ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -Broncos kicker Matt Prater dined at a local restaurant recently, the waitress approaching his table with a hint of recognition registering on her face.
“Do you play for the Broncos?” she sheepishly inquired.
Hey, it’s a start. Prater is hardly a recognizable face.
But he’s hoping that’s about to change.
The Broncos are turning to youth in the kicking game, relying on the unproven Prater and rookie punter Brett Kern to open the season. The team is also counting on rookie Eddie Royal to provide a spark in the return game.
Broncos special teams coordinator Scott O’Brien doesn’t mind the abundance of youth, appreciating their eagerness.
“All we can ask these guys is to give us their best, because we think their best is good enough,” he said.
Prater’s booming right foot has big shoes to fill.
Tell him something he doesn’t know.
The second-year kicker has heard little else lately but how he’s replacing Jason Elam, the team’s all-time leading scorer who left for Atlanta in the offseason.
“I know it will be tough to amount to half of what he’s done throughout his career. I’ll just try to do the best I can and try to make a name for myself,” Prater said.
Prater has had a solid preseason, hitting 9 of 11 field goals, including his last six in a row. He also hit all eight of his extra-point attempts.
He needed that for confidence.
“It definitely helps,” Prater said. “It’s something to build off of.”
The kicker Prater is trying to replace has become one of his closest confidants. He and Elam exchange text messages quite often, with Elam offering tips on everything from managing anxiety before a big kick to how the veteran keeps his leg fresh throughout the long season.
This week’s conversation revolved around what type of cleat Prater should wear on his plant foot while kicking on the clay portion of the field at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland on Monday night.
“Any bit of information I can get from Jason is good for me,” Prater said.
After all, Elam knows the subject of kicking intimately. His numbers are among the best in NFL history, hitting 395 field goals – fifth on the career list – over his 15-year career.
One area that Prater has a leg up on Elam is kickoffs. Elam’s leg strength declined in recent years, forcing the Broncos to use other options.
Prater was quite proficient kicking off in the preseason, blasting 18 of his 22 kickoffs into the end zone, including 11 for touchbacks.
Still, Prater will be known for his field goals, not his kickoffs. He’s made just one in his pro career, a 45-yarder last season with Atlanta before he was released.
Elam has a reputation for being clutch in pressure situations, hitting four game-winning field goals last year alone.
“Until you’ve done it as a kicker, people don’t know what to expect,” Prater said. “I’m sure one time this season I’ll get the opportunity to do it. Hopefully, I’ll come through.”
Kern won the punting job in a hotly contested campaign with Sam Paulescu, who finished with the job last season. Kern said the competition only served to make him better.
“We were both coming out as hard as we could, every day, just trying to do the best we can,” said Kern, who averaged 46.4 yards on nine punts in the preseason. “At times, when you really felt like I don’t have it today, you looked at Sam and he probably does have it. It kept us competing day in and day out.”
Kern will try to provide stability in the punting department, something the Broncos lacked last season. Todd Sauerbrun had the job before wearing out his welcome in December. Then, Paul Ernster was brought in, only to be replaced by Paulescu.
O’Brien likes the explosive-kick capability of Kern, who uncorked a 63-yard punt in the preseason.
“He’s got a big leg, which you need in the (NFL),” O’Brien said.
After a practice, O’Brien will spend close to 30 minutes running around an adjacent football field, listening to music and thinking about the special teams.
So far, he has no concerns.
“They’ll make a mistake down the road – I don’t know when, where, but young guys make mistakes,” O’Brien said. “When they happen, the good ones learn from them.”
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