Getty Austin Seibert lines up a kick for the Lions against the Packers in 2021.
In plenty of ways, the realities of COVID-19 have forced people in all walks of life to get creative in terms of their work preparations. For some, it’s meant getting more comfortable working from home or virtually. For others, adjusting to a new routine has been key.
That is no different if you play in the NFL, of course, and Detroit Lions kicker Austin Seibert proved that recently. Seibert was forced to miss a few weeks battling COVID-19, but he had to stay fresh in the meantime. What he did to do so was nothing short of ingenious.
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Speaking with the media on Monday, October 25 in an interview posted to DetroitLions.com, Seibert explained that while he was trying to come through his quarantine, he found time to go and kick locally, and had his wife Valerie help him by running down all of the balls he was booting away.
“Throughout all that I was doing just some routine steps ay my house in the backyard, or I’d go to a high school field and I would kick and my wife would shag some balls for me. That’s kind of what I did through quarantine to stay ready, stay game ready and kind of just get ready to help this team,” Seibert admitted.
Specifically, Seibert said he found a few local spots and managed to put in some regular work. As weird as it may have been, he said it worked well.
“The first time I went and kicked, I just found a field and kicked at a tree so that was that, out in Royal Oak, Michigan,” Seibert said. “I was just driving around trying to find a place to kick and it looked flat so that’s where we went.
“Maintaining a safe physical distance my wife would throw the balls back to me. Then we ended up at a turf field, I know that’s where Jack (Fox) told me where he kicks over the summer. So I went there and it worked out great. Field was wide open, no one there so didn’t have to worry about being around people. That’s where I went and kicked, and it all worked out. It’s different, but we made it work.”
The routine clearly worked, as Seibert has not missed a beat since coming back. He’s gone a perfect 8 for 8 with a long of 52 yards since coming back, and looks like a stronger bet than ever to stick as Lions kicker.
Early on, COVID-19 could have thrown things for a loop, but thankfully for Seibert, he had a quality partner committed to helping him stay fresh.
Seibert Pleased With Lions Development Thus Far
In terms of his own career in Detroit right now, Seibert could not be happier to be where he is at and playing for his new team. Thus far on the season, Seibert has done a nice job to solidify things at a spot where there seemed to be plenty of upheaval early on. As Seibert said, he feels he is in a groove now in Detroit, and has things rolling with the group he is working with currently.
“I’ve been hitting well. Jack (Fox) is a great holder. Scott (Daly) has been snapping well. It’s just one kick at a time, trust in the process, trust in technique and putting the team first,” Seibert said. “As soon as you start putting yourself first, things start going bad. So as long as I keep putting the team first and wanting to help this team win, I feel very confident in myself. This is a team sport, and I want to help this team win football games.”
While none of Seibert’s kicks have helped the Lions win a game directly as of yet, he’s been very good on field goals as well as extra points this year.
Seibert’s Career Stats & Highlights
After a solid four-year career with the Oklahoma Sooners which culminated in first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2018 and an FBS record 499 career points, Seibert was a fifth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2019.
After a solid 25-29 first season, Seibert was waived after a tough start to his 2020 season, but latched on with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he stayed the rest of the 2020 season and hit 6 of 8 field goals. He stuck into training camp of 2021. After losing the job there, the Lions picked Seibert up to kick for them, and he has been solid thus far, hitting 10 of 11 kicks for the Lions in Detroit.
Seibert has a powerful leg, something he often showed off in college. Here’s a look at one of his better kicks this season when he drilled a 43 yarder on the road.
If Seibert continues to dominate, fans will have his wife to thank for helping him to stay fresh even when he was down with illness.
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