From footnote to headline
Winning kick gives Parkey instant fame
It’s one of those unusual names that invites confusion.
But on Sunday there was no doubt that Cody Parkey was pronounced vic-tor-y for the Miami Dolphins.
The 54-yard field goal that provided the difference in the 19-17 win against the Chargers was a dramatic introduction not only for fans throughout South Florida but teammates as well.
“I think they all learned my name yesterday,” Parkey said with a laugh Monday, still basking in the afterglow of going 4-for -4 on field goals in his Dolphins debut, including the winner. “I still haven’t been here too long, so it’s pretty cool. It was awesome.”
Especially when defensive end Andre Branch shouted “Parkey for President” in the victorious locker room.
Parkey — who said he sometimes gets mistakenly called “Parker” — was already known in northern Palm Beach County, where he grew up a Dolphins fan and starred for Jupiter High. But kickers tend to get overlooked until they make or miss a kick that decides a game.
The Dolphins had him on the radar as a possible upgrade approaching final cut-down day at the end of the preseason, aware that the Cleveland Browns had invested a draft pick in another kicker and that Parkey could be odd man out.
The Browns opted for Zane Gonzalez, last year’s top college kicker, and Parkey was on his way to play for the team he used to watch on Sundays. He was a fan of then-Dolphins kicker Olindo Mare, but only vaguely imagined himself in that role.
“I never pictured myself doing it, per se. But as I got better at kicking growing up, yeah, [I thought] that would be pretty cool playing for the Dolphins,” Parkey said. “It was something I never really thought would happen, but I’m here and it’s pretty cool.”
Dolphins coach Adam Gase credited special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi and assistant Marwan Maalouf for tracking kickers that may become available and assessing them in relation to Andrew Franks, who had been serviceable in the role the previous two seasons.
They certainly looked beyond the three field goals Parkey missed for the Browns that made a Dolphins overtime win possible last September at Hard Rock Stadium.
Of greater significance was that Parkey had made all five of the field-goal attempts longer than 50 yards in his career, a mark of perfection he extended to six on Sunday.
“We felt like he was a guy that really would help us, and they felt good about it,” Gase said of Rizzi and Maalouf. “He helped us out [Sunday], I know that.”
Gase stressed it was more than the long-range excellence that caught the Dolphins’ attention, saying, “To me it was just make them. I don’t care where it is.”
Aside from the misfires against Miami, Parkey connected on 17 of 19 in his other games for the Browns. In 2014, he made the Pro Bowl when he went 32 for 36 on field goals for the Philadelphia Eagles and set an NFL rookie record with 150 points.
A look at Parkey’s resume offers insight into the ephemeral life of the modern NFL kicker: undrafted out of Auburn, where he was second-team All-SEC in 2013; signed by the Colts and traded to the Eagles in 2014; on injured reserve for most of 2015 due to a groin injury; waived by the Eagles just before the 2016 season; one season with the Browns again.
Now he’s a home-grown hero for the Dolphins. Who knows how long it will last?
Parkey, at least, projects the proper outlook for a position at which NFL truly stands for Not For Long. While enjoying Sunday’s success, he was already looking ahead to next week and his next kick.
The seeds of the vocation were planted as a sixth-grader in Pop Warner football, where he also played offensive line and linebacker.
A slight frame dictated he focus solely on kicking in high school. Parkey credits his father, Doug, with the support to develop his skill to an elite level.
“I got into kicking camps,” he said. “My dad was really the one that showed a lot of dedication in me. He always motivated me, so I went out and practiced really hard, and got to where I’m at today.”
That’s how Parkey explains his success kicking field goals from 50 yards and beyond. It’s all about repetition and preparation.
When he was lining up from 54 yards out with just over a minute remaining and the Dolphins trailing by a point at the StubHub Center, his mind was on fundamentals rather than the emotion of the moment.
“You just let your body take over,” he said. “I go out there and try to kick it the same as I would an extra point and not truly try to emphasize it. And I think that’s maybe why I’ve had success.
“And a little bit of luck here and there always helps. Just very blessed to be where I’m at.” and released
cldavis@ sun-sentinel.com; Twitter @CraigDavisRuns; here on Facebook