'Getting p***** off helps me sometimes': Browns rookie Cade York shakes off blocks
CLEVELAND − Golf is a favorite pastime for Cade York. That is, when the Browns rookie kicker isn't working on his day job.
Like most golfers, York understands the idea of keeping oneself calm and not trying to swing angry. That, typically, can lead to some bad misses.
That mindset doesn't quite carry over to York's job kicking for the Browns.
"Different strokes for different folks," York explained after Monday night's win over the Cincinnati Bengals. "It's just, everyone has their own thing. Getting p***** off helps me sometimes."
York was plenty ticked off by the time he ran onto the field with less than 10 seconds remaining in the first half against the Bengals. Earlier in the game, he had a 53-yard field goal blocked when the Bengals' B.J. Hill essentially came untouched off his left side.
That was the second time in as many tries over an eight-day period the fourth-round pick out of LSU had been blocked. He also had a potential game-tying 60-yard kick blocked with just over two minutes left in an Oct. 23 loss at the Baltimore Ravens.
So when York went out to try a 55-yard kick on Monday night, he could've done so with a Zen-like approach. Or, the way he did, which was more like Happy Gilmore.
“There were basically two kicks in a row I got blocked down the middle so I was p***** off," York said. "I got to the sideline and tried to see what happened. I couldn’t see on the pictures they gave us so I just went out there p***** off and tried to hammer it, honestly. It felt pretty good.”
The kick was pretty good as well. The second-longest field goal of his eight-game-old NFL career gave the Browns an 11-0 halftime lead.
York wasn't asked to kick any more field goals against the Bengals. Instead, the Browns were more than content to have him knocking through three second-half point-after kicks as they rolled into the bye week with a 32-13 victory.
For York, he hits the bye week much like the rest of his teammates. Feeling good about the future's potential, but feeling a sting from the past's disappointments.
"There have been so many close games that could have gone either way," York said. "We should have pulled some of those out. Going into the bye with a [win], especially a divisional game against the Bengals and game stakes in the division, it is a breath of fresh air to get to take two weeks to prepare for the next team."
York's been involved in some of the highest highs of the first half, and the lowest lows. His NFL career started with a game-winning 58-yard field goal at the Carolina Panthers and AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors, followed the very next week with a missed PAT that was the difference in a 31-30 loss to the New York Jets.
There was a missed 54-yard potential game-winner late against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Ravens block. However, there was also Monday night, the memory that is most fresh in his mind.
“I thought I was striking the ball better for the most part," York said. "Obviously, the first one is a little disappointing. I haven’t seen necessarily what exactly happened on it, but when it comes down to it, I need to get the ball pulled up a little bit quicker. Other than that, I feel like I hit it well. I had a PAT that was off, but I was working on some stuff this week and I felt like I implemented it pretty well. I just have to keep doing better with it.”
York just needed to look across the field to see an example of the fleeting nature of kicking in the NFL. A year ago, Evan McPherson was a big reason why the Bengals won the AFC championship and was 90 seconds or so away from winning the Super Bowl title as well.
The 2021 fifth-round pick out of Florida has been solid, if not spectacular, for the better part of his second NFL season, but McPherson's visit to FirstEnergy Stadium won't end up on his highlight reel. He pushed a 47-yard field goal wide right late in the first half, opening the door for York's own make.
On top of that McPherson, who came into Monday night having gone a combined 27-of-30 on all kicks this season, also pushed a point-after kick wide on the Bengals' first touchdown. York, who competed for two years against McPherson in the SEC, points to his counterpart's one-night struggles as more evidence as to why a short memory is a good thing for a kicker to have.
“It’s not even just FirstEnergy," York said. "It’s just hard to kick in the NFL. You have times when you will have bad days and you try to put stuff together. Stats don’t always show how good of a season you are having. You might be 100 percent but you haven’t attempted anything crazy or you might be 70 percent but you have done some good stuff for the team. Evan is a great kicker, and he is going to bounce back just fine. It’s just difficult to kick in general.”
When the going gets tough for a kicker, it's always good to have the right frame of mind. Clear one's head and block out the noise, if you will.
Or, if you're York, kick with all the ticked-off rage of an angry teenager.
"It usually works pretty well for me," York said. "Not always, but it worked well today."
Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.
On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ
Browns at Dolphins
Time: 1 p.m. Nov. 13
TV: CBS
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns rookie Cade York gets ticked off to shake off blocked kicks
