Havard Rugland, Norwegian kicking sensation, shines in Lions debut

Havard Rugland, the Norwegian who had never played American football but earned a tryout in Detroit after his trick shot kicking video became an Internet sensation, had an excellent outing in his preseason debut on Friday night, connecting on both of his field goal attempts, one from 49 yards and one from 50 yards.

Not only is Rugland appearing to be the real deal so far in his American football experiment, he is earning the love of his Lions teammates as everyone seems to be rallying around the “Kickalicious” phenomenon.

“I think we’re all happy to have him as a teammate,” quarterback Matthew Stafford told the team’s website. “The guy is a great guy. It’s refreshing to see how much fun he’s having. The guy’s having a blast here, and he’s kicking the ball great.”

Added defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, “He’s a great dude. Obviously, his accent is hilarious.”

Rugland did however show some growing points in adjusting to his new choice of professional sport, after hitting his field goal, David Akers needed to remind him to get back on the field to take the kickoff for Detroit.

“I almost forgot my kickoff,” Rugland said. “I was so happy. David said, ‘Hey, you’ve got to kick off.”

Even with a cannon leg, internet notoriety, and miles of potential, Rugland faces a battle to make the Lions roster. It is uncommon to see an NFL team take two kickers on their 53 player roster and 16 year veteran of professional placekicking David Akers isn’t going to go away lightly and is a reliable vet. Rugland has a powerful leg and a nice backstory as a Wu Tang Clan listening, 50 yard field goal kicking, Norwegian sensation, but he will have a lot of work to do before he earns himself a spot on the Lions roster at the end of the preseason.