After shaky start, Eagles kicker Cody Parkey not worried

His was the boot that propelled him to a Pro Bowl selection in his rookie season. But, if the first preseason game of the year is worth anything, Eagles kicker Cody Parkey could find himself on the precipice of a major sophomore slump.

Thankfully, his head coach doesn't judge the first day of work in a new year too harshly.

"I mean, he was an all Pro Bowl kicker last year," Chip Kelly said after the Eagles' 36-10 win over the Colts. "In his first exhibition game he missed an extra point and a field goal. He hit three from 40, too. I wouldn't push the panic button right now."

He might have a few hours earlier.

Parkey pushed his first extra point chance wide, a kick that this offseason was moved back 13 yards in a landmark rule change. He then flubbed a 34 yard field goal try in the third quarter. His 48 yard make, one of three good kicks of his on the day, just snuck in the left post.

So, what happened?

"Everyone is human," Parkey said afterwards. "Everyone misses a kick here and there. But it's embarrassing to go out there and miss two in the first game. And it sucks for me to do it. I'm just going to go out there and next week and do better."

It would be hard for him to do better than he did in 2014. Parkey led all NFL rookies last season with 150 points, besting a 30-year record held by Bears boot Kevin Butler. 

He converted 32-of-36 field goal attempts last year (89 percent) and set franchise records with four kicks of 50 or more yards and 46 touchbacks. Now, he says, his biggest job is not letting his mistakes on Sunday dictate the rest of his campaign. But that will take some work.

"It's not easy, no," he said. "You miss a kick and you're like, 'Well, what happened?' You think about it until your next kick. But I think the test of a true kicker is you go out there and miss, can you make the next one?

"Obviously, I had a couple of ups and downs in the game, finished on a good one, so just go out there next week and do my thing."