Sunday, January 22, 2012

Great Players Should Make Great Plays

Tony Romo's Botch Snap
Herman Edwards Recovers Joe
Pisarcik's Fumble
History has given us heroes and goats in the sports world.  But when it comes to playoffs and Super Bowls it's the Kickers that have been the great disappointments in the history of the game.  There is of course the 2006 Tony Romo's botched handling of a snap and there's the 2003 bad snap on a game winning field goal for the Giants against the 49'ers in a Wild Card game by Trey Junkin.  Of course there's Scott Norwood in the Super Bowl that allows us to forget about a great quarterback, Jim Kelly.  Joe Pisarcik's fumble off the snap leading to a game winning defensive touchdown by, then Defensive Back, Herman Ewards of the Philadelphia Eagles.  But there is a bundle of "way right and way left" calls that define the ending of a season by many teams in history.  But where is the criticism of Lee Evans, for not securing a struck in the gut, rather than the casual turn and celebrate move the skill players are so well choreographed to perform at the end of a scoring play.  A chance for a potential player to make a great play and be recognized as a great player. 

Billy Cundiff Misses 32 Yard FG
Wide Left.
Billy Cundiff will have to suffer the feeling of being responsible for not sending the Ravens into OT for a chance to proceed to the much eluded Super Bowl.  But after the Baltimore defense kept an explosive New England Patriots offensive from scoring more than 23 points, Evans was the recipient of a spiral in the front corner of the end zone hitting his gut between two defenders and allows a desperate swipe by the beaten corner to dislodge the ball before he gets his second foot down thus forcing the field goal try versus a 27-23 lead with just over a minute to play.  The result a 23-20 loss for the Ravens and a trip to the Super Bowl derailed.

Don't blame the kicker for a rushed field goal from a distance that was not a chip shot.  Win and lose as a team.  How about a few missed blocks, tackles, assignments and reads throughout the 60 minutes of regulation.  Don't get caught in the "they get paid to make field goals," because big time players get paid to make big time plays.  If this is not true, then check the average salary of a kicker and the average salary of Wide Receivers, Running Backs, D Backs, Linebackers, Defensive Ends, even Linemen and of course Quarterbacks!  Don't let the guy who is the lowest paid, less frequently played be left to burden the responsibility for the Ravens loss to the Patriots.

There is plenty of blame to throw around to Great Players who were expected to make Great Plays.