Younghoe Koo embraces competition for his job
Younghoe Koo is the Falcons' returning kicker, but he is not the favorite for the job. The team signed German kicker Lenny Krieg to a three-year, $2.975 million contract, an indication they plan on him competing to be the kicker in 2025.
Koo embraces the competition.
Advertisement
"It's not my first time having a kicker in the locker room with me throughout OTAs or training camp, but it's just kind of how it is in the NFL," Koo said, via Will McFadden of the team website. "He's a great dude. He works hard."
Koo injured his right hip last season, landing on injured reserve. The injury did not require surgery, only injections, and he said he was "pretty full-go" a couple of weeks after the season ended.
"Health-wise, it's great. It wasn't as serious as it could have been, so I'm fortunate in that," Koo said. "Every offseason I go through my training and offseason routine, and I'm right where I want to be if not further along."
Koo converted only 25 of his 34 attempts last season, a success rate of 73.5 percent. That ranked him 29th in the league, and is the reason he will have to win his job back.
"You're always competing; you're always getting evaluated," Koo said. "Obviously, I think last year's performance, whether injury or not, is a motivating factor enough for me. But, every season, I try to reset and work hard to really do the best I can."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
10 minutes ago
- CBS News
Jaquan Brisker glad to be back practicing with Bears after recovering from concussion
The Bears held their second day of mandatory minicamp at Halas Hall on Tuesday, and Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson was among the two excused absences. But the return to active duty of another defensive back, Jaquan Brisker, was a welcome sight. Brisker said it felt great to be back on the football field. The Bears safety missed the final 11 games last season because of a concussion. "It was hard, you know, being away from football — especially week to week. You know, it was kind of, you know, getting sad, depressing, things like that, Brisker said. "But you know, got over it. It's time to move on, and I'm back now." Getting over it was not easy for Brisker. He said because of the type of concussion he had, he basically had to retrain his nervous system — doing a lot of side-to-side movements and getting his eyes moving around. This was also his third diagnosed concussion in three seasons, but Brisker says there was no talk about retiring. No, not with no one — especially not myself, not with my parents," Brisker said. "I feel like if my parents, you know, say something, it's deep. So if it didn't come from them, or come from me, I didn't hear it, to be honest." Brisker said he was not worried about himself. "No, I'm not. I'm good. I'm past that point. I'm really moving on, so I'm just focused on playing ball," he said. "I'm really clear, man. I'm really good." Brisker said his teammates, especially Montez Sweat, helped him through the toughest times last season. He added that this is just another bump in the road, and now No. 9 is back and on the field to make plays.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
🚨 Ter Stegen starts in a surprising Germany line-up, Portugal with CR7
European national team football is looking for its new Nations League champion. The Final Four of this competition kicks off today in Munich with a tremendously interesting duel between the host, Germany, and the Portugal national team. Two teams that already know what it's like to face each other. Two teams plagued with talent for a match at the Munich Football Arena that already has confirmed lineups in both squads. Advertisement Julian Nagelsmann has confirmed his starting eleven for tonight. Ter Stegen is a starter in a lineup where the big surprise is Nick Woltemade. The Stuttgart striker starts as a starter in his debut with the German national team. Additionally, Waldemar Anton will be the replacement in defense for Antonio Rüdiger For his part, Roberto Martínez presents his star-studded eleven with the Portugal national team. Cristiano Ronaldo is a starter tonight as the spearhead of a Portuguese team that will not include Vitinha. A great match is in sight in Munich. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. 📸 ALEXANDRA BEIER - AFP or licensors
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
49ers' Mac Jones and Brock Purdy are old pals — and a big reason Jones is in San Francisco
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — A rookie quarterback who's a fast learner, quick processor and who led his team to the playoffs in his initial NFL season? The 49ers, of course, had that experience with Brock Purdy in 2022. His backup, Mac Jones, had a similar start with the New England Patriots a year earlier. Jones, the 15th draft pick that season, completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,801 yards and a 92.5 passer rating, all of them career highs. Advertisement Quarterbacks coach Mick Lombardi, who was the receivers coach in New England in 2021, called that phase of Patriots football, 'the post-Tom (Brady), post-Cam Newton' era. 'And I think Mac came in there and really did a great job of taking over the system, just orchestrating plays and not turning the ball over and taking command of the offense,' Lombardi said. 'And just like Brock did here in devoting time into his craft and the system and trying to understand the intricacies of it, that was what I was most impressed with. And he's hard on himself the most. And that's what Brock is, too. He's his hardest critic.' Jones hasn't been nearly as sharp as he was as a rookie. Two years later, his passer rating dropped to 77 and in 2024 he was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he started seven games and threw eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. The 49ers took a long look at Jones in 2021 before opting for since-traded Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick. But after some sarcasm about his relationship with Kyle Shanahan — 'We got in a huge fight,' he said archly — he said it wasn't a difficult decision to come to San Francisco. 'When you go through your first free agency, that's the first time you get to pick where you want to play,' he said. He was attractive to the 49ers because he has many of the same qualities Purdy does, including accuracy and an ability to quickly move through his progressions. Jones noted those similarities on Wednesday and said Purdy was a big reason he signed with the 49ers. 'Being a fan from afar, just the way he plays the game — very precise, very on time, very cerebral,' he said. 'All things that I've done at some points in my career and I just want to get more consistent at that. So being here and learning from him … I think it's going to really benefit me and get me back playing how I know I can play.' Advertisement Jones also has a background with Purdy. They've both trained with throwing coaches in Jacksonville, Fla., which is where Jones grew up. Jones also hosted Purdy when Jones was Alabama's quarterback and Purdy was in high school. 'We got to hang out and eat dinner and then go back and play computer games at my apartment,' Jones said. 'We always talk about that and how crazy the world works. His story is so cool to me.' • The defense had few would-be starters on the field Wednesday but still managed a number of pass breakups both during 11-on-11 and seven-on-seven sessions. The most impressive may have been linebacker Dee Winters' deflection. He was covering receiver Isaiah Hodgins on a seam route — a mismatch in most cases —and Hodgins seemed poised for a deep touchdown. Winters, however, is one of the fastest linebackers in the league and was able to reach out and get a finger on the ball as it arrived. With Fred Warner an observer this spring (just as he was a year ago), Winters is the most experienced member of the 49ers' linebacking corps. He'll compete with third-round pick Nick Martin for the weakside linebacking spot this summer. Martin, working with the second-team group, also had a deflection on a sideline pass from Jones to running back Israel Abanikanda. • Others with pass breakups: Safety Jaylen Mahoney, cornerback Tre Avery, cornerback Chase Lucas and de facto first-team safety Richie Grant, who had a strong practice. Cornerback Derrick Canteen had an interception of a pass on which receiver Russell Gage Jr. appeared to cut the wrong way. • The best catch of the day was turned in by second-year receiver Jacob Cowing, who slipped while cutting sharply to the sideline, but still hauled in — with one hand —a throw from Jones. Along with Ricky Pearsall, Cowing trained with Purdy in Jacksonville in the offseason. 'Cowing's had great OTAs so far,' Purdy said. 'He's getting in and out of cuts and he's the first one to lead lines and show guys how routes are supposed to be run. He's making a huge leap there.' THIS CONNECT 🔥@MacJones_10 ➡️ @jaycowing_ — San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) June 4, 2025 • The 49ers were light on defensive ends Wednesday. Nick Bosa was taking a rest day, Yetur Gross-Matos is away for the birth of his child and Mykel Williams, while in uniform, didn't take part in any of the drills. That left newcomer Bryce Huff as the most prominent edge rusher at practice followed by Sam Okuayinonu, Robert Beal Jr., Tarron Jackson and Jonathan Garvin. Advertisement Bosa seemed particularly excited to have Huff, who was wearing the same No. 47 he had with the New York Jets, as a potential bookend on pass-rush downs. 'He was one of the guys that I liked to really watch when he was with the Jets,' he said. 'Obviously it didn't work out with the Eagles. But you take a guy who's playing a four-down attack front and you put him as an outside 'backer, it's not always gonna work out. He's really elite at certain things, so we're going to use him that way. And I'm excited to see it.' A look at new guy Bryce Huff, who was one of the few DEs practicing today. — Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) June 4, 2025 • Bosa was also asked about first-round pick Williams, who could be Bosa's counterpart on base downs. 'He's eager to learn, more so than I've seen from probably any young guy,' he said. 'He wants to learn as much as he can. And I'm excited to give all the knowledge I can to him. I think he's got a ton of talent. So, sky's the limit.' • Trent Williams was back at practice after missing last week's open OTA session. He took part in individual drills but not any of the team activities. Spencer Burford, Sebastian Gutierrez and Isaac Alarcon filled in at left tackle. Colton McKivitz and Austen Pleasants played right tackle., • A few players who weren't at last week's practice — including Beal and defensive tackle Evan Anderson — were back for Wednesday's practice. Anderson, who wore No. 69 last year, is in a new jersey, No. 55, this year. Those who didn't practice included receiver Jauan Jennings (seen in weight room), receiver Brandon Aiyuk (ACL), receiver Pearsall (hamstring), linebacker Curtis Robinson (ACL), defensive tackle Alfred Collins (calf), safety Ji'Ayir Brown (ankle), tackle Andre Dillard (unknown) and quarterback Kurtis Rourke (ACL). Advertisement • Like last week, injured safety Malik Mustapha (ACL) watched practice in deep center field next to general manager John Lynch. Rookie safety Marques Sigle (sports hernia) watched practice next to veteran safety George Odum (knee). • With Trent Taylor (back) on injured reserve, the three who practiced punt returns were Cowing and rookies Jordan Watkins and Junior Bergen. Watkins got a nice plug from Purdy, who said he's made several explosive plays this spring. 'He's definitely a rookie that's popped out for everybody,' Purdy said. • Shanahan usually functions as the quarterback during the defense-only portion of practice. On Wednesday, that role went to defensive quality control coach Jake Lynch, the son of the team's GM. Jake Lynch was a linebacker at Stanford and, well, Shanahan's job seems safe. (Photo of Mac Jones: Matthew Huang / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
