Arryn Siposs knows he’ll be the Eagles’ punter on Sunday in New England.
He also knows nothing beyond that is guaranteed.
“If anybody tells you that they don’t think about it, I think they’re probably not 100 percent telling the truth,” Siposs said at his locker Thursday.
“But it’s the nature of the beast. I know what to expect and how those things work, and I just have to go out there and just do my thing.
“If I do that, then the rest of it is taken care of. It’s plain and simple.”
Siposs, currently on the Eagles’ practice squad, will be the Eagles’ opening-day punter Sunday against the Patriots. But he’s essentially on a three-week tryout. Because after Week 3, Siposs will be out of game-day elevations, and the Eagles have to decide whether to find another punter or sign him to the 53-man roster.
The Eagles brought in Tyler Zentner to challenge Siposs in training camp. They released Siposs on final cut-down day, making him available to every other NFL team. They brought in three punters to try and take his job last week.
But he’s still here.
Siposs said he embraced the competition and said it made him a better punter.
“I think when you’ve got someone right there next to you, you’re trying to prove a point for sure,” he said. “The way the NFL works is anybody can come in and do it. But it was good. It was good just to kind of reset a little bit and have someone next to me to be able to see how I’m going and compare it a little bit more 1-on-1 rather than not really knowing what else is going on around the league.
“I feel like I’ve made a lot of improvements and worked on some things to make sure my game is better and I’m just looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Siposs’s 44.7 average over the last two years ranks 26th out of 33 qualifying punters, and his 38.7 net average ranks 25th. Keep in mind, he’s kicking outdoors in the Northeast, where the weather in November and December can be uneven.
Still, it was a bit surprising – especially after the way last year ended – that the Eagles are sticking with Siposs, at least to start the season.
Special teams coach Michael Clay was asked why on Thursday.
“A lot goes into it,” Clay said. “Howie (Roseman) and Nick (Sirianni) do a great job always looking over possibilities in terms of getting this team better. But there’s a lot of things that go into it. Operation punting, operation time during punts, all that stuff.
“So it’s just one of those things where we’re going to feel confident going into Week One and keep it simple.”
Siposs said the biggest thing he’s worked on since last season ended is slowing down his entire operation. He has a tendency to rush things and that’s when he loses his consistency.
Siposs has a big leg. He just hasn’t been able to find the consistency he needs.
“Yeah, I definitely tried to just slow it down a little bit and concentrate on that side of it a little bit more,” he said. “Right now, it seems like it’s been in good effect. I feel like I’ve had a really solid training camp and the last couple of weeks, even building up into this week, has been really good, too.”
When he says slow it down, he’s talking about something that most football fans wouldn’t even notice.
“It’s literally like milliseconds,” he said. “But I think if I just kind of give myself just that fraction bit longer to look at the ball a little bit more, then the rest honestly takes care of itself.
“I’ve got the guys up in front of me that I have a 100% belief in to be able to go and do their job, and that gives me a little bit of extra time to do it.”
