Pro Bowl Kickers Need Not Apply (P366D23)

OK…I’m not doing any research, but I heard someone say that Billy Cundiff is/was a Pro Bowl kicker.  That’s all well and good, but he missed what amounts to a chip shot of a field goal yesterday to send the Ravens/Patriots AFC Championship game to overtime yesterday.  Instantly, his value as a kicker tanked.  Whether he was Pro Bowl caliber or not, everyone will now question whether he can handle the pressure of big moment, clutch kicks when they really matter.

But here’s my problem with dumping all over him because he missed that kick.  The Ravens should have put the ball in the end zone more than they did.  Their defense should have prevented the Patriots from scoring as much as they did.  If either of those happens, Cundiff doesn’t even have to jog out onto the field with the clock winding down to attempt the kick.

If I’m building a team, I don’t want to need a Pro Bowl level kicker.  I want one who never misses an extra point, because I want an offense that scores touchdowns on every drive…not one that gets into the other teams half of the field and gets stopped so that my kicker has to do the scoring for us.  I want a team that doesn’t need a place kicker because one of my back-up linemen or backup quarterback can be taught how to kick well enough to hit extra points.  I want a defense that prevents the other team from scoring touchdowns.  Even if we give up two field goals for every touchdown we score, as long as my backup lineman can hit the extra point, we’re still winning.

It would be great to root for a team whose ad for a kicker included the line:  Pro Bowl Kickers Need Not Apply.