 |
|
Green
Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby (2), in front of holder Matt
Flynn (10), reacts after missing a field goal during the
first quarter of an NFL football game against the Detroit
Lions at Ford Field in
Detroit
on Nov. 26.
|
GREEN BAY - Mason Crosby said in
training camp that this was the season for him to become an elite
kicker in the National Football League.
While there is still a quarter of the
regular season remaining, that certainly hasn't happened yet.
After his miss on Monday night
against the Baltimore Ravens, Crosby ranks 24th in field-goal
percentage (76 percent) among kickers with at least 10 field-goal
attempts.
Instead of improving his season,
Crosby has taken a step back from his solid averages of 79.5 percent
and 79.4 percent in his first two seasons.
"Yeah, percentage-wise I'm not
super happy but I wouldn't say I'm disappointed," Crosby said
Thursday. "I'm more frustrated with some of the situations
where things are happening differently every time. It doesn't seem
like the same things are going wrong. We fix one thing and then one
other little thing goes wrong."
The 38-yard miss against the Ravens
was an example of that. Holder Matt Flynn double-clutched the snap
and said the miss was his fault.
"I'll take full responsibility
for that one," Flynn said. "I've got to do better than
that."
Special teams coach Shawn Slocum said
Flynn's placement was "several inches in front of what the
intended spot was supposed to be."
But on television replays, it
appeared that Flynn's spot was solid, even though Crosby's timing
was obviously thrown off a tad.
Still, the fact remains that Crosby,
who is counting on a rebound, has been on a slide of late. He has
now missed a kick in four of the past five games in which he has
attempted a field goal.
Crosby is in no danger of being
cut by the Packers,
but that wouldn't be the case in other places. The decision of the
Washington Redskins to release kicker Shaun Suisham this week
reverberated around the close-knit community of kickers. At the time
of his release, Suisham ranked 10th with an 86 percent success rate
(18 of 21). He also didn't miss in the first nine games of the
season.
But three misses that cost the
Redskins victories in two of the past three games earned Suisham a
pink slip.
Redskins coach Jim Zorn said a
"large part" of the decision was that Suisham failed to
deliver in the clutch.
Some are asking whether Crosby is
delivering in that aspect himself.
So far this season, Crosby has
had to kick in six "gotta-have-it" situations where either
the Packers
needed to cut into or extend the lead or take the lead outright. He
has made four of those kicks (66.7 percent). But he has missed two
of his last three opportunities in those situations. Crosby was 1 of
2 against the Ravens, and missed against the Minnesota Vikings on
Nov. 1.
Dating back to last season, five of
Crosby's 11 legitimate misses (two others were blocked and another
was a free kick) have been in "gotta-have-it" moments.
For his part, Crosby doesn't buy that
he's failing to deliver in the clutch.
"I don't think that's fair at
all," Crosby said. "For the whole year, I've hit some
kicks that have been important and I've done some good things. I
think every kick and every situation is one that you need to get
yourself started. So I don't think that's the situation at all. I
know that when we get put into a situation coming into these last
four games with the weather getting how it is, we're going to have
some tough games where every kick is going to matter, no matter if
it's first quarter or fourth. I'm preparing for that."
Slocum backed up his kicker.
"I don't foresee a miss (coming
in big spots)," Slocum said. "I mean, I've got all the
confidence that he's going to make every kick.
"I don't think he's struggling
with his confidence and I can objectively say that because I deal
with him day to day and we talk in depth about everything that goes
on."
In the final four games,
though, the Packers
might want to factor in the spot of the ball. Crosby has been far
better from the left hash mark (81.8 percent) than the right (68.8
percent). On the 11 misses the past two years, seven (63.6 percent)
have come from the right hash mark. And five of his past six misses
this season have come from there as well.
"The stats this year are a
pattern that you can say the right hash has been an issue,"
Slocum said. "In terms of me watching him objectively, in terms
of his set-up, alignment and execution, I don't think there's an
issue of whether it's right, middle or left."
Crosby was not aware of the stats,
but didn't put much stock in them.
"If that's the situation, then
it is just a coincidence thing," Crosby said. "I feel
confident every time I go out there."
Critics wish they could say the same.
"Perception is a big
thing," Crosby said. "If we end up winning two of these
final four games by a field goal, then that whole perception may
change."
|
