It’s not often you get to say you almost made the play of the day. Samson Nacua was as blown away by his big kick return against the Tennessee Titans as everyone watching in the stands and at home. The New Orleans Saints wide receiver fielded a too-short field goal try just before halftime and returned it, officially, 106 yards before being thrown out of bounds around the 3-yard line.
“Going sideways made it feel like an extra sixty yards. Because I got to that fifty yard line and I was like, ‘My legs are gone,'” Nacua laughed to reporters after the game. He said he could hear his teammates on the sideline cheering him on and that energy helped him keep going. He’s still frustrated he came up short of the goal line: “Oh a hundred percent I’m disappointed. Coach said too, like, ‘It’s the end of the half, no matter what get it in, don’t get tackled with the ball.’ And what did I do? I got freaking tackled with the ball and I let the guys down. I should’ve pitched it to the homeboy that was right there, let him walk it in for me.”
He’s taking this one on the chin. Nacua didn’t expect the kick to fall to him in the end zone, at first; but when the first try barely cleared the crossbar, he realized he had a chance. So he adjusted his positioning and trusted the practice reps that special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi had given him to set him up for success. It’s just a shame he couldn’t go the distance.
Now he’s getting razzed by his famous brother Puka Nacua, the Los Angeles Rams star, in the family group chat: “They’re probably going to tell me I’m the slower brother, and I am going to be sick, because I know I’m faster than Puka.” For the record, Puka Nacua timed the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds at his BYU pro day. Samson Nacua timed a 4.52 on the same track a year earlier.
And did he keep the football? No, and Nacua says he wouldn’t have accepted it if it were offered. His big regret about this play is that he let his teammates blocking for him down by not punching into the end zone. All he can do now is hope he gets another opportunity to make good on it. It almost seems like he feels he owes them one.
