от zhangzk » 25 Ное 2019 05:20
Others might want to kick them off the roster after this weekend.With the rare exceptions of Indianapolis’ Adam Vinatieri and Baltimore’s Justin Tucker , there aren’t any placekickers whose place in Canton, Ohio, is a topic of discussion. Even Vinatieri and Tucker missed kicks in Week 5.For every hero with his soccer-style boots, there are flops. Graham Gano nails a career-best 63-yarder to lift Carolina past the Giants — tied for second-longest field goal in NFL history — and Greg Joseph sends a flutterball through the uprights to give Cleveland a 12-10 win over Baltimore. Meanwhile, Mason Crosby has the worst Sunday of his 12-year career with four botched field goals and a missed extra point in a 31-23 loss at Detroit.Want more? Maybe not, but here goes:—Chris Boswell missed the extra point after the Steelers‘ first touchdown, the third he’s missed this season. Boswell missed three in his previous three seasons with Pittsburgh.—Caleb Sturgis‘ PAT attempt after one Chargers touchdown bounced off the upright for his fourth miss of the season and third in the past two games. The sixth-year kicker has equaled the amount he had over three seasons in Philadelphia from 2015-17.“The extra point did bother me a little bit, but we’ll figure out what happened there,” Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said. “He’s been kicking with a lot of confidence, so I’m not concerned about it.”—The Browns’ Joseph clanked an extra point off the right upright, the third extra point missed by Cleveland this season. The rookie then pulled a 55-yard field goal left for the win with 5 seconds left in regulation before connecting in OT.—Tucker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, had a 48-yard field goal attempt blocked by Cleveland rookie Denzel Ward on the final play of the first half. He made three kicks, however, proving he’s still the league’s most reliable.—Detroit’s Matt Prater missed a 55-yard field goal , badly, sending the football way right. But the strong-legged Prater is one of the best long-range kickers around and holds the record with a 64-yarder for Denver in 2013.—Cincinnati kicker Randy Bullock had a 37-yard field goal try blocked by Vincent Taylor of Miami in the second quarter. The Bengals still rallied from a 17-0 hole to win.—Cairo Santos of the Rams had a chance to tie the score at 31 in Seattle but missed a fourth-quarter extra point. He got a chance to redeem himself and did on a 39-yard field goal for the winning points.—This one is not kicker Stephen Hauschka’s fault, and he was being celebrated later with a 46-yard field goal to lift Buffalo past Tennessee. But it was an example of the weird day kicking teams were having.The Bills botched a field goal late in the first half — either it was a blown fake or an issue getting the ball down for the kick. Holder Corey Bojorquez stood up after taking the snap and tried a short pass back to Hauschka under pressure from Brynden Trawick of the Titans.—Not to ignore the punters, Atlanta’s Matt Bosher had a kick blocked late in the third quarter when Pittsburgh’s Roosevelt Nix bulldozed in.Clearly, the most forgettable performance came from Crosby, who was crushed by it.“I don’t get this much attention unless it’s really bad or extremely good,” he said. “This one is unfortunately really bad. I’m going to have to really look at this one and this one hurts a bunch. I left a lot of points on the field for this team.“I look back and I’m thinking, in my childhood, in high school, this is definitely one of the worst ones and I’m bummed about that.”What really bums out fans is when coaches play for the field goal. It’s far worse in college, where the dependability of placekickers is shakier than Crosby was Sunday indoors at Detroit.But it infiltrates the NFL, too. And when the kickers flop consistently, they lose their jobs.And like Hauschka and Santos and Sturgis and Bullock, they somehow pop up elsewhere. Until they start missing again. LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Bud Dupree is relaxed entering his contract season.The 2015 first-round pick knows he has a contract with the Steelers for this season. His future with the Steelers after that is in question , but Dupree said on Sunday that he doesn’t mind the uncertainty.“I’d rather just be like this right now,” Dupree said. “I’m going to go out, do my thing, help the team and not be selfish even though it’s a contract year. I have to make sure I’m doing things that are beneficial to the unit as a whole and keep playing to the best of my ability.”The Steelers picked up Dupree’s fifth-year option, guaranteeing a $9.2 million salary this season. But he only has 20 sacks in 54 games through four seasons after he was drafted to rush the passer.Dupree, who had 5½ sacks last season, said that he “loves the organization” and he can see himself in Pittsburgh beyond the 2019 season, but he’s not focused on a long-term deal at this point.“I don’t even ask my agent because I just want to go out and play to the best of my ability and have my best year yet,” Dupree said. “I’m going to do my best for them and whatever happens, happens.”Dupree isn’t strictly a pass rusher with the Steelers, as he is also asked to drop into coverage. He said that’s not lost on defensive coordinator Keith Butler and coach Mike Tomlin, particularly in a contract year when sacks and production can help him earn a large contract.“Everyone understands what’s at stake for me on a personal level,” Dupree said.Dupree has also paid attention to the free-agent contracts signed this past offseason by edge rushers, including former Kentucky teammate Za’Darius Smith, who received a four-year , $66 million deal with Green Bay in March.“It’s fun,” Dupree said. “That just puts more fire up under you to go out and have a great year. Guys are having their best years in their contract year. Confidence is key with yourself and within your team.”Dupree entered his fifth training camp with the Steelers confident and a lean 260 pounds. He’s also healthy, too. Dupree suffered a torn pectoral muscle at Denver in November, but still finished the regular season, playing in the final five games, and registering one sack, as the Steelers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013.“It kind of messed with me, but it was crunch time,” Dupree said.Dupree expects to be a significant part of the Steelers defense, which is expected to make a big jump to offset the loss of All-Pros Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell on offense. He set a career high six sacks in 2017, part of a defense that set a franchise record and led the NFL with 56 sacks that season.Another big season could help the Steelers again and also translate into a big payday. But Dupree isn’t worried about his contract status now.“My biggest thing is just making the plays out there,” Dupree said. “They see everything I do, they see the progression I’m making. It’s on me to make sure I finish and make the big plays that I need to make.”