Citing a scarcity of consistency within the kicking sport, Baltimore Ravens basic supervisor Ozzie Newsome introduced that the workforce was releasing younger kicker Stephen Hauschka, who hours earlier missed a 36-yard try towards the Cleveland Browns on “Monday Night time Soccer.”
Hauschka was simply 9-of-13 on area objective makes an attempt by 9 video games, and all of his misses have been from below 50 yards. The Ravens changed him by signing free agent Billy Cundiff, who was working at a enterprise capital agency on the time.
That transaction occurred in November 2009. That’s the final time the Ravens made an in-season, performance-based change at sometimes probably the most risky positions within the sport.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh made clear Monday that he has no plans on making one other one, at the same time as his longtime kicker, Justin Tucker, is mired in essentially the most tough stretch of his 13-year profession.
“There’s no thought to that,” Harbaugh mentioned. “It’s important to discover that competitors first for those who’re going to be blunt about it. The place is that competitors? That might be one factor. The most suitable choice proper now could be to get Justin again on level, as a result of he’s totally able to doing it. (We) actually haven’t misplaced any confidence in Justin Tucker.”
Harbaugh’s feedback got here a day after Tucker missed two kicks in an 18-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. After getting into the season as essentially the most statistically correct kicker in NFL historical past, Tucker has missed 6 of twenty-two makes an attempt this 12 months, together with a point-after strive. Two of the misses got here from inside 50 yards, the place Tucker had made 90 p.c of his kicks over his first 12 NFL seasons. His extra-point miss was simply the seventh of his profession.
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“It’s actually irritating, particularly once we know that these video games come all the way down to the wire, like this one did, that I let a pair get away,” Tucker mentioned after Sunday’s sport. “However, like I’ve mentioned earlier than, the one factor that we will do is simply get proper again to work and give attention to making essentially the most out of our subsequent alternative.”
Thought of probably the most distinctive weapons within the league for over a decade and the Ravens’ most dependable performer since he entered the league in 2012, Tucker — and by extension, the workforce’s area objective operation — has all of the sudden develop into one of many causes Baltimore is dropping video games.
It’s harsh and it feels uncomfortable to say or write a few man who has been the gold commonplace within the sport at his place for a few years, however the numbers are onerous to disregard. The Ravens’ 4 losses have come by a complete of 17 factors, and Tucker missed a area objective in every of them that factored prominently within the defeats.
Tucker “must make kicks,” Harbaugh mentioned after Sunday’s irritating loss in Pittsburgh. “He is aware of that. He makes them in apply, and he made the lengthy one (54-yarder) later, which was good to see. He’s nonetheless very succesful. Kick them straight, we’ll be good.”
Lacking seven whole kicks by 11 video games would get loads of different kickers a pink slip. That’s simply the character of the place within the NFL and the nice line between successful and dropping. Kicking points are omnipresent across the league, and Tucker is hardly alone amongst confirmed veterans having a troublesome time this season. The New York Jets have had 4 completely different kickers in as many weeks.
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For the Ravens, nevertheless, kicking stability has been a continuing. Matt Stover, nicknamed “Cash Matt” for his accuracy, was the workforce’s kicker from 1996 to 2008. Cundiff changed Hauschka in 2009 and was the workforce’s kicker for 3 seasons earlier than his crushing late miss within the AFC Championship Sport loss to the New England Patriots in January 2012. Tucker arrived on the scene as an undrafted free agent a number of months later, beat out Cundiff for the job and hasn’t missed a sport in 13 seasons.
Simply the concept of constructing a kicking change in Baltimore appears blasphemous, given Tucker’s well-earned standing. Earlier than the 2 misses in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Tucker’s profession area objective share (89.7) made him essentially the most correct kicker in NFL historical past and put him on a Corridor of Fame monitor.
His clutch kicking as a rookie in 2012 was instrumental within the Ravens successful their final Tremendous Bowl. He’s been chosen to seven Professional Bowl groups and named an All-Professional on eight events. Time and time once more when the Ravens wanted factors, notably late in video games, Tucker stepped up, carried out his tried-and-true pre-kick ritual and calmly delivered. He’s beforehand been the highest-paid kicker within the sport, and for good motive.
Tucker’s kicking brilliance, alongside together with his charisma, outgoing persona and multitude of skills, made him one of many faces of the workforce and probably the most common and recognizable athletes in Baltimore. Tucker’s No. 9 jerseys are usually not onerous to search out whenever you’re scanning the seating bowl at Ravens video games.
However this season has introduced long-avoided angst in Baltimore in regards to the efficiency of the kicker and led to a small however rising section of Baltimore’s fan base to query why the group hasn’t moved on, or at the very least introduced in competitors, for its longtime star.
“Realizing the workforce, figuring out the character of Justin, sure, his efficiency up to now does warrant him the advantage of the doubt, for positive,” Stover mentioned. “However that is the NFL. It’s a very fast efficiency it’s a must to have. With an goal job like being a kicker, it turns into a fast response for folks to say, ‘Hey, man, what’s mistaken with you? Do we have to make a change?’”
But, Stover mentioned, “He’s probably the greatest who has ever carried out it. Who’re you going to get who you’ll be able to assure will probably be higher?”
Justin Tucker has missed a area objective in every of the Ravens’ 4 losses this season. (David Eulitt / Getty Pictures)
Bringing in one other kicker in mid-November probably means both signing a well-traveled veteran who hasn’t been capable of land one other job or plucking somebody off one other workforce’s apply squad. It’s inconceivable in the meanwhile that the Ravens would belief a type of choices greater than Tucker at a time after they fancy themselves as Tremendous Bowl contenders.
“He’s positively our greatest possibility, and he’s going to make a number of kicks — I actually consider that,” Harbaugh mentioned. “But it surely’s as much as him and the fellows he works with daily to make these balls go straight. Competitors proper now, at the moment, no that’s not one thing we’d need for Justin.”
Stover, who’s within the Ravens’ Ring of Honor, nonetheless lives within the Baltimore space and has relationships with many individuals within the constructing, together with Tucker. He additionally understands what Tucker goes by. There have been instances early in his profession with Cleveland when he struggled and the Browns introduced in competitors for his job. In 1999, the Ravens claimed kicker Joe Nedney on waivers whereas Stover remained on the roster.
“That was brutal. He wasn’t on the apply squad. He wasn’t on IR. He was on the roster,” Stover mentioned. “It actually simply comes all the way down to efficiency. There’s no subjectivity. I acquired by it.
“Justin goes by somewhat blip. He’s mentally sturdy. He’s acquired an excellent assist employees round him. He’s acquired a head coach who completely will get it. To do it for 12 years in addition to he’s carried out it says quite a bit about who he’s and his character. It’s the primary time he’s ever needed to cope with this. I handled it three or 4 instances. It was onerous and it sucks. He’ll get by it.”
Stover, who trains younger kickers, acknowledged that he hasn’t damaged down Tucker’s mechanics, however he maintains the truth that Tucker has missed all seven kicks broad left is a “good factor,” as a result of that always factors to a fixable problem. It doesn’t seem like a leg power problem with Tucker. Virtually all of his kicks, besides one, have had the required distance.
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There was loads of hypothesis about whether or not his points are being attributable to snapping and/or holding issues, however Tucker and others on the Ravens’ facility have continued to say snapper Nick Moore and holder Jordan Stout, who aren’t new at this or to the workforce, are doing their jobs.
After Sunday’s misses, Tucker retreated to the locker room to deal with reporters and insisted his struggles are usually not a confidence problem, both.
“I’m nonetheless assured I’m going to go on the market and nail each single kick,” Tucker mentioned. “A part of the way in which we keep assured is by persevering with to work and belief the method, and I do know I’d sound like a damaged document, however it’s part of what brings us success — simply trusting the method after which taking it one kick at a time.”
Harbaugh, a former particular groups coach, has a really shut relationship with the kicker. Senior particular groups coach Randy Brown has been with Tucker each step of his profession and is taken into account one of many prime kicking gurus within the league. Ravens assistant particular groups coach Sam Koch is a former holder for Tucker and certainly one of his closest confidants.
Stout has been holding for Tucker for 3 seasons, and Moore has been within the Ravens group since 2020. The kicking battery and training employees have a longtime routine that has yielded very sturdy outcomes for a few years.
“You attempt to assault every little thing to the utmost that we will, throughout the board,” Harbaugh mentioned. “Justin is without doubt one of the points that we’re . He’s going to get it discovered. We’ve got coaches. We’ve got approach. We have a look at the tape. He’s working towards nicely. He’s acquired to kick it straight.”
(High photograph: Barry Reeger / Imagn Pictures)
