Tale of 2 kickers: Shrader leads NFL with 9 field goals while Colts still haven't punted

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Spencer Shrader and Rigoberto Sanchez suit up for every Indianapolis Colts practice in side-by-side lockers.

So naturally the two specialists have developed a tight bond.

But they couldn't have envisioned a more unusual script to the start of this season.

While Shrader has been the NFL's busiest kicker through two games with a league-high nine field goals, including Sunday's game-winner, Sanchez still has not punted.

It's a tale of teammates who seem content to continue in their current roles.

“As long as we keep winning, it's fine,” Sanchez said Wednesday. “You know I've been here long enough. I just want to keep winning, man, that's it.”

Sanchez thought he had seen it all through his first eight pro seasons — winning, losing, annual quarterback changes, even a midseason coaching change. But these first two games reminded him there's always a curveball.

The Colts have scored on 14 of 17 possessions, turning the ball over twice on downs and once when time expired at the end of the first half following an inside run and they needed a leverage penalty to beat Denver on Sunday.

Sanchez actually did punt once, but it was nullified by a penalty that gave Indy (2-0) a first down. That means Sanchez is the first punter in the Super Bowl era to be unused through the first two games of a season.

It's the first time his foot got a break in consecutive games and with so much time off, Sanchez has heard the quips about being overpaid or the playful speculation about what he does during the games.

Sanchez just takes it in stride.

“I warmed up the whole game (Sunday), I still kicked and punted the whole game, so I was ready to go. Sanchez said, describing his pregame and halftime routines as well as his regular sideline workout — kicking into a net.

“Every day you prepare because if you get thrown out there, you've got to be ready.”

But Sanchez is more than just a punter — he's also the Colts' holder. And after working with kickers such as Adam Vinatieri and Matt Gay, he's now breaking in Shrader, a second-year player with his first full-time job in the NFL.

Getting here wasn't easy for the kid who grew up watching the Colts in suburban Indy and finished his college career at Notre Dame. Shrader spent each of the past two training camps in Indy and made his pro debut replacing the injured Gay in last season's opener. He spent the next five weeks on Indy's practice squad before he was released for the second and final time in mid-October.

He eventually landed with the New York Jets, where he made both of his field-goal attempts in his only game. The next stop was Kansas City, where he made the decisive field goal against Carolina before landing on injured reserve.

“With all the different situations I was in, the different coaching staffs, the buildings I was in, players that I was around, there's just so much you learn,” Shrader said. “I can say, like being around (Chiefs kicker) Harrison Butker, what I learned from was just the focus on trying to succeed every single day and figuring out ways to get better. It was my first year in league, I barely played in any games and he was asking me questions like ‘How do you kick like that?’ And I'm thinking why is Harrison Butker asking me anything about kicking?”

Whatever the lesson, it seemed to sink in and got the Colts attention.

So when they released Gay and brought back Shrader, Sanchez already knew what to expect.

“He brings the energy every day," Sanchez said. “Whether it's a good kick or a bad kick, he wants to find a way to get better, and he's just a great dude. He comes to work every day, tries to learn off everybody. He's pretty special.”

Shrader keeps proving it, too.

He made all five of his field-goal attempts last season and has started this season 9 for 9, including Sunday's 45-yarder to beat Denver with no time on the clock. He's also 5 for 5 on extra points and leads the league with 32 points.

And while Sanchez and Shrader know their streaks will end at some point. the Colts want to keep them intact as long as they can.

“I was talking with (long snapper) Luke (Rhodes) and Rigo earlier and we were reflecting on the game and the moment and the kick and everything. It was like, ‘Man, it kind of feels like a dream now,’" Shrader said. “I have no idea what’s coming. I just have to be prepared as much as I can — whether there is wind or no wind, rain or indoors or outdoors, it’s my job to go in and do my best to make kicks.”

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