-end formation to this precocious honor.

Drafted successful the 5th circular retired of Utah. Up and down arsenic a rookie with Tampa Bay. Waived by the Buccaneers the adjacent summer. Buried connected the Indianapolis Colts’ signifier squad. Waiting for his adjacent chance, a substance of when, not if.

“All the portion conscionable knowing, heavy down successful your heart, that you’re a starter successful this league, that you merit to beryllium playing connected Sundays,” Gay said, “and conscionable sticking to your guns and believing successful yourself and having a woman and household that are supporting you the full mode and believing successful you arsenic well.

“Just making definite that erstwhile I did get retired connected that field, I would marque the astir of it.”

A twelvemonth and a period aft the Rams gave him the chance, Gay has fulfilled that committedness to himself.

The 27-year-old, successful his 3rd NFL season, was 1 of 4 Rams named to the NFC Pro Bowl roster this week. Alongside the selections of Rams antiaircraft tackle Aaron Donald, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and wide receiver Cooper Kupp, Gay’s was the 1 not everybody saw coming.

When the Rams signed Gay disconnected the Colts’ signifier squad successful November 2020, they weren’t looking for a star, lone a kicker who could marque an other point. Rookie Sam Sloman and his replacement Kai Forbath combined to miss 4 PATs and 4 field-goal attempts successful the archetypal 9 games.

Gay was dependable from the start, his 40-yard tract extremity with 2:36 near securing a 27-24 triumph astatine Tampa Bay successful his Rams debut connected Nov. 23, 2020. He made 18 of 20 field-goal attempts during the 2020 regular play and playoffs and went 20 for 20 connected other points.

The Rams’ kicker from the outset this season, Gay is 28 for 29 connected tract goals (a league-leading 96.6%) and 40 of 41 connected PATs. He has made 20 field-goal attempts successful a row, including 55-yarders the past 2 weeks.

Just arsenic helium gained determination from his signifier squad purgatory, Gay said helium drew lessons from his uncommon misses.

The archetypal came from the mode Coach Sean McVay, holder Johnny Hekker and others reacted erstwhile helium missed a 44-yarder connected the 2nd of his 3 field-goal attempts successful his archetypal Rams game.

“Immediately aft that miss, Sean, Johnny, each the guys were like, ‘Hey, we got you,’” Gay remembered this week. “I didn’t adjacent cognize immoderate of their names. To amusement that enactment immediately, it was like, ‘Wow, this is simply a bully group. This is simply a peculiar place.’

“They gave maine assurance to travel backmost retired and deed different tract extremity successful that crippled that helped america get the win.”

Then determination was the agleam broadside successful Gay’s lone miss this season. You mightiness deliberation he, well, kicks himself for spoiling perfection with that 46-yard effort successful the 3rd 4th of the Rams’ 37-20 nonaccomplishment to the Arizona Cardinals successful October. But helium calls it a world cheque and a “key moment” successful the communicative of his season.

“No, I don’t look backmost and privation I was perfect, due to the fact that the crushed I’ve been blessed to beryllium arsenic accordant arsenic I’ve been of precocious is due to the fact that of that,” Gay said. “Looking back, that was a footwear wherever I astir went done the motions connected it. I got caught up successful everything.

“That was a large clicking infinitesimal for me, similar ‘That can’t hap again. You’ve got to beryllium locked in, you’ve got to beryllium focused connected each azygous kick, each other constituent oregon tract goal.’”

Gay, who was All-America astatine Utah and acceptable a Pac-12 grounds with 30 tract goals (in 34 attempts) successful 2017, won his archetypal Pro Bowl grant successful voting by NFL fans, coaches and players.

He calls his wife, Millie, “the existent champ down this.” He choked up portion talking astir calling her successful Utah, wherever she and their children unrecorded during the season, with the Pro Bowl news.

“She’s seen maine done times that person been rough, been tough, the lowest of lows. She sees you astatine your astir vulnerable,” Gay said. “She’s been determination to enactment and emotion done those times. She’s besides been the 1 to get maine retired of it and beryllium a small hard connected maine erstwhile I request to beryllium told to get going.”

Gay’s 38-yard tract extremity with 2:23 near successful the Rams’ 27-24 triumph implicit the Colts successful Week 2 is his astir melodramatic truthful acold this season.

“Every constituent counts successful this league,” Rams backmost Matthew Stafford said. “We’ve got a feline that’s been large truthful acold and been truly clutch.”

Now, Gay seems owed for a accidental to triumph a crippled successful the past second. That could hap Sunday erstwhile the Rams (10-4) look the Minnesota Vikings (7-7), who person had six games (two wins, 4 losses) decided by 3 points oregon less this season.

“That’s what you unreal astir arsenic a kid. You number down the timepiece arsenic clip expires. You person to person the assurance to invited that,” Gay said. “I anticipation we’re not successful that position, due to the fact that I anticipation the team’s doing well. But if it ever comes along, I would emotion 1 of those.”

Given what he’s done with his chances successful the past year, Gay should marque the astir of it.

TWO STARTERS RETURN

Rams choky extremity Tyler Higbee and information Jordan Fuller were activated from the COVID-19 reserve database connected Friday, making them eligible to play against the Vikings connected Sunday successful Minneapolis.

They were the past starters to beryllium activated aft the Rams had 8 starters connected the database astatine 1 constituent past week.

“It’s decidedly a large boost for us,” McVay said.

NOTES

Cam Akers practiced with the squad for the archetypal clip this play aft the moving backmost was designated for instrumentality from injured reserve connected Thursday, giving the Rams 21 days to determine whether to activate him. “You could conscionable see, helium conscionable brought an other vigor to the signifier today,” McVay said of Akers, who tore an Achilles tendon successful July. “(As for) erstwhile helium really gets connected the tract (for a game), watching him determination around, it mightiness beryllium sooner than later.” … The Rams practiced nether SoFi Stadium’s canopy, alternatively of successful Thousand Oaks, to get retired of the rainfall connected Friday. … Defensive lineman Greg Gaines (ankle) was listed arsenic questionable for Sunday’s crippled connected the Friday wounded report.