Super Bowl 2018: Eagles' Jake Elliott confident he can get job done in clutch

MINNEAPOLIS -- NFL players were no different than the rest of us as kids. They grew up playing football with their friends and dreamt of throwing, catching or running for the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl.

But what about kickers?

Well, kickers also had big dreams, it's just that that their dreams involved kicking the game-winning field goal on the biggest stage.

Eagles kicker Jake Elliott was one of those kids.

"That's what you do it for, to make those dreams come true,'' Elliott said Tuesday from the Southeast Court at the Mall of America.

"So, hopefully I get a couple of opportunities out there on Sunday and I look forward to it.''

That opportunity could come given the Patriots' penchant for playing dramatic Super Bowl games, but Elliott will be happy either way as long as it results in the Eagles' first Super Bowl title.

"I'm confident in myself and I think that's all that matters in those (game-winning) situations," he said.

"If it comes down to that (game-winning field goal try) that's great, if not we're just trying to win the ballgame.''

Elliott, selected in the fifth round (153rd overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, has already had some big kicks in his rookie season.

His season didn't start out as planned when the Bengals cut him, but the Eagles signed him to their practice squad and started him in Week 2 after Caleb Sturgis was placed on injured reserve. He drilled a franchise-record 61-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Giants in Week 3 and from there enjoyed one of the most productive kicking seasons in Eagles history.

His five field goals of more than 50 yards this season set another team record.

The Patriots also have a kicker who is no stranger to big kicks. Stephen Gostkowski is the most accurate kicker in Patriots history, and, as of the end of the 2017 season, is the third-most accurate kicker in NFL history (87.63 percent) behind the Cowboys' Dan Bailey (88.15) and the Ravens' Justin Tucker (90.18).

The two friends and soon-to-be Super Bowl rivals not only share the clutch gene, they also both kicked at the University of Memphis.

"He (Gostkowski) came back to Memphis a few times,'' Elliott said.

"Kind of met him through there. We've kept in touch ever since. He's been a good guy that I can go to if I ever need any advice or anything like that.''

For a rookie, Elliott, 23, seems as cool as the Minnesota weather in January. So, is he preparing any differently this week since this is the biggest game of his young life?

"No, not at all. The exact same,'' Elliott said without any hesitation.

Like I said, ice cold.

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