Bullock Increasingly Looks Like a Keeper
A.J. Brown saw into the future Sunday. When the moment he envisioned arrived, however, he could not look.
The Tennessee Titans wide receiver averted his eyes as Randy Bullock attempted a 44-yard field goal in overtime with a chance to end a game that started so poorly for him and his teammates.
“Oh, I didn’t watch,” Brown said. “I started praying and (the Colts) called a timeout, and (coach Mike Vrabel) was saying, ‘You’re going to be praying a long time.’
“The crowd – I was listening because if they cheered, I knew he would have missed. When they got all quiet, I said, ‘He must have made it.’”
Bullock did make it. He split the uprights with 4:03 to play in the extra period and lifted Tennessee (6-2) to a 34-31 victory and a three-game lead over Indianapolis (3-5) in the AFC South.
The ninth-year veteran has been the Titans’ kicker since Week 2 after having lost a training camp battle with the Detroit Lions and has done almost nothing to make Brown or anyone else question his capabilities. Tennessee signed Bullock to the practice squad days before the season-opener against Arizona, when Sam Ficken was placed on injured reserve and Michael Badgley was promoted. After a disastrous performance, Badgley (who kicked for the Colts on Sunday) was released.
In seven weeks, Bullock has made two game-winning kicks, both in overtime. He made one from 36 yards in overtime at Seattle in Week 2, his Titans’ debut. Overall, he has made 15 of 17 field goals and 21 of 22 PATs, which presumably will present franchise officials with a difficult decision when (or if) Ficken returns to health.
The one thing Bullock does not want to do, though, is to look too far ahead.
“I’ve been kind of living in the moment, trying to do everything I can to help this team win and earn a starting job here,” he said.
The 31-year-old has kicked for six different franchises in a career that began in 2012, and this is just the second time he has had two game-winning kicks in the same year. The other was in 2015 with the New York Giants (one in overtime).
Early on against the Colts, it looked as if the issue would be settled early. Indianapolis scored twice in a span of 57 seconds of the first quarter and led 14-0. Eventually, Tennessee settled in and made a game of it but blew a chance to end it in regulation. The Colts scored the game-tying touchdown with 22 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, yet failed to score on two overtime possessions before Bullock’s time arrived.
At the end of the third, the Titans trailed by three, 24-21, and Bullock had a sense of what was to come. Brown was even more certain.
“I think you could kind of see the progression of the game,” the kicker said. “Going into the fourth quarter, I walked out into the middle of the field (during) the transition, and I was just trying to get a feel for the wind with the windows open.
“A.J. Brown actually came up to me and said, ‘Hey, get ready. We’re going to need you to win this.’ It’s cool to have that confidence from my teammates also and to just be prepared and do your job when you’re called upon.”
Maybe next time, Brown will be confident enough to watch.
