Evan McPherson ready to be Super Bowl hero after kicking Cincinnati to epic playoff wins in Tennessee and Kansas City
PLAYOFF hero Evan McPherson is ready to kick the Cincinnati Bengals to victory again if called upon.
The ice cool rookie struck the knockout blow in both pulsating wins over Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs to seal a Super Bowl berth.
McPherson has made all 12 of his field goal attempts during the Bengals’ playoff run – just two shy of the all-time record.
The confident 22-year-old said: “It’s always in my mind that every time I go out there there's not a chance I can miss. I expect to make it.
“Obviously there is but in my mind I'm thinking there's no way the ball isn't going through the uprights.
"I've trained countless hours and kicked so many balls that it now comes down to muscle memory and just doing it.
"If you're confident you're going to go out there and hit the kick, there's a better chance of it going in.
"In your mind you have to think there's no way you can really miss the kick.
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McPherson added: “You have to have confidence as a kicker. We try to make every kick the same, one kick is not bigger than the next.
“The stage might be bigger, the lights might be brighter but when we're on the field it's the same.”
McPherson was the only kicker drafted this season and spent his earlier years playing football before switching focus.
He said: “I don't really follow it too much now but my favourite player growing up was Ronaldinho. I always dreamed of having ball skills like him.
“I played striker and a little bit of midfield and the main reason was because I didn't have the best ball skills. But I was really good at having the team play through me.”