A tale of two kickers - The bedtime story that keeps me awake at night

Two Sundays ago (I'm very late on this blog!!) both Billy Cundiff and Lawrence Tynes woke up in hotel rooms in strange cities. They, unlike 99% of the population, would have been excited about working on a Sunday. Especially a Sunday this late into the winter. It's not hard to assume that both men would have had similar first thoughts when they rolled out of bed on Championship Sunday - Please God give me the opportunity to kick a field goal that catapults my team to a Superbowl. By days end, both men would reflect on their day's work with startlingly different views.

Bearing in on the end of the fourth quarter, in an enthralling AFC Championship game, Billy Cundiff was the first to have his prayers answered. His Balitmore Ravens side had managed to claw their way back into the game and to be within three points with 11seconds remaining on the clock. The ball stood on the 25 yard line and after three failed scoring attempts, Cundiff was called into action. A field goal ties things up and brings the game to overtime. A familiar scenario no doubt but with one peculiar twist - minutes earlier John Harbaugh had turned down giving Cundiff the shot at glory by not sending him to attempt a 50 yard field goal. While this distance is to the extremity of Cundiffs distance, it is by no stretch a long shot. Harbaughs' lack of confidence in Cundiff undoubtedly put extra pressure on his kicker. By the time Cundiff steps forward not only is he trying to fire his team into overtime but he's also trying to prove his coach wrong for not having faith in him.

Over in San Francisco, coaches and players underwear weren't much cleaner. Like their AFC counterparts, the NFC championship game was turning into a cracker and had in fact reached overtime. Lawrence Tynes had seen it all before. Back in early 2008 his Giants team had traveled to Lambeau Field to take on the heavily fancied Green Bay Packers in the Championship game. With the game in overtime and the ball on the 40 yard line Tynes stroked over a field goal to take the Giants to the Superbowl. History has a funny way of repeating itself and so it came to pass that Tynes had another chance to kick the Giants into the Superbowl. I wonder had word of Cundiff made way to the Giants sideline because back in New England the kicking fraternity was about to collectively put their head in their hands.

After you strike a field goal - much like a soccer penalty, or golf shot - you know without looking up whether it was successful. However when it is not, you generally won’t give up hope until that ball drops left, right or short. As much as Billy Cundiff willed that ball he knew he'd hooked the ball left. With 0.04 left on the clock Cundiff had seen fate present itself in front of him, only for an over extension of his right boot to snatch victory away. As the Patriots celebrated, Cundiff was swarped by the media. Credit to him that later in the day he fronted up to the media and took the blame (consquently letting Lee Evens off the hook for dropping the game winning catch minutes earlier).

For Tynes, there were no such worries. Field goal kicking is no different to other aspects in American Football, in that it’s a team effort to get the ball over the bar. There is a kicking team made up of snapper, holder and kicker. If any one of that clog breaks down, the ball doesn't end up going through the sticks although its generally the kicker who ends up with egg on his face. The holders' role is crucial as the snap is very often not straight to his hands. At the Spartans I'm blessed to have one of the best, Touchy, holding for me. We struck up an instant comradery and I know when I start my run up he'll have the ball on the spot. Having this amount of confidence in your holder is key. Tynes clearly has this confidence in Steve Weatherford, his holder. The snap to Weatherford was manky at best but he managed to control it and place it perfectly for Tynes to kick them to the Superbowl. Nobody gave Weatheford any credit for this but to a kickers eye, he made that play not Tynes.

Two weekends ago highlighted how pivitol a kicker can be and how slim his margins are between being praised and being picked on. While I'm playing with smaller stakes, my efficency is still going to be judged by 45 team mates and a coaching staff and front office team. Let's hope I'm more Tynes than Cundiff.

Post by Seamus McDaid
Post by @fbspecial