By now everyone knows about the Bolts' kicker carousel of the past few seasons.
Well, Michael Badgley is here to announce that stops now.
He firmly believes he's the man to provide stability at the spot, not only for the near future but for years to come.
However, in order to do that, he knows he can't relax one bit.
"The standard's been set," Badgley said. "You've got to go off of that, and you've got to get better from that. So whatever numbers you put out there, try to beat them and be your best competitor. I look in the mirror every morning and say, 'Who are you going to be? You going to be better than you were last year? You going to be better than you were yesterday?' It's just one of those situations where like I always say, you go one kick at a time and do the best you can."
In case you've been living under a rock, Badgley was lights out from the moment the Bolts instated him as their kicker. In fact, it proved to be the most efficient season in franchise history.
Badgley set a team record for the best single-season field goal percentage (93.8) by a kicker during the regular season with at least 15 made field goals. He also proved clutch under pressure, setting franchise postseason records in the Wild Card win over the Baltimore Ravens for single-game points (15) and field goals (five).
So, it truly is incredible to think how far Badgley has come. After all, last year this time, he was an NFL hopeful determined to pursue his dreams despite facing stiff odds.
"People didn't really want me," he said bluntly.
In fact, after going undrafted, only two teams extended Badgley a contract. Both spots were situations in which he knew he had little to no chance of earning the job come the regular season.
In the end, Badgley opted to sign with Indianapolis. He recognized how a special an opportunity it was to be around Adam Vinatieri, a living legend at the position. All the while, he hoped he'd jump on other teams' radars in the meantime.
"You keep a competitive mindset even though you know the situation," he explained. "I went to there thinking I've got to do as well as I can, and you never know who's watching the film that you're creating. You kind of just took it for what it was worth. Go in there and try to make every kick you can, get some good game film, work well in practice. Being around a guy like Vinatieri, you take as much as you can in from him. It was just one of those situations that you knew he was going to be their guy, but I knew I had to take full advantage of it."
He did just that, and fortunately it was the Chargers who took notice.
Now, if Badgley has anything to do with it, he's eager to have the same lengthy career with the Bolts like Vinatieri has authored over his Hall of Fame worthy career.
"It'd be unbelievable, especially with the way this organization has brought me in," he said. "They gave me an opportunity, and if I could take that and run with it for 15 more years, then that would be awesome. But like I always say, one kick at a time."
