There are tough breaks, and there are really tough breaks. Put Kyle Brindza in the latter category.
The veteran placekicker, who signed a reserve-future contract with the New York Jets only 12 days ago, tweeted Tuesday that he tore his right Achilles tendon in a kicking workout. Obviously, it's a season-ending injury.
As cliche as it sounds.... a minor set back for a major come back. I have worked my tail off to... https://t.co/BmcuXHDZdh
— Kyle Brindza (@kyle_brindza) February 16, 2016
Turns out the injury occurred last Friday during a routine workout at his local field in Plymouth, Mich. Brindza's post includes a post-surgical photo of his lower-right leg in a cast.
"As cliche as it sounds ... a minor set back for a major come back," he writes on Instagram. "I have worked my tail off to get another shot and I got it, but now I have to take a step back. I ruptured my Achilles completely during my kicking workout. I'm not mad. I'm not upset. Unfortunate? Yes. I know God has a plan and I have to trust it. This is just another chapter to my story. Time to get this thing fixed and start the road to recovery. . Day 1 starts today!"
Presumably, the Jets signed Brindza to compete against incumbent Nick Folk, who missed the final eight games of last season because of a quadriceps injury. Folk's replacement, Randy Bullock, is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
Brindza, 23, began last season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' kicker, but he missed six of 12 field-goal attempts (plus two extra points) and was released after four games.