Riley Patterson has gone from an unknown commodity to the toast of the town as he has taken over the Detroit Lions kicking job, and it’s been a whirlwind for the kicker.
Patterson has come in and made a major impact early on for the Lions, but the kicker himself believes he has gotten more out of the situation than he has given back thus far, and he loves his surroundings already in the short time he has been around.
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Speaking to the media on Wednesday, December 22 in an interview posted to DetroitLions.com, Patterson explained that he is adjusting well to his surroundings and has appreciated the city and the teammates he has found since coming to Detroit.
“Getting more comfortable the longer I’m here, the longer I’m with Scott (Daly) and Jack (Fox). It’s been pretty great. I love it here. I love this place, I love Detroit and it’s been a blessing since I’ve been here,” Patterson told the media.
As for any of the pressure he has dealt with, it hasn’t been able to shake a player who is truthfully appreciating his surroundings on the field.
“I love playing, that’s awesome. I love playing with a team that wats to win. This team I feel like really wants to win. So it’s fun to be a part of a team that is really trying to accomplish a goal,” Patterson said. “For me to be able to do my small little part in that tam effort, it’s pretty cool. There’s pressure that comes along with it, but having faith in myself and faith in my abilities that God gave me to get here is how I deal with that.”
So far, so good for Patterson, who has been a rock thus far and has been perfect as a kicker for the Lions. That’s been huge as he has adjusted to his new city.
Patterson Making Lions History, But Defers Credit
Not only did Patterson take home NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, he also continues to make history in terms of his accolades with the Lions. Patterson has done a few things that two of the most established Lions kickers in history have, making as many field goals as Eddie Murray to start his career and also scoring 12 points in a game much like Jason Hanson did, which the Lions PR account pointed out.
.@Lions K @rileypatterson7 has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
He’s the 1st Lions rookie K to make the first 7 FGs of his career since Eddie Murray in 1980.
He’s also the 5th Lions rookie K to score 12 points in a game & the 1st since Jason Hanson in 1992.
In spite of that, Patterson is quicker to defer the credit to his teammates, specifically the offensive line as well as punter Jack Fox and snapper Scott Daly.
“I think it’s cool to be recognized. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into it not just for me, but with the whole team,” Patterson explained. “The offensive line has been fantastic, guys aren’t getting too close to me knock on wood, but they’ve been fantastic so far. That’s a selfless job getting run over almost every kick. That’s a really hard job to do. They do an awesome job. They know that I appreciate that greatly. And then Scott and Jack just work their butt off. They get holds every single day. It’s helped me out so much knowing that’s going to be perfect every time. It’s hard coming to a new team getting used to that chemistry. They’e been perfect so far and that’s been awesome.”
While Patterson himself might get some of the glory, it is for sure important to remember the part everyone else has in making sure the kicker can execute. To that end, the rookie is wise beyond his years.
Patterson’s College Stats & Highlights
Coming into the league out of Memphis, Patterson is one of the more accurate kickers coming from college in terms of extra points. In a four-year career with the Tigers, Patterson missed just a total of six extra points, going 240-246 with the team, which is good for a 97.6% conversion rate. On kicks, however, is where Patterson has seen most of his problems in college. Over that same span, Patterson converted just 64-83 field goals, for a much lower 77.1% conversion rate. He fell apart in his senior season of 2020 with a shaky 68.2% conversion rate on kicks. Here’s a breakdown of Patterson which does show plenty of positives with his game:
Any potential past accuracy problems didn’t stop him from getting NFL looks, however, and Patterson does have decent accuracy in his past given his 92% conversion rate in 2019. That was the highest total for the kicker in his college career, which begs the question of whether it was an aberration or not.
So far, Patterson looks good with a small sample size. He will have a shot to prove he’s the guy moving forward, but this is a definite positive.
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Riley Patterson Praises Detroit, New Teammates: ‘I Love It Here’