Gridiron legend Morten Andersen has warned the Tottenham striker that transitioning from one sport to another is more difficult than it looks
Tottenham striker Harry Kane has been warned he is in for “a rude awakening” if he thinks he can become an NFL kicker, with kicking legend Morten Andersen considering the suggestion to be “ludicrous”.
England captain Kane is an avid follower of the American variety of football and was among those in attendance for the first game staged at Spurs’ new stadium between the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders.
He has previously expressed an interest in making a transition from one major sport to another when the day comes to hang up his soccer boots.
As one of the cleanest strikers of a ball in the business, the 26-year-old would appear to boast the basics required to kick extra points in the States.
NFL legend Andersen, who holds a number of kicking records from spells with the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, is not convinced, though, that Kane will find the crossover as easy as he thinks.
Andersen told the Daily Mail: “I think he needs to put on a different hat mentally – and firstly, different equipment! Remember, he kicks in shorts and a shirt, not pads and a helmet.
“It changes things, the precision with which you have to deliver the ball under great duress in a very short period of time – the whole timing aspect of it, there’s skill involved.
“The initial trajectory on the ball, they have a hard time getting the ball up. I’m not saying Harry Kane can’t do it, and I don’t think it’s ridiculous – but before we start crowning him as the greatest kicker in the world, let’s go through the exercise of vetting that.
“It’s the path of least resistance, ‘I’m a soccer player so I must be a good kicker’. But they are in for a rude awakening when they delve into the position as there is more to it than meets the eye. If it was that easy, why hasn’t it been done by somebody yet?
“With Harry Kane, if he wants to be legit on this then awesome, but you can’t tell me Harry Kane knows the intricacies of being an NFL kicker much like I don’t know about being a Premier League soccer player.
“It is ludicrous to think you can just step in and do it at that level. I want the fans to understand that I don’t feel disrespected, but there is more to it than meets the eye.
“Let’s vet it – I’ll take him to a training camp in the off-season! I don’t know what kind of coaching he would want, but I would recommend that if he is serious about it, get hold of me as someone who has done it for a long time. Let’s keep it real, I’ll give him a straight shot.
“I’m not debating he doesn’t have skill, but I don’t think it’s fair to say that Harry Kane can just insert himself as a bona fide NFL kicker – there is more to it, he has to earn that just like we earned it.
“I hope I don’t sound disgruntled, I’m all for it, it would be great for the game, the UK and the globalisation of the game. So let me take him and work with him.”
Kane is a New England Patriots fan and harbours ambitions of one day gracing a similar stage to that graced by the likes of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski.
Be the first to comment