The PewterReport.com staff will choose a daily Bucs Camp MVP during Tampa Bay’s 2017 training camp based on that player’s performance. Visit PewterReport.com daily to find out which player is named the Bucs Camp MVP.

Bucs Camp MVP 8-4: Aguayo Automatic
The sun was shining brightly at One Buccaneer Place on Friday on the team – and more importantly on beleaguered kicker Roberto Aguayo, who had a perfect day kicking the ball, outdueling veteran Nick Folk.

Bucs K Roberto Aguayo – Photo by: Mary Holt/PR

Friday may have been the hottest day yet of Bucs training camp, which has had its share of rain, but Aguayo didn’t seem to be feeling the heat at all. That’s a far cry from a year ago when he was under the microscope all season as a surprise second-round pick, catching plenty of flak as the league’s worst kicker during his rookie season.

In hindsight, Bucs general manager Jason Licht probably made a mistake by cutting veteran Connor Barth after drafting Aguayo, thus handing the kicking job to the rookie without any competition. Now with some competition from Folk, Aguayo seems to be rising to the occasion and finding some confidence.

“He was lights out,” Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter said. “That was his best day at training camp and his best day in a long time, he looked great today. He’s been good. These guys, we talked about it in the spring, usually at 10 kicks it’s a one-kick difference but today Roberto was money on both ends. I don’t think he missed all day. He was money.

“Whatever he ate for breakfast he’d better eat it every day.”

What was impressive about Aguayo’s day was the fact that he was perfect from long distance through the skinny goal posts at the north end zone of the practice field. Folk missed one of his two attempts on the skinny field goals and missed a few others during practice on the regular field goals at the other end of the field.

“It’s like making the hole on a golf green half the size,” Aguayo said. “Phil Mickelson practices on a smaller hole. So when you see the bigger uprights, it is like, ‘Whoa!’

”It is good, and any time you want to refine what you are doing, it is good. Any time we have a chance to work on the smaller uprights, we take advantage of it.”

It’s only been one week of training camp, but after Friday’s practice, Aguayo has the lead in the Bucs’ kicking competition.