They don't call him 'Big Nutz Lutz' for nothing

April 26, 2024

Usually if you’re hearing about a kicker or punter in the media, it’s a bad thing. They’re vilified and slandered for missing important kicks or failing to regularly pin opponents inside the 20. New Orleans, historically, hasn’t been much different than any other franchise. While there have been players who have come through and had good seasons, even the Saints best kicker shares his Hall of Fame success with the division rival Atlanta Falcons. That isn’t meant to discredit what Morten Andersen did for the Saints, but simply to point out the team hasn’t been known for its special teams kickers.

That has started to change in recent years. Thomas Morstead, affectionately known as “The Leg,” has made it as far as the Pro Bowl and is in his 10th season with the team. Of the Saints top 12 seasons in terms of yards per punt, Morstead has nine of the highest. He’s been a model of consistency. Now it looks like he has a running mate for the mantle when it comes to kicking duties.

Wil Lutz was a four-year starter at Georgia State and still holds school records for field goals, extra points and total points scored. As an undrafted rookie he found his way to the Baltimore Ravens, but was waived following the 2016 preseason. Ravens coach John Harbaugh was impressed enough by Lutz to call coach Sean Payton and recommend him for a workout. After Lutz had the “best workout the coach has ever seen,” Payton brought him aboard.

How good has Lutz been exactly? If the season were to end today he would have the highest field goal percentage mark in Saints history at 93.3 percent (minimum 15 attempts in a season). All three of his seasons are in the franchise’s top 15 all time and two are in the top 10. Only three kickers in team history have kicked over 86 percent in their 20s: Lutz, Andersen and Doug Brien. When it comes to points scored, he has three of the top four seasons in franchise history. He has been so good that he’s already earned a nickname from the fan base, “Big Nutz Lutz.”

“I think its pretty funny,” he says. “I notice it on Twitter after big games. I actually heard it for the first time in person when I was walking back from the grocery store a couple of weeks back. Someone recognized me and said, ‘Holy Sh*t, Big Nutz Lutz. We love you, man!’ That was pretty awesome. I saw a big sign in the stands during a recent game, so that was pretty cool to see. My mom would probably appreciate a different nickname, but I approve. I think ultimately a positive nickname by fans is a sign of respect, so I will take what I can get.”

The keys to Lutz’s early success are his work ethic and technique. Like essentially every kicker since the 1970s, he uses a variation of the soccer-style kick. It allows players to attack the ball with more surface area of the foot instead of just the toes. That gives them more control.

However, it’s more than just using one’s foot, according to Michael Husted, who played in the NFL for nine years. He says instead of it being like the type of soccer kick we’re familiar with, the control and leverage is more like a golf swing.

Husted has worked with Lutz since he left Georgia State and explains that the key was figuring out together how to leverage Lutz’s body in the best way. “We made some adjustments (with him). Had to figure out how to leverage his body the best and use his whole body, to use the momentum and make the kick more efficient. A lot of people use their groin muscle like soccer players. That’s why you get a lot of guys injured. The quad is obviously a stronger muscle, so I try to get guys to just roll that (motion) and use their quads, especially on kickoffs.”

This increased knowledge and understanding of biomechanics is helping players of all positions across the league. Duke Manyweather worked with specialists to help Terron Armstead better understand what was causing his injuries and what changes he could try to make to prevent them. Husted takes this knowledge, as well as using some pretty cool tracking technology, to help kickers better understand their own kicking form and bodies. “As you learn how to connect your upper and lower body, and leverage your body properly, that’s when you become efficient and it gives you longevity,” he says.

Applying these concepts is what has helped Lutz become the highly proficient kicker he is now.

More than just his technique though is the drive and confidence Lutz has in his abilities. There are a lot of kickers who can consistently make 35-yard field goals in the middle of the second quarter, but Lutz earned the confidence of Payton last season as a guy who could be trusted in high-pressure situations.

“I think it kind of hit me last season that he has no hesitations in big moments with me as our kicker,” Lutz says. “A few times last year he wanted to punt, but I told him I could make the long kick. He let me kick it and the decision paid off. Specifically, (there was) a 57-yarder in the second quarter of our playoff game vs. Carolina last season. Not many coaches would go for that kick in a tight playoff game, let alone the second quarter.”

Husted knows Lutz can be trusted, and he’s seen him consistently make those kicks when his number was called. “When he goes out there, with that offense (Saints), once in a blue moon when it does sputter outside the 35-yard line he comes out and drills a long kick. He’s a great guy.”

Fans of the game are used to hearing about various football and quarterback camps across the country, but it’s the work of individuals like Husted that helps players who end up going down as team leaders in points scored. Husted’s next camp is in Mobile, Ala., a couple of days before next month’s Senior Bowl, where he’ll hope to showcase more young kickers like Lutz to needy teams.

Kicker can be a revolving door for many franchises. Lutz had that feeling when he stepped through the doors in New Orleans, “The narrative when I came in was the ‘Kicking Carousel Continues.’ My goal was to do whatever I could to put an end to it. That came with some bumps in the road, as every position has learning curves in this league. But Coach Payton was patient with me, unlike with some past guys, and it has paid off over time. I think I have been more and more comfortable through the years for the obvious reason of being on the same team, and it’s shown in my performances.”

The atmosphere of a winning franchise can be beneficial to a young player’s development as well.

Lutz said he’d loved to play in front of the Saints fan base as long as the team will have him, and the winning ways and locker room aren’t bad bonuses either. Georgia State won a combined seven games in three years while Lutz was there. In his first season in New Orleans, the Saints went 7-9. And then there’s this year’s team.

“This team is special and the personalities of the guys in the locker room are who create this winning atmosphere,” he said. “Each week gets better and I can only imagine what it will be like if we reach Atlanta.”

While Lutz didn’t get the Pro Bowl nod this year, the safe bet is there will be some in the future.

(Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)

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