Coach McMahon Reveals Pat McAfee Turned Him Onto K Taylor Russolino

In the NFL, it's a small, small world.

The Denver Broncos are expecting to be without kicker Brandon McManus on Saturday against the Buffalo Bills. McManus was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list due to "close contact" exposure to an infected person and is unlikely to make it off the list in time to play. 

Fortunately, the Broncos set up a contingency plan after Week 12's QB-less game against the New Orleans Saints, having the football premonition that a backup plan at kicker should be secured in the event that the virus touched McManus. 

Enter Taylor Russolino. He's been on the Broncos' practice squad for the past couple of weeks. 

Broncos' special teams coordinator Tom McMahon revealed on Thursday the unique way that he was turned onto Russolino's talents.

One of McMahon's former pupils in Indianapolis, Pat McAfee, is now an NFL media maven. From podcasts and live-streams to calling NFL and XFL games (his DETvsGB call for FOX Sports last year was legendary), McAfee's media star is red-hot and during an XFL game, Russulino's ability to "combo" (punt and kick) caught the attention of the ex-Indianapolis Colts punter, who then dropped the name to McMahon. 

“Really, I didn’t find him," McMahon said of Russolino. "Last year, Pat McAfee did a game in the XFL and he called me and said, ‘Hey, there’s a guy that fits your criteria and some of the traits that you look for.’ That’s when I started following Taylor. He fit some traits, and when this thing came up and when we wanted to bring in a COVID kicker in case we needed him, he was the first name I gave to [Vice President of Player Personnel] Matt [Russell] and [Director of Player Personnel] A.J. [Durso].”

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Russolino did play in the short-lived XFL, kicking for the St. Louis Battlehawks. Playing in the Arena League, CFL, and XFL from 2014-2020, he kicked 11 field goals in 14 attempts, converting 78.6% into points. 

Russolino is likely to be the Broncos' kicker on Saturday and it's a great opportunity for him to showcase his talents for the entire pro football world. As a specialist, you never know when opportunity will knock and sometimes it comes in the most unlikely ways, such as being recommended by a famous ex-NFLer like McAfee to serve as an emergency kicker in the league. 

McMahon concurred with head coach Vic Fangio's assessment that the 31-year-old Russolino kicked well during Wednesday's practice. It'll be interesting to see how his showcase opportunity pans out for Russolino — and the Broncos. 

The approach for McMahon, and the decision-making process for Fangio, won't change with Russolino in the lineup instead of McManus. 

“To be honest with you, it can’t change your mindset," McMahon said. "You have to take the strengths of the player that’s going into the game to kick for you, or punt or snap. You have to develop a game plan around that player and don’t ask him to do things he can’t do. He’s not Brandon McManus, and Brandon is not him. That’s what we’ve done with Taylor and we feel good about it.”

At least Russolino will have the benefit of kicking at 5,280 feet. That altitude is very forgiving to kickers. Whatever happens, though, Russolino is likely to buy McAfee a drink if ever their paths cross, or maybe even send him a thank you card. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.