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‘I can’t fix it’: Siposs banishes heartache over that costly Super Bowl punt
By Jon Pierik
As the sweat from the sapping heat and humidity dripped through the helmets of the Philadelphia Eagles at their pre-season training base in South Philadelphia this week, Australian punter Arryn Siposs had the determined glow of a man seeking redemption.
Siposs, 30, had already made a strong impression at the Eagles’ organised team activities training camp earlier this month, where management, for the first time in his three seasons at the team, had signed a fresh face – undrafted free agent Ty Zentner, 24 – to challenge the former AFL footballer. But with pre-season NFL games just a week away, Siposs still has the upper hand, and is ready to rebound from that kick - a mis-kicked, line-drive punt late in Super Bowl LVII that contributed to the Eagles’ defeat.
Man on a mission: Arryn Siposs is ready to rebound from his miskick in the Super Bowl, in a season when he hopes to land a fresh contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.Credit: Getty Images
In what was the most-watched Super Bowl of all time, according to host broadcaster Fox Sports, Siposs’ final kick of the season, from the 32-yard line with about 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter at State Farm Stadium, Arizona, led to the Kansas City Chiefs conjuring a crucial touchdown.
“I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it. There have been many days you have those moments. We, obviously, live in a world that is highly involved around social media, those things pop up pretty consistently. It’s hard not to be able to get yourself away from it,” Siposs told this masthead.
“But, at the same time, I have been able to compartmentalise all those things and focus on what I need to do to go forward. There is no point dwelling on the past because I can’t fix it. All I can do is continue to grow as a person, continue to grow as a punter, and get myself better every single day, because those things in the end are what drive you. That’s all I can do about it.”
The mistimed, shallow drop punt came with the Chiefs leading by a point. Kansas City punt returner Kadarius Toney, given more time than expected to run before the Eagles’ chasers got to him, then speared his way through poor tackling to complete a 65-yard return – the longest return in Super Bowl history.
While Toney was ultimately stopped by Siposs at the five-yard line, the Chiefs – led by superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes – turned their field position into a touchdown, and a 35-27 lead. The Eagles tied scores at 35 apiece, but a Chiefs’ field goal with 11 seconds remaining delivered a 38-35 win. While it was unfair to blame Siposs for the defeat, his mis-kick sparked criticism and a social-media storm.
Siposs, in his first game since having a painful ankle syndesmosis injury six weeks earlier, said he had technically set up well for the kick.
“I think the way I set up for it was totally fine. It was just a matter of the plant foot not quite being in the right spot, and therefore everything else went through my body a little bit different than I was expecting, and I wasn’t able to go out there and execute,” Siposs said.
“That is basically all there is to it. My mindset was to go out there and execute, I was literally out there to do exactly the same thing I did in my first punt, which I did really, really well. That’s what I set up again, but a couple of different circumstances occur, and again, not much I can do.”
Philadelphia Eagles punter Arryn Siposs punts in the 2022 Super Bowl, a play that led to a critical moment of the match against the Kansas City Chiefs.Credit: Fox
Siposs, having finished the Super Bowl with two punts for 95 yards (Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend had two punts for 98 yards), said he had no regrets about declaring his fitness.
“I pushed very hard to put myself in that situation to go and play, that was all on me. I had the desire, had the want, I am not going to stand here and say I was at 100 per cent, but I am out on that field to go and execute,” he said.
Arryn Siposs at training camp this month.Credit: Philadelphia Eagles
“I wanted it more than anybody and I had worked ready hard to get myself in that position. I was still ready to go for that day.
“I tweaked it [the ankle] unfortunately [in the Super Bowl]. It’s unfortunate that those things do occur. I wish I could take it back, but I can’t take any of those things back. The only way I can do it is move forward and hone in on those things and get my body right, and when that opportunity arises again, the same situation won’t occur. Those things happen. It does make you stronger later on.”
Clearly, Siposs is stronger. He had a six-week break with wife Rachael and daughter Sadie in Melbourne, visiting his parents in the south-east suburb of Pakenham, and his in-laws in beachside Black Rock, and was a guest at St Kilda’s opening game of the AFL season against Fremantle.
A product of Beaconsfield Football Club, Siposs played 28 games for the Saints between 2011-15, but his career was over before his 23rd birthday. He then embarked on a US punting career aided by former AFL player Nathan Chapman’s ProKick Australia, leading to a US college stint, and the NFL.
Back then: Arryn Siposs in his playing days with St Kilda in 2013.Credit: Fairfax Photographic
His time in the college system was spent at Auburn University in Alabama, before being drafted by Detroit in 2020 and linking with the Eagles a year later.
On his latest trip home, he spent time with Chapman, the former Brisbane Lions and Hawthorn player, who was one of the first Australians to head to the NFL as a punter, playing multiple pre-season games for the Green Bay Packers in 2004.
Chapman this week said he was proud of how Siposs had handled the Super Bowl criticism.
“Like anything, there are lots of moments in the game. It wasn’t a great time in the game for it to go down, and there were also other factors throughout the game that put them in that position. He is a pro, he lets that go, and moves onto the next [game] … I have never felt more proud of anything he has done, and to stay strong mentally about it,” Chapman said.
Since returning to his home in New Jersey, a short drive to Philadelphia, Siposs has worked on improving several statistical markers, including punting average distance, inside 20s and hang time, intricacies of a craft the average layman would not fully understand.
“Basically from April onwards, I am basically kicking every single day, and doing other things to work on my craft to make sure I am going out there and executing. It does become a bit of a grind, but that’s what I am there to do. I thoroughly enjoy it and wouldn’t have it any other way,” Siposs said.
“All I can do is continue to grow as a person, continue to grow as a punter, and get myself better every single day.”
Arryn Siposs on his mis-kick punt in Super Bowl LVII
He improved last season, but still has work to do, for he ranked 26th in punting average (45.6) and was tied for 26th in hang time (4.23 seconds). However, he has posted a hang time of more than five seconds through the pre-season. Zentner’s presence has also added to his competitive juices.
“This is what the world of the NFL is about in the end. I have been very fortunate where over the past couple of seasons I haven’t had that situation [of fighting for his spot], but I can promise you that that’s a very rare situation to be in,” Siposs said.
“You are still competing every day, even if there is not someone right next to you. That’s part of the game. I very much look forward to the challenge, of having someone come in there and see what they can do. I will just continue to do my thing – basically may the best man win.”
Siposs is off contract this season, and hopes to re-sign with a team tipped to top the NFC division. He also loves life in one of America’s toughest, blue-collar sporting markets, where public feedback can be found on every street corner.
“It’s a beautiful city, The food scene is incredible, there’s a lot of rich history about this place – it’s nice to call it home over the last few years. Hopefully, that continues,” Siposs said.
Consoled on field by Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie in the minutes after the Super Bowl defeat, and backed over summer by third-year coach Nick Sirianni, who Siposs says is very “personable”, Siposs looks forward to the Eagles’ pre-season opener against Baltimore next Sunday, and the season proper, beginning September 10 on the road against the New England Patriots.
Fellow Australian Jordan Mailata, the robust offensive tackle now in his sixth season, said this week he had spent training camp refining his own technique. Dubbed the “human wrecking ball”, it still amazes NRL figures that the Sydney-born Mailata could not find a home in the NRL.
The Eagles boast superstar quarterback Jalen Hurts, arguably the league’s best, rewarded this off-season with a five-year, $US255 million ($391 million) deal (if all incentives are met).
Hurts completed 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards with a touchdown in the Super Bowl, and is expected to vie for his maiden NFL MVP this season. “The kid thoroughly deserves it,” Siposs said of Hurts’ massive contract.
“When you look at it from an Australian point of view, it’s absolutely astonishing numbers, which it is, but if you watched enough of the sport last year, he thoroughly deserved it in what he did on the biggest stage, arguably in world sport. His was a fair ol’ achievement, and credit to him.”
For Siposs, it’s already been a “fair ol’ achievement” to forge the NFL career he has.
If given another chance on the biggest stage come Super Bowl LVIII in Nevada next February, expect him to truly make his mark.
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