Vic Fangio Suggests Broncos Will Cut K Taylor Russolino After Bills Disaster
Get well soon, Brandon McManus.
In the absence of its $17 million kicker, sidelined on the COVID-19 list, the Denver Broncos trotted out former XFL kicker Taylor Russolino for Saturday's home game against the Buffalo Bills. The experiment was an abject disaster.
Russolino, who arrived on the recommendation of former Colts punter-turned-podcaster Pat McAfee, shanked a 51-yard field goal attempt and not one but two extra points in the friendly Mile High altitude amid Denver's 48-19 disembowelment. His comically hapless performance — it looked like Russolino never kicked a football before — underscored an alarming defeat that officially eliminated the wayward club from playoff contention.
And, to no surprise, it sounds as if a pink slip is imminent.
“He had a really good day in practice the other day and I was encouraged by him. Obviously, there was some wind out there, but it didn’t bother their kicker," Broncos head coach Vic Fangio told reporters after the game. "I thought he was going to kick better than he did.”
Indeed, Bills kicker Tyler Bass was unfazed at Empower Field, drilling two FG attempts and nailing all six extra-point attempts.
The issue clearly was limited to Russolino, who barely made his one successful XP, sneaking it inside the upright. The one positive he showed, a nearly recovered onside kick, was preceded by another fault; he booted the first onside try out of bounds.
“Obviously, you don’t want to miss any PATs or field goals or things like that, but everybody’s human. Everybody makes mistakes at points," tight end Noah Fant said of Russolino. "I have no clue what it’s like to be in his shoes. I have no clue what it’s like to kick a field goal or anything like that so I’m not really the guy to be real upset about things like that. You just have to move on and keep playing. Obviously missing B-Mac (Brandon McManus) is huge for us. In my opinion, he’s one of the best in the league to do it. He’s hit a lot of field goals for us, a lot of long ones, a lot of PATs, everything under the sun. Definitely missed him, but hopefully we can get him back here soon.”
Fortunately, McManus is expected to be removed from the coronavirus list ahead of the Broncos' Week 16 divisional road game at Los Angeles.
Follow Zack on Twitter @KelbermanNFL and @MileHighHuddle
