Rhys Lloyd Interview

Rhys was the placekicker, kickoff specialist and punter for the Minnesota Golden Gophers from 2003 to 2004.  He was famous for his rugby-style punting, amazing concentration under pressure and long-distance field goals.  Lloyd has had stints with the Ravens, Packers and Vikings before settling with his current team, the Carolina Panthers.  

Many fans often wonder how you and other kickers manage to kickoff so far. What is the difference technique wise between a kickoff and a field goal?

RL-To be honest there really isn’t a huge difference. At impact the form is almost the same. The tough thing, however, is to keep yourself under control when striking the ball because of how much power your generating from the run up.

Along the same lines, what goes into an onside kick?

RL- Luck..You can practice the way to hit the ball, however after the ball leaves your foot, it will do what it wants because of the way its shaped.

Growing up in Dover, England, which soccer team were you a major supporter of?

RL-Chelsea F.C. I always have (been),  my dad was a Chelsea fan when he was young, so you know its inevitable. I played a youth (match) for Chelsea which was fantastic, got to play with the likes of John Terry.

When were you first introduced to football and what made you want to become a kicker?

RL-I suppose high school in the states. I had seen the NFL on the tele but my first live game was high school. To be honest i never wanted to play football. It has never been a love of mine, mainly because i grew up playing and watching the real football. I’ve always been fortunate enough to be good at striking a ball cleanly no matter what type of ball you put in front of me, so for a career decision that made kicking an easy choice.

Going back to your college days, what made you choose the University of Minnesota and why?

RL-Mainly because it right up the road from where we lived. *Laughter* I knew I could still get my food and washing done by my mum too.

As a Golden Gopher, which games did you look forward to the most and what was your most memorable game and why?

RL-The Big Ten games in general always have a good atmosphere. Penn State was a personal favorite, I always performed well against them for some reason. I know tha a lot people think that Wisconsin was my best game because of the game winner, but it wasn’t. Penn State my junior year was my best game by far.

Going undrafted out of the University of Minnesota, which teams expressed the most interest in you and what ultimately made you choose Baltimore?

RL-To be perfectly honest, I can’t really remember. I was playing golf that day with my dad, I remember getting a call from my agent me about Baltimore and I basically said whatever works. I was more focused on the tricky par 3 17th at hand. Actually I birdied it, and said to my dad ”Baltimore must be a good choice.” Turns out it was because I took a different road that got me here (to where I am at) now.

Although you guys had a bit of a rough year this season, what was one positive that you took away?

RL-The character of the lads in the lockerroom was incredible really. It made it easier to come to work. I would say a positive on a personal note was that I did my job well. I was limited to how many (balls) I got to kick, but took advantage of it when i did.

Building off of that last question, as you look towards next season, what is one thing that you are looking to improve upon and why?

RL-My fitness. I wan’t to get back into soccer shape. just to help me with the long season.

Now that its your offseason, any big plans?

RL-Oh yes, definitely going to relax for a bit. Going to the U.K. twice, once for the Super Bowl bash at the O2 and I am going to be doing some stuff for that. The second time is a holiday with my wife and son, can’t wait. Other than
that, I have my first triathlon I’m training for.

And as our last question, if you had to choose one other profession besides kicking, what would you choose?

RL -*Laughter* Wow just one…I would say a pro golfer, although a musician is a close second. Soccer has always been my dream, but if we are talking about right now, it would have to be one of the others. I play golf at par so I take it seriously and  play a bit of guitar as well.

Interview courtesy of Sports News Nightly