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Jason Sanders – December 27, 2023 Download PDF version

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

K Jason Sanders

(On being named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week) – “It’s cool when you get recognized because I’m not the only one that gets recognized. It’s the whole offensive line that is on the field goal unit the series leading up to the kick. When I get recognized, they also get recognized too. Then I have a phenomenal snapper and holder that I think are Pro Bowl worthy this year. Jake (Bailey) not so much just based on the amount of punts we have, but the way he’s hitting the ball and Blake (Ferguson) as a snapper, I think are very strong Pro Bowl candidates this year.”

(How many text messages did you have after that one on Sunday?) – “Quite a few, quite a few. A lot of family hit me up. It’s always nice to hear from loved ones and people that are tuned in.”

(You’re one of the longer-tenured guys here. Just to be in the position you’re in as a team with two games to go in the season, how special is this?) – “This locker room is different. Everybody cares about each other. Everybody likes being around each other. So you take a team like that and a coach that cares about his players, it’s been a fun year and a fun year to be part of.”

(I’m pretty sure in the past you’ve shown quite a bit of respect for Ravens K Justin Tucker, for obvious reasons. How well do you know him? Have you had much interaction with him over the years?) – “Most of my interactions come from playing. We’ve played quite a few times now, maybe four or five, a couple preseason games. It’s just confidence. You can see how confident he is when he’s going up to hit the ball. I’d say that’s his best quality.”

(Out of curiosity, with cleats before this game, what’s your process of finding the right footwear? Weather, temperature all of that.) – “I’ve been wearing the same cleats since college, so nothing really changes as the years go on unless new cleats are designed. You might try them out, but for the most part, you buy a bunch of one cleat you like and you try and stick with it until you run out or they discontinue maybe.”

(Are you going to wear the ones you kicked the winners in this week again or you going to put those on the shelf?) – “Yeah, I’ve been wearing those all year. I save them for Fridays and Sundays just so they don’t get too worn out. But once those get to a certain level, I’ve got a few more ready.”

(How many do you buy?) – “The problem with kicking cleats is that they change every year. New ones come out and then they don’t feel the same as they did last year. Or you like the new ones more than the ones last year. They change every year so when you find one you like and feels good on, you buy seven, eight of them. When those run out, you try and find them again or you move on to something else.”

(So how many cleats do you go through would you say in a given season?) – “I go through two. Most of the time I wear the same cleat but maybe a newer cleat of the same model at practice. Then you save the one you like for Friday and Sunday when it’s closer to gameday.”

(We got a good line from RB Jeff Wilson Jr. just now. He said that he needed Sunday’s game for his spirit and for his psyche, because he hadn’t played a lot this year. Was a game like Sunday, even though you knew obviously you could still hit consistently 50-plus field goals, was a game like that you think helpful for your spirit, your psyche, just to have the chance to kick pressure field goals, a great distance as well? – “I mean, the games like that are always good for you. It won’t hurt. But as a kicker, you’re painted as a villain if you miss, and you’re the hero if you make it. So I mean, all of that is just noise and if you just continue to do what you know you can do. I think that’s the most important piece in being a kicker.”

(You’ve never lacked for confidence, but does a game like Sunday help?) – “Of course. I mean, you go out there and hit big kicks like that, it’s definitely not going to hurt you. (laughter)”

(Looking back, was there anything that happened before the Cowboys game that you can look back on and say yeah, this is why this game turned out so well for me?) – “No, I mean you treat every – it’s the same line I give every year. You treat every game the same. There is no different game. It’s between you and the yellow poles every game. So like I said, I have a good holder and a good snapper, what makes my job that much easier.”

(So it’s not like you had an exceptional week of practice or anything like that?) – “No, not at all.”

(What was it was like being lifted on your teammates shoulders? I know DT Christian Wilkins had you in the locker room. On the field who was it?) – “Raekwon (Davis) was there. Jake (Bailey) started it. Our punter started it. But it’s just cool to see our guys go out there and play a good opponent and come out with the win like that. It’s something special.”

(P Jake Bailey’s got some strength to left you up.) – “Jake didn’t lift me up that high. (laughter) It was some of the other guys.”

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