Streaming star Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins’ take on the art of kicking in professional football was met with a fervor of responses online – including a couple from some current and former players who’ve experienced the aspect of sports that requires unbelievable mental strength.
If you think the late-game heroics in video games like CSGO, Fortnite, and League of Legends determine who is clutch and who is not, then you might be surprised to know that moments like that are a pop quiz compared to the mental test of nailing a game-winning field goal.
Being able to kick between the uprights in clutch moments could mean the difference between a Hall of Fame career like Adam Vinatieri, and not being able to set foot in the city of Chicago again, like Cody Parkey.
But Mixer streamer Ninja, who’s also a long-suffering but faithful Detroit Lions fan, expressed his opinion that it’s silly for kickers and their snappers to mess up something so silly.
https://twitter.com/Ninja/status/1200828146578317312
Ducky, a mobile Fortnite player for Complexity, replied with a seemingly joking and similarly worded tweet about playing Fortnite, prompting Ninja to reply with the implication that Fortnite is harder than kicking in football due to of all its additional variables.
https://twitter.com/Ninja/status/1200830143721291778
Whether Ninja’s reply was serious or not, his initial take drew some responses from football players who take the art of kicking very seriously. Current Pro Bowler long snapper for the Denver Broncos, Casey Kreiter, responded with the point that special teams is a group effort that is never simple, to which Ninja agreed.
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Kyle Long, guard for the Chicago Bears, responded cheekily with a tweet of his own, saying, “Hey @Ninja, there is no wind in Fortnite, and the grass can be changed in your settings.”
Former NFL punter Pat McAfee responded as well, inviting Ninja on his own “The Pat McAfee Show” to discuss.
Very very good question.. Come on the show.. let’s chat about it brother man
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 30, 2019
McAfee punted kickoffs for the Indianapolis Colts from 2009 to 2016, where he made two Pro Bowls. He was well known for his colorful personality and sense of humor, which helped him translate to a career as an analyst and a show host with ease after he retired.
He’s also an avid professional wrestling fan, having appeared on WWE programming several times, and even once laying the smackdown on a Denver Broncos kick returner in 2013.
Hopefully, there won’t be any body-slams if and when Ninja joins Pat on the show to discuss the art of kicking. Ninja has already been hurt by professional football players enough, being a Lions fans and all.
