Sean McVay evaluates Samuel Sloman’s first two games for Rams
The Rams were on the prowl for a new kicker this offseason for the first time since Greg Zuerlein was drafted in 2012. The search led them to three different kickers who battled it out in training camp, with Samuel Sloman coming out on top as the victor.
The rookie out of Miami (Ohio) is only two games into his NFL career, and there have clearly been some growing pains to work through. He clanked his first field goal attempt against the Cowboys off the upright in Week 1, and last week in Philadelphia, he had his final extra point blocked.
Despite some early struggles, Sean McVay hasn’t lost confidence in his young kicker. He likes what he’s seen from Sloman, particularly his mental toughness after missing his first field goal try.
“I think he’s done a nice job and I think there’s a couple things where – you look at the blocked extra point that we had the other day. I mean, you’ve just got to get some more height under it. He didn’t hit it clean and didn’t have much trajectory underneath the ball. It was a flat line-drive that that’s going to get blocked regardless of how good the protection is,” McVay said. “But he’s got a nice way about himself. I do like his mental toughness. I like how he’s kind of unfazed. I think you want to give them some understanding that he’s done a lot of good things, too. I thought the most impressive thing I’ve seen from him was the response after he clings the upright against Dallas, ended up making an extra point, a couple of field goals that we had to have in that game when you end up winning by three. So, I think it’s been positive. There’s definitely some room for improvement, but I don’t want to be too quick to judge with two games of inventory for a guy that didn’t have a preseason. It’s a rookie kicker. There’s so much involved just from a mental approach that I do feel good where he’s at and you want to continue to just monitor that and see him progress. I think as he gains experience, his confidence will come with that as well.”
Sloman beat out Lirim Hajrullahu and Austin MacGinnis in camp after a late push in the Rams’ final practices before the season began. He was clutch at Miami and has a big enough leg to drill long field goals, it’ll just take some time for him to get acclimated to kicking at the professional level.
The Rams would love if their offense kept scoring touchdowns and didn’t put Sloman in positions to attempt long field goals, but at some point, he will be tested from distance.
That time simply hasn’t come yet, with all of his attempts coming from inside 40 yards.
