Kaeding gets his kicks on Sundays

Adjust font size

Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008
By Khalil Garriott, NFLPlayers.com

Forgive Nate Kaeding for sometimes becoming awestruck and having to pinch himself. It’s hard for him to believe that the dream is real—that he’s one of the top kickers in the NFL, making a living playing the game he loves.

“It’s neat,” a bashful Kaeding told NFLPlayers.com. “I’m just a kid from Iowa; I’m out here like a fan myself. You are still looking up to these amazing athletes and quarterbacks and guys like LaDainian Tomlinson, amazing receivers and defensive players and it’s a neat experience. I feel like a fan that happens to be able to kick a football pretty well. It’s fun for me.”

The dimpled, 26-year-old kicker for the San Diego Chargers flashes a wide smile as he ponders how far he’s come. “Kicking is such a numbers-based position. You can always get better and that’s the fun thing about sports and athletics—the competition within yourself,” he said.

Kaeding’s greatest strengths are his dedication to, and passion for, the game of football. He thrives on competing and challenging himself, and it shows. In 2007, he made 24 of 27 field-goal attempts, good for an 89 percent success rate which ranked fifth-best in the NFL. He also drilled five of seven field goals in the playoffs last year, including all four attempts in a blustery AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots—while playing with a fractured left leg.

The highlight of Kaeding’s career to date was his selection to his first and only Pro Bowl following the 2006 season. The Chargers led the league in Pro Bowl selections that year, though as a special teams player, Kaeding’s credentials for the annual all-star game are based more on season statistics than on a built-up reputation, like is the case for a position player.

“A lot of these guys put together a good résumé over a few years and they get voted in year after year,” said Kaeding, who won the 2007 Pro Bowl for the AFC with a game-winning field goal from 21 yards out with four seconds remaining. “For kickers, it’s whoever has the stats and is up there each year. It’s not really something you think about (during the season). The numbers play themselves out as the year comes to an end and luckily you get the respect of the peers, coaches and fans and you get the chance to come out and enjoy the week,” he added.

Entering his fifth NFL season, Kaeding stands to make a return trip to Hawaii soon. He carries an 87 percent career field-goal percentage, best in Chargers history, and his team record of 175 consecutive extra points dates back to his rookie season in 2004. The potential he showed in college, when he won the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top kicker during his junior year and became the University of Iowa’s all-time leading scorer, has now been fulfilled at the sport’s highest level.

Down to a man, the talent-laden Chargers mention winning the Super Bowl when asked about their goal for the 2008 season. Kaeding concurred, saying his team is more motivated having been on the cusp of the big game in recent years.

“It’s time for us as an organization and a team to take that next step to the playoffs and move forward to the ultimate goal, which is to win a Super Bowl,” he said confidently.

The Iowa City, Iowa native grew up as a sports junkie and was a big fan of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. He also followed the Chicago Cubs and players like Andre Dawson and Ryne Sandberg as a child. In addition to football, Kaeding excelled in basketball and soccer as sports were a big part in his childhood.

“I grew up watching all sorts of sports and playing every sport possible—whatever season it was, I played that sport,” he said.

Though Kaeding didn’t admire one particular NFL kicker during his youth, nowadays he doesn’t hesitate when asked about his favorite kicker of all-time. The third-round draft pick in 2004 has tried to pattern his game after Jan Stenerud since his college days.

“He’s the only kicker in the Hall of Fame, so that’s a tough one to beat,” Kaeding said. “He had 10 to 15 good years in the league. He revolutionized soccer-style kicking and he’s a guy that’s helped me out quite a bit throughout the last few years, coming up through college at Iowa. Jan is probably the guy I look up to the most as a kicker,” he continued.

Kaeding’s relationship with Stenerud has allowed him to blossom as a kicker, especially with the technical aspect of kicking. The individual attention he got from Stenerud has helped Kaeding improve and fine-tune his style, which clearly has paid dividends early in his pro career.

Kaeding said, “In the NFL, it’s different because there are a lot of special teams coaches, but going up through high school and college you never get a lot of hands-on help, whereas all these other positions have a coach that knows every little detail whether it’s a blocking scheme or your footwork and hands, all those sorts of things. Kickers, we’re put off on our own on the sidelines and expected to kick the ball through the posts.

“Jan had really been good for me, being able to come there and pick his brain as to the technical aspects of kicking and the mental parts of it—how to prepare yourself for a game, how to handle different parts of the season. He’s been a real benefit there [as] someone I can use as a sounding board.”

As for active NFL kickers, one of Kaeding’s contemporaries has caught his eye as a sure-fire Hall of Famer when he’s done playing. Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri’s four Super Bowl rings and reputation for making clutch kicks assure him of a bust in Canton someday, according to Kaeding.

“He’s had a tremendous career,” Kaeding said. “I think that you see the importance of kicking and how the numbers have improved drastically throughout the last 15 to 20 years. You see the importance of games coming down to one or two points; kickers are starting to get paid more and we’re getting a lot more respect.

“I think it’s going to come around that whenever he retires, he’ll be voted in,” Kaeding said of Vinatieri.

An avid golfer who boasts a 7-stroke handicap, Kaeding recently visited Torrey Pines Golf Course, site of the 108^th U.S. Open Championship which ended Monday. Last Wednesday, he and punter Mike Scifres got to meet 2003 British Open champion Ben Curtis, who wore Chargers team colors during his rounds at the picturesque San Diego public links course. Kaeding truly enjoyed getting an up-close look at some of the PGA’s finest teeing off during their practice rounds.

“At a great venue like this, to have the Chargers colors represented, especially by a major championship winner like Ben, is great for the organization,” he said. “This whole event is so great for the city of San Diego in general. To be part of it is great.”

Have an opinion on this story? Share it on the team's official message boards.

Visit the forums

Find out what others are saying about the Chargers. Visit Daily Clips.

Already registered? Login here.