Carli Lloyd booted away any doubts about her ability to become an NFL kicker in an interview over the weekend.
The World-Cup winning soccer star started the buzz last month by blasting a 55-yard field goal during a practice session with the Philadelphia Eagles.
She confirmed that she had received some inquiries from NFL teams, and Hall of Fame placekicker Morten Andersen has offered to tutor her.
In an interview with the New York Post published Sunday, the two-time FIFA player of the year addressed concerns some people have raised about a potential pioneering effort as an NFL kicker.
San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen noted earlier that Lloyd could be stampeded if she had to play defense, say, on a blocked kick.
“I am not naive to know that there are big men in football and there is the chance of possibly getting tackled or hit,” Lloyd told the Post.
Some people who watched the viral video of Lloyd’s kick with the Eagles noted that she took a longer approach. “I have spent 15 years breaking down my technique on the soccer field and there is no reason why I can’t get the technique down with a two-step field goal,” she responded.
As for the pressure kickers face, Lloyd had an answer for that as well: “For the past 15 years I have been placed in pressure situations and that is what I enjoy the most,” she said. “Mentally I have worked on my mindset and know that what I have gone through would prepare me to kick a field goal in a pressure situation.”
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