Are we all witnesses for the Roberto Aguayo uprising?
Perhaps. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' embattled second-year place kicker is in the fight of his football life -- and so far, so good.
Aguayo went 7-for-7 during Tampa Bay's two-hour workout on Friday, seemingly putting some distance between himself and veteran challenger Nick Folk. According to a dispatch on the official Bucs site, Aguayo's field goals included "several from long distance and a couple that emulated game situations."
"[He was] lights-out," Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said. "Best day of training camp, best day in a long time. He looked great today. Today, Roberto was money on both ends. I don't think he missed all day. Yeah, he was money."
Aguayo acknowledges he pressed during a poor rookie season in which he made just 22 of 31 attempts. The Bucs were alarmed enough by the struggles to sign Folk to a deal that included $800,000 in guaranteed money.
"I'm just having fun with it," Aguayo said Friday. "I'm just relaxing and letting it happen. I'm talented, I know what I've done and what I'm capable of doing. I've done it since I was nine years old. I'm just letting my body take over, really."
Folk, meanwhile, seemed to be pressing a bit himself. He does have a family to feed, after all.
Truth time: The Bucs invested in Folk, but the team would much rather have Aguayo win this damn job. Cutting a second-round pick in his sophomore season -- when he's a kicker -- is the organizational equivalent of tar-and-feathering yourself.
You can safely assume there will be an Aguayo-Folk segment in next week's season premiere of Hard Knocks. At least, there better be. Can't wait.
