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Kicking in NFL becoming tough

NEW YORK – All plaudits to Cairo Santos of the Chiefs for making seven field goals Sunday. At least someone was able to kick the ball straight this week.

Santos’ club record in a 36-21 loss at Cincinnati – that’s right, all the points were on field goals, not three touchdowns – stands out even more when compared to his peers.

Not only were field goals a chore, particularly in crunch time, but the longer extra points were problematic, with four missed. There have been four or more misses every week this year after not having more than three in any week from 2000-2014.

Unlike in college, where so many kickers are untested or simply not reliable, NFL coaches often play for the winning field goal. It’s a risky philosophy, particularly now with the extra point moved back to about 33 yards.

“All the kicks are tough,” said Steelers veteran long snapper Greg Warren, “and now that you’re taking (PATs) back, you’re taking the one you could always count on out of the equation. I think it does shake it up. I mean, it’s not just one kick you’re changing, it’s the mental makeup of everything.

“When that kick gets a little tougher, that job gets tougher. I think it’s definitely going to affect guys more than we anticipate, and it’s interesting how the league reacts to it, if it’s what they were looking to do, to achieve.”

Long-time placekicker Jay Feely, now retired, tweeted that extra points used to be like warmup kicks, and now that they are more challenging, his former peers are struggling more than ever. It’s beyond a mindset, too.

“You didn’t have to worry about the results (it was a given) which allowed you to focus on your form and get grooved-in during a game,” Feely wrote about the short extra points.

“Somewhat of a confidence builder. Like throwing a couple of screens early for a QB. Now the pressure is bigger on Ex Pts than even FGs because there is zero room for error (100 percent success is demanded). The pressure intensifies and it negatively impacts FG performance as well.”

That certainly was the case this week. It wasn’t the worst kicking performance in NFL annals, but it was a pretty sorry display.

According to STATS, 57 of 71 field goals (80 percent) were made in Week 4. That’s not awful if most of the failures were from long distance, which they weren’t.

Only 81.8 percent of the kicks from inside 45 yards were made this week, way lower than the previous three weeks: 88 percent, 89.2 percent and 90.6 percent.

Also, take away Santos’ perfecto, and the numbers sink.

Josh Scobee, with Pittsburgh, twice botched field goals that could have salted away a win over archrival Baltimore. He missed from 49 and 41 yards, the Steelers lost – and Scobee lost his job.

Tampa Bay rookie Kyle Brindza failed from 43 and 29 yards. Yes, a kick even shorter than an extra point – and he missed one of those, too, in a loss at Carolina. Brindza, out of Notre Dame, missed three field goals and an extra point during last week’s 10-point loss at Houston.

After strongly backing Brindza following the Texans game, Bucs coach Lovie Smith tempered his support Sunday, and cut Brindza on Monday.

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