Good Morning, Stumpers!

Just one thing for you on this week starting Monday. The lesson that Andre Szmyt showed us all yesterday at 3:59 PM ET! In the words of Jim Valvano, “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” Hope everybody had a solid weekend, got a little breezy over here yesterday, Fall is KNOCKING on the doorstep!

Stump Story / Glue Of The Day

🟠 The Battle Nobody Knew, and the Kick Everybody Saw!

Adversity, life, and unexpected life-altering moments have all been piling on Andre Smyzt these last few months…he has looked them all in the face and said “F you”.

Last season, Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins had a career worst year. To spark some competition, the Browns brought in an undrafted kicker from Syracuse, Andre Szmyt (pronounced Schmidt).

Szmyt was a great kicker in college, and was brought in really with the sole intention of being a backup for Hopkins in Cleveland. After a strong, consistent, showing from Szmyt from across many months, he was named the starting kicker for the Browns, and they cut Hopkins at the end of training camp.

Szmyt is a man of faith and family. Two and a half months ago, in what doctors called ‘unexplainable’, Szmyt’s mother went into a coma for four days. She passed away before her son made the 53-man roster. In an interview after yesterday’s game, he explained how surreal it has been to have to try and process everything that happened while being thrown into the fire as the starting kicker for an NFL team. While going from NFL camp to camp. it was his family and specifically his parents who were with him every step of the way.

After the Browns Week 1 loss against the Bengals, it was easy for a lot of people to point the finger at Szmyt after he missed two kicks in his first game. At the time, nobody knew what he was going through.

He said, that he didn’t want to share this after a bad game, because he didn’t want anybody to think he was making excuses for his performance.

He didn’t share the story, and a lot of Browns fans were ready for him to get the heck out of Cleveland.

Yesterday, the Browns pulled off the biggest upset so far this season, shocking the 2-0 Green Bay Packers who looked unstoppable through two games. Everything came down to a 55-yard kick as time expired for Szmyt, and he absolutely drilled it. Before the kick, he drew a cross in the grass with his cleat for his mom who he knew was with him during the game-winner.

Goosebumps.

Just 27-years old, Andre Szmyt’s inspiring resolve. commitment, and humility are things I hope to have just a fraction of!

If Szmyt can go through this, and kick a game-winner, we can do what we have to as well!

Game-winning FG HERE!

Of! The! Day’s!

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