Tynes out to make Scotland proud in Super Bowl

New York Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes took delivery of a personalised Scotland shirt this week, but is hoping to be sized up for another Super Bowl winners ring come tomorrow evening.

The Scottish-born kicker is aiming for his second Super Bowl title with the Giants, having been part of the team that stunned the New England Patriots in Arizona four years ago.

They will face the Patriots in a re-match tomorrow in Indianapolis, finding themselves once again the underdogs, but the pressure is off for a man who has already achieved more than he ever dreamed of growing up.

“I really am trying to (enjoy it) because the last time, I told my wife, the last one was a blur,” the Greenock-born Tynes said.

“Let’s really enjoy this one. I am 33 now and hope to play a lot longer, you never know when you are going to get back here. I am taking in everything. I have taken a lot more pictures since I have been here and kind of got the feel for the street last night.

“I walked around and felt the pulse of the city. It is exciting. Last time I didn’t really get to do any of that.”

Tynes, who moved to the States aged 11 when military service took his father to Florida, was a late bloomer in American football, having initially been put off by the violence of the sport until he discovered he could be a specialist kicker and remain largely out of the fray.

He said: “I didn’t like this game that I am playing on Sunday (at first) because it was tackling and physical, and finally my senior year at school I realised I could kick a ball and they had a position that required kicking a ball, and that was something I was pretty good at it and here I am. It has been pretty fun.”

Tynes is one of only three Britons to have a Super Bowl ring, with Giants team-mate Osi Umenyiora also on the list along with former Patriots back-up kicker Scott McCready, although the latter never actually played in the showpiece game.

Scotland has been keen to play up the links to Tynes, with the Scottish Football Association sending him a shirt this week along with a good luck message from manager Craig Levein.

“We wish Lawrence and the Giants every success on Sunday,” Levein said.

“It’s great to have a Scotsman in an iconic world sports event such as Super Bowl and Lawrence has an open invitation to come along to a Scotland international match at any time.”

It puts Tynes in a rare position in a sport that features few non-US born players, but it is a position he enjoys.

“It is an honour to kind of represent an entire country,” he said. “I know they are all watching and supporting, so that is fun. When you get to this game, you obviously know that people are going to follow and look at you a little bit more closely. I love it. I am really excited to represent Scotland on Sunday.”