NFL

Finally, Matt Bryant Has Perfected The Alligator Mating Call

Just last weekend, Matt Bryant sent the Atlanta Falcons to the NFC Championship game with a 49-yard, game-winning field goal. But the majority of Matt Bryant’s career has been spent at practice. As a kicker, he’s on the field for less than a minute at a time, and only a handful of times each game. During the week, all he does is kick – kickoffs and field goals – endlessly. Which is to say that he is well-versed in the art of repetition, but also that he has a lot of down time on his hands. To watch National Geographic, say.

And on National Geographic, well there are a lot of animals doing trippy animal things. We’re thinking of alligators specifically, because Matt Bryant seems to have a special affinity for them. Their mating call, in particular – which sounds like this, by the way:

So an enterprising Bryant, watching National Geographic mimicking alligator mating calls one day, decided to place his kicking tee aside and give it a try himself. So he ventured out to the pond in the backyard of his Tampa home and gave it a whirl. Sure enough, up came an alligator. You know, because everyone has alligators living in their backyards.

Anyway: Bryant decided to take his talents to the golf course.

Per USA Today:

“If I’m not having a very good round, I’ll say, ‘Hey, watch this’ and do the alligator call,’ Bryant said. ‘I did it a couple of times at Mr. Blank’s outing. The biggest one that came up from the pond was probably between 6 and 7 feet.’

Bryant said offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter made a bee-line for a bush 25 yards away.”

He’s even taken his talents abroad, too:

“‘We were in Cancun for an event and were playing golf when we heard something thrashing in the mangroves,’ Bryant said. ‘I did the sound and, all of a sudden, the thrashing stopped. And from me to where Tony Gonzalez’s locker is (12-feet away), a saltwater croc stuck his head up. He was a 12- to 14-footer. He scared everybody, scared me. So I stopped making the sounds.

‘I’ll talk with them now. But it’s from a distance.’”

Now only if that golf caddie had Matt Bryant’s assistance, he would have had a much easier time retrieving that golf ball. But on an animal rights note, way to get these alligators all hot and bothered for no reason, Matt.

[USA Today]

Follow @dylantmurphy