Billy Cundiff's Missed Kick

This years AFC Championship game was one of the best that I can remember. It had me on the edge of my seat till the very end. Speaking of that ending, I have been reading in the days since a lot of excuses about Billy Cundiff's missed kick. People are saying he wasn't ready, they didn't know what down it was, and even that the Patriots purposely cheated by messing with the scoreboard. I see it one way and it seems to be missed in all the media coverage. Billy Cundiff is a sub par kicker and he choked under pressure.

At the beginning of each season, an NFL coach must try to put the best possible team together under the salary cap restrictions. Some favor offense, some favor defense, and some try to create an equal distribution. What gets forgotten many times is the third facet of the game which is special teams. As a Patriots fan I know and appreciate what a solid kicker such as Adam Vinatieri accomplished for this team. Bill Belichick started as a special teams coach in this league and his teams almost always have excellent production from their special teams units.

Billy Cundiff began his career with Cowboys and had a few solid years. He was known for his powerful leg, but not so much for accuracy. After missing several pressure kicks, including two against the Broncos on Thanksgiving he was released by the Cowboys. He then bounced around the league for several years replacing injured starters here and there before the Ravens finally signed him. This means that for several years Cundiff was at best the 33rd best kicker. To settle on this player who can get you plenty of touchbacks, but has questionable accuracy when it counts is a major miscalculation of priorities and large flaw that can only be hidden for so long.

So back to the AFC Championship, with the game on the line and the clock running down I said out loud to my friends "There is a reason he got released by the Cowboys, he is a choke artist and we still have a chance". A few seconds later the kick was up and hooking hard to the left. As I cheered and yelled, I felt a little sad for Cundiff but knew he had been in over his head.

Raven's fans and players might be upset but they should remember that no kick, no matter how close is automatic. From the snap, to the hold, to the kick, it takes consistent perfection that becomes even harder when the stakes are high. Raven's fans should stop burning jerseys and hating Cundiff, and redirect their anger at coaches and ownership who failed to get an adequate kicker onto their roster