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Greg Zuerlein's rough day raises questions
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/13029/greg-zuerleins-rough-day-raises-questions
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- St. Louis Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein missed the team's Friday practice because of the flu. Two days later, he missed a 38-yard field goal and mishit a kickoff that led to a 99-yard touchdown for Chiefs returner Knile Davis.
"No matter what, if you’re going to be in this you still have to come out and perform and do your job," Zuerlein said. "There’s no excuses for mishits or missing field goals or anything like that. How sick I was is irrelevant."
What wasn't irrelevant in the Rams' 34-7 loss to the Chiefs were the two big miscues that came off Zuerlein's right foot.
Midway through the second quarter, the Rams had just missed an opportunity to score a touchdown to take a 14-7 lead after getting a fumble recovery at Kansas City's 8. But Zuerlein trotted onto the field with the chance to at least knock a short field goal through the uprights to give the team a three-point lead.
That surely beat the alternative but the alternative is exactly what the Rams got as Zuerlein left the kick wide right from the right hash.
"I think I just didn’t hit it solid," Zuerlein said. "Basically that’s all it was. I rushed at the ball a little bit and didn’t get my plant foot set properly. If that doesn’t get right then the leg swing is not going to be proper and you saw the results."
The result was a field goal for the Chiefs and a six-point swing which manifested into something much worse when Zuerlein failed to execute the opening kickoff of the second half.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher and special-teams coach John Fassel called for that kickoff to go deep and to the left side. But Zuerlein mishit the kick and it didn't get much hang time, leaving plenty of room for Davis to scoop it up and take off down the right sideline. By the time Davis was done running, he had a 99-yard touchdown, the Chiefs had a 17-7 lead and were well on their way to 34 unanswered points and a blowout victory.
"It was a bad kick," Fisher said. "We were trying to get a deep left kick and he just shanked it and they got off and running. I haven’t seen it. Usually when that happens, you are going to get potentially a hold or two but it’s uncharacteristic of our cover team not to make that play. But that was a key play. It’s what they needed to win this game. We didn’t get that."
The mishit kickoff and the missed field goal are part of a disturbing trend for Zuerlein, who just two years ago was considered one of the most dangerous young kickers in the league as he converted his first 15 field goal attempts. But since Week 6 of 2012, he's 44-of-57 on field goal attempts, a 77.2 percent conversion rate. He only missed two field goals in 2013 but both came at the most inopportune times in losses to Seattle and Tennessee.
So far this season, Zuerlein is 8-of-11 on field goal tries. And though two of those misses have come from 50-plus yards, his ability to make long kicks was a big part of his appeal in the first place. He's made just five of his past 14 attempts from 50 yards or further.
It's not time to give up on Zuerlein just yet -- a 27-point loss certainly isn't all his fault -- but if his struggles continue, it's fair to wonder how much longer his leash extends.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/13029/greg-zuerleins-rough-day-raises-questions
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- St. Louis Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein missed the team's Friday practice because of the flu. Two days later, he missed a 38-yard field goal and mishit a kickoff that led to a 99-yard touchdown for Chiefs returner Knile Davis.
"No matter what, if you’re going to be in this you still have to come out and perform and do your job," Zuerlein said. "There’s no excuses for mishits or missing field goals or anything like that. How sick I was is irrelevant."
What wasn't irrelevant in the Rams' 34-7 loss to the Chiefs were the two big miscues that came off Zuerlein's right foot.
Midway through the second quarter, the Rams had just missed an opportunity to score a touchdown to take a 14-7 lead after getting a fumble recovery at Kansas City's 8. But Zuerlein trotted onto the field with the chance to at least knock a short field goal through the uprights to give the team a three-point lead.
That surely beat the alternative but the alternative is exactly what the Rams got as Zuerlein left the kick wide right from the right hash.
"I think I just didn’t hit it solid," Zuerlein said. "Basically that’s all it was. I rushed at the ball a little bit and didn’t get my plant foot set properly. If that doesn’t get right then the leg swing is not going to be proper and you saw the results."
The result was a field goal for the Chiefs and a six-point swing which manifested into something much worse when Zuerlein failed to execute the opening kickoff of the second half.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher and special-teams coach John Fassel called for that kickoff to go deep and to the left side. But Zuerlein mishit the kick and it didn't get much hang time, leaving plenty of room for Davis to scoop it up and take off down the right sideline. By the time Davis was done running, he had a 99-yard touchdown, the Chiefs had a 17-7 lead and were well on their way to 34 unanswered points and a blowout victory.
"It was a bad kick," Fisher said. "We were trying to get a deep left kick and he just shanked it and they got off and running. I haven’t seen it. Usually when that happens, you are going to get potentially a hold or two but it’s uncharacteristic of our cover team not to make that play. But that was a key play. It’s what they needed to win this game. We didn’t get that."
The mishit kickoff and the missed field goal are part of a disturbing trend for Zuerlein, who just two years ago was considered one of the most dangerous young kickers in the league as he converted his first 15 field goal attempts. But since Week 6 of 2012, he's 44-of-57 on field goal attempts, a 77.2 percent conversion rate. He only missed two field goals in 2013 but both came at the most inopportune times in losses to Seattle and Tennessee.
So far this season, Zuerlein is 8-of-11 on field goal tries. And though two of those misses have come from 50-plus yards, his ability to make long kicks was a big part of his appeal in the first place. He's made just five of his past 14 attempts from 50 yards or further.
It's not time to give up on Zuerlein just yet -- a 27-point loss certainly isn't all his fault -- but if his struggles continue, it's fair to wonder how much longer his leash extends.
