Kicker Chandler Catanzaro Has Nothing but Love for the Jets

Thursday, Mar 21, 2019 09:00 AM

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Olivia Landis

TEAM REPORTER

After spending the 2017 season with the Jets before journeying the NFC South with the Buccaneers and Panthers in 2018, kicker Chandler Catanzaro is looking forward to being back in the green and white.

“I’m super pumped to be here, super pumped for the opportunity, just walking in the building and having some familiar faces,” Catanzaro said of his new team. “I’ve walked into a couple new buildings the past few years, but this place has always been welcoming. I just love the people here, love the coaches and love my teammates that are here.”

Two years ago, Catanzaro excelled while converting on 83.3% of his field goals and also nailing all his 29 extra-point attempts. He had some notable kicks along the way including his 57-yarder against the Browns, which set a franchise record for longest make, and a 41-yarder at home that lifted the Jets to an overtime win against the Jags. But aside from the records and stats, Catanzaro also is thankful for the opportunity to rejoin many familiar faces in the special teams meeting room.

“Lachlan (Edwards) and Thomas (Hennessy) are two of my boys, so I’m excited about that. I’m just excited to be back,” he said of his holder and long-snapper, respectively. “They do a heck of a job snapping and holding and they did a great job for me two years ago, so I’m excited about the comfortability factor there with them and with (Brant) Boyer and Hammer (special teams assistant Jeff Hammerschmidt). I’m excited about every part of it, I really am.”

The 6’3” 200-pound kicker isn’t the only one excited that he’s returning. Edwards, who attended Catanzaro’s wedding with Hennessy last March, took to social media to express his enthusiasm after his friend’s re-signing.

Catanzaro is set to join a special teams unit that ranked No. 1 in 2018, according to Rick Gosselin. After Boyer took over in 2016, the Jets climbed the ranks all the way from nearly dead last (ranked 31st in 2015) to first overall in just a three-year span.

“I think it’s kind of cliché, but he’s definitely a player’s coach. He’s been there, he played for 10-plus years in the league, so he knows what he’s talking about and he’s been through it all,” said Catanzaro. “He’s been through the whole process. He has some great stories and he’s a character for sure. He’s turned into a good friend of mine, so we’re excited about working together again this year.”

Although he wasn’t seen last season, The Cat Man is back and ready to bleed green again.

“When the Jets called, I took the opportunity immediately,” he said. “I didn’t expect it to be there. I’m very thankful and hopefully be a Jet for years to come.”

Panthers' Chandler Catanzaro: Almost perfect as Panther

·         by RotoWire Staff

·         19h ago • 1 min read UPDATE 19h ago

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Catanzaro played the final four games of the 2018 regular season with the Panthers, making all five of his field-goal attempts and seven of his eight extra-point tries en route to 22 points.

Catanzaro began the season with the division-rival Buccaneers, making 11 of 15 field goals and 23 of 27 extra points in nine games prior to being released. He wasn't out of work long, however, as a knee injury to Graham Gano caused Carolina to call. To his credit, Catanzaro made the most of his opportunity, knocking in a couple of kicks from 50-plus yards in his short stint. Although Gano is not expected to require surgery this offseason, Catanzaro surely did enough to garner interest elsewhere ahead of the 2019 campaign.

Special Teams Player of the Week

October 22, 2018

Special Teams Player of the Week

Chandler Catanzaro, kicker, Tampa Bay. Seriously: I just block-saved the “Chandler Catanzaro goat entry” and inserted it here and wrote a new top! Tampa coach Dirk Koetter trusted the well-traveled Catanzaro to try a 59-yard field goal on fourth-and-15 from the Cleveland 41 more than he trusted Jameis Winston to convert. I would have too. And with 1:55 left in overtime (Cleveland’s fourth OT game out of seven games this fall), Catanzaro got a perfect snap and spot and booted the 59-yarder comfortably inside the right upright with maybe three yards to spare. His missed extra point early (it scraped the right upright) enabled Cleveland to work its way back to forge a 23-23 tie. But the Bucs got in position to win with an eminently makeable 40-yard field goal with four seconds left. Again, Catanzaro pushed it right. The final outcome saved his bacon.

Dont’a Hightower, linebacker, New England. After playing a vital role in the Patriots knocking the Chiefs from the unbeaten ranks last week, Hightower made the play of the day for New England midway through the third quarter at Chicago. Hightower, playing on the punt-rush team on the defensive line, steamrolled his man—tight end Ben Braunecker (Harvard man, by the way)—and smothered the Pat O’Donnell punt. In the ensuing mayhem, Kyle Van Noy picked it up for New England and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 31-24 lead. Textbook example of a brute-strength bull-rush on the punt, and knowing exactly where the block point was on the punt. That’s the first time the Bears have had a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown by an opponent in 31 years.

Bucs' Chandler Catanzaro emotional after making longest-ever OT field goal

October 22, 2018
By Jenna Laine ESPN Staff Writer

TAMPA, Fla. -- Buccaneers kicker Chandler Catanzaro's voice started to quiver and his icy-blue eyes grew misty. He'd just nailed the 59-yard game-winning field goal -- the longest field goal in overtime history -- and all he could think about were those who didn't give up on him after he missed what would have been the game-winner.

"They mean a lot," Catanzaro said of teammates who rushed to give him a hero's welcome. "As a kicker, you never want to go in there [and miss] when they set you up so well. ... I'm just so thankful it worked out like it did. God is good."

The previous long was Oakland's Sebastian Janikowski from 57 yards on Oct. 19, 2008.

"I almost passed out. I stood up and got dizzy trying to scream too much," said Bryan Anger, the Bucs' punter who was the holder on Catanzaro's kick. "It's tough to keep your head down and push through that.

"He played the wind well. The wind was kind of going in our faces and cross from right to left, so that's tough because he [had to] start outside the uprights. ... So he started outside the uprights and let it draw back in. The wind was a little tricky today. Up top, the wind was going one way and below, it was going the other."

With 4 seconds to go with the game tied 23-23, Catanzaro saw his 40-yard kick sail wide right. In the second quarter, he also missed an extra point -- all from the same hashmark. Anger wasn't sure if that contributed to the misses.

"I was extremely upset with myself. I told the guys earlier, 'This team deserved to win this game,'" Catanzaro said. "They played their tails off all game, and for me to miss a kick like that, it was very frustrating for me, especially after the prep I had this week."

Defensive line coach Brenston Buckner, a fellow Clemson alum who was with Catanzaro when he was with the Arizona Cardinals, said he told him: "Stick with it. You've been here."

Quarterback Jameis Winston told him: "We're gonna give it to you again. Stay in it. Do your thing."

Because of the new NFL overtime rules -- which if the game is tied at the end of the overtime period, it will result in a tie -- head coach Dirk Koetter felt he had to pull the trigger. He had also witnessed Catanzaro drill a 61-yarder in practice this week. Catanzaro made a 57-yarder when he was with the New York Jets last season and was 62.5 percent on kicks of 50-plus yards since 2016.

"I knew he had the distance in him," Koetter said. "If we didn't make that one, we weren't getting it back. You either go for the win or hope you tie. The way the game was going, we were going for the win. But I knew he could make it if he hit it."

Browns head coach Hue Jackson said he was surprised to see the Bucs line up for a 59-yard field goal in overtime.

"I said there's no way he was going to make that. He did. So they won," Jackson said.

Defensive back Damarious Randall was expecting to see the punt team.

"I saw the kicker come out and I thought, 'He just missed a [40]-yarder, there's no way he's going to make a 58- or 59-yarder,'" Randall said. "That's just the nature of the game. He just missed a kick and he just made a hell of a kick. Just tip your hat to him. That's a hell of a kick."

Added Baker Mayfield: "I'm thinking if he doesn't make it, we're getting the ball at midfield, we have less than 20 yards until our kicker is in comfortable reaching distance at that. That's a great kick. You don't see that often."

Bucs OTAs: Chandler Catanzaro nails all his field goals on Day 1

By Bonnie Mott
May 23, 2018

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicked off Day 1 of OTAs Tuesday and among the biggest highlights from the day is kicker Chandler Catanzaro nailing all five of his field goal attempts. Meanwhile, rookie kicker Trevor Moore finished the day 4-for-5 on field goals.

Considering all the drama surrounding the Bucs placekicking position, this is great news for the Buccaneers, especially after the past few seasons which have consisted of shuffling the team’s roster and one too many kicking game woes.

Although the Buccaneers just signed Catanzaro to a new deal in free agency, the position has been one of the team’s most prominent issues and among their biggest concerns for quite some time now. Considering all the issues surrounding the Bucs “kicking curse” and lackluster kicking game, it’s no surprise to see general manager Jason Licht and company determined to ensure Tampa Bay’s kicking game woes don’t resurface once again this season. Catanzaro finishing the day with a flawless performance is definitely one step in the right direction no doubt.

The next media OTA is Thursday at One Buc Place, so be sure to stay tuned for more updates and news throughout the week.