One tip for Evan McPherson: You can watch the halftime show online once you’re done with the most important football game of your life.
McPherson, the Bengals rookie, went viral during the Super Bowl 2022 last month when he stayed on the field to watch the star-studded show starring Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar. Cincinnati Special Team Coordinator Darin Simmons did not smile at The Athletic when he recently discussed McPherson’s decision to stay instead of returning to the locker room with the rest of the team.
“It’s a painful subject,” Simmons said. “It’s a really painful topic.”
Simmons added how long sniper Clark Harris also took to the halftime show from the best spot in the SoFi Stadium house, but avoided the cameras, unlike McPherson.
The Bengals were 13-10 behind at halftime. As the cameras turned on McPherson, he looked unperturbed as the epic show unfolded before his eyes.
Despite Simmons’ disappointment, McPherson was in top form in the second half, making an extra point and a 38-yard field. His performance on game day was not enough to lead the Bengals to victory in the Super Bowl, as Cincinnati lost to Rams 23-20.
(From LR) Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI halftime show at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022. Gregory Shamus
In his new season, McPherson made a name for himself as one of the most productive kicks in the league. He recorded 42 regular-season and post-season flights, posting 16 during the playoffs for a new NFL record. This includes two wins in the game to beat the Titans and Chiefs in the tense matches leading to the Super Bowl.
McPherson already holds the Bengals record for most goals per flight in a single season, in addition to the franchise record for most flights of 50+ yards with 12.
Simmons said he wanted McPherson to focus on his starting strike sequence as his second season approached.
“We definitely need to improve the starting strokes, the sequence of the starting strokes,” Simmons told The Athletic. “One of my main things during this off-season is that I have to make his legs off the field equal to what he does in the opening shots. He has a very, very powerful leg with a goal area. It’s not that he doesn’t have a powerful kick-off, but we need to transfer that force to the kick-offs more consistently than we did this year. “
Although McPherson is now probably focused on getting some R&D after the rapid transition between his youth season in Florida, last year’s draft and the NFL 2021 season, Simmons wants the young athlete to get better when it comes to training camp.
“He needs to get a better kick and kick better than him,” he said. “Not that it’s bad, but I think that in order to be elite and surpass the top, you have to kick better in practice and learn new things.”