Just one week into the NFL season, there's already a fanbase ready to ditch their kicker and give women's soccer star Carli Lloyd a job.
The New York Jets suffered a 17-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon thanks in part to a missed extra point and a missed 45-yard field goal by kicker Kaare Vedvik.
Jets fans immediately turned their attention to Lloyd, the Delran, Burlington County, native who raised eyebrows at Eagles training camp this summer when she drilled a 55-yard field goal.
Lloyd, who's coming off her second consecutive World Cup victory with the U.S. Women's National Team, has publicly stated that she would be willing entertain the idea of a tryout with an NFL team. She also has acknowledged that her practice kick — with a running start — is not the same thing as kicking in an NFL game with a special teams unit ready to charge and block the attempt.
The interest Lloyd generated from her kicks with the Eagles has since sparked a contentious debate about whether NFL teams should consider bringing in a woman to serve as their place kicker. Is it safe? Smart? Pure publicity and nothing more? Regardless, some teams already contacted Lloyd prior to the start of the season.
As long as fans are witnessing losses that can be traced directly to poor play by kickers, the market for Lloyd's services and the pressure to give her an opportunity is only going to grow.