I think even coaches who love and value Special Teams struggle with understanding the esoteric trick of developing kickers. I think they’re seen as a necessary evil. It’s brutal and kind of random, and the best thing you can do is have such a solid team that the world is more rarely on their shoulders, giving them the chance to develop the mental fortitude and belief in themselves to handle it when the world IS on their shoulders. And then you hope to get lucky. Many kickers, you pull the plug on them and then they figure it out mentally when they’ve got nothing to lose and they’re better elsewhere and put together decent careers. So being “first in” on a talented kicker with a higher draft pick seems like an awful idea. Because simply being talented is only part of the equation, they need to toughen up their mental game and find some inner belief in themselves not necessarily tied to making 50+ yard FG’s. Then they can make the FG’s? Idk like I said, it’s esoteric. It probably helps having a team good enough that the kicker feels it’s not all on them and their measly 3 points, while they’re developing.
It’s a sports psychology nightmare and a game of chance, but your chances are enhanced if you have a good squad who doesn’t *need* the kicker while they figure it out. So thinking if you just cross your fingers, walk on eggshells, and outwardly express belief that a guy might figure it out and become consistent…it’s not the most unbelievable idea.
All that said, Gay was obviously bad and should’ve been cut six weeks ago though.