Martin’s merriment

'Automatica' Gramatica loves to celebrate

By Jeremy Lynn, Contributing writer
Dec. 21, 2001

"It’s just part of the game," Gramatica said. "That’s how you play the game. You’ve got to enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy what you are doing, then you shouldn’t play."

Over the last three seasons, "Automatica" Gramatica has been one of the top kickers in the league. He has been successful on 79-of-91 of his field-goal attempts for an impressive 86.8 percent accuracy rate. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2000 and while at Kansas State set the NCAA record for the longest field goal without a tee when he connected on a 65-yarder.

"He’s a pretty excited guy," Buccaneers P Mark Royals said. "Normally, it’s the situation that dictates his excitement. He doesn’t get hyped on every kick, but if it has some importance to it, celebrating is just his way of showing some appreciation for getting the job done."

Oftentimes, Gramatica gets so pumped up he precipitates a bit of an altercation with the opposing team, and his teammates have to hold him back. This makes for a comedic scene.

"I don’t know what other players say," Gramatica said. "I don’t even listen to what they say. I just try to block it all out."

One such quarrel came against the Chicago Bears when the two teams met on Nov. 18 in Tampa Bay. Gramatica made a field goal earlier in the game and was called on for a 48-yard attempt to tie the game and send it into overtime. Gramatica missed wide right, and the Bears escaped with a 27-24 victory. Afterwards, Gramatica and Bears S Mike Brown were caught on camera jawing at one another.

"A lot of people make more out of things than there actually is," Royals said. "I think some teams have seen him get excited and taken it the wrong way. Like against Chicago what happened the first time we played them when he missed, their guys were trash-talking a lot, but yet the fans came down on him. But it is never an intentional thing, definitely not. What happened that day was the closest anything has come to getting real physical and real out of hand."

Bears DE Bryan Robinson said, "The guy scares me just by looking at him. I don’t want to say anything bad about him, but he kind of reminds me of the little guy from the Flintstones, Gazoo. To me you’re paid to kick extra points, and you got to make those. Jumping up and doing back flips, nobody cares about that, and I think his brother (Bill) got hurt by doing that Saturday. So jumping up and down when you are paid to make those kicks is uncalled for."

Bill Gramatica, a member of the Arizona Cardinals, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while celebrating a first-half field goal against the Giants. He will be out for the rest of the season and is expected to need nine months to fully recover.

Now, Martin may want to think twice about throwing himself a little party each time a ball splits the uprights. But you have to like his enthusiasm.

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