ExtremeRavens Posted December 3 Posted December 3 The Ravens’ bye week coming so late in the year will be a good opportunity for players to take stock of their health and clear their minds of football for a few days during a lengthy season. If special teams coordinator Chris Horton knows his guy, Justin Tucker will be somewhere kicking. The future Hall of Famer is mired in the worst slump of his career, having missed eight field goal attempts and a pair of extra points this season. It’s already the most in a single season for Tucker, who missed three of those kicks in Sunday’s 24-19 loss to the Eagles. He’s not the only one confounded. “When you see him go out there and kick during the week, he’s smashing the ball,” Horton said. “When you see him pregame, he’s smashing the ball. And he’s just gotta continue those things and bring them into the game. It’s something he has to get himself out of, and we as coaches are gonna stay on him and help him get out of it.” Tucker’s oft-repeated response is that every kick lives on its own. He hasn’t admitted to any common thread in his kicking motion over his eight missed field goals — seven of which have missed left. His best explanation came after a two-point loss to the Steelers in Week 11. After failed attempts on his first two kicks, Tucker said he told long snapper Nick Samac and holder Jordan Stout that he’d tilt his aim slightly toward the right to adjust. It was a minor in-game solution that worked, but not a slump-buster. The snap and hold of Tucker’s kicks have been fairly consistent, said Horton, who admitted that he thought about that possibility the other day and talked himself out of it. “There’s been kicks made where there’s been a good snap, not a good hold,” Horton said. “And there’s been vice versa, right? I think, for the most part, Nick is snapping the ball great. Jordan is putting the ball on the spot. And for the most part, it has been consistent.” What was once thought to be a ludicrous suggestion has become a potential reality. Could the Ravens bring in someone to compete with Tucker? Harbaugh said Monday he didn’t see anything wrong with that idea but that there’s no option out there better than the 35-year-old. Horton was asked if there’s been consideration of looking to Stout, a third-year punter and former placekicker at Penn State. Stout nailed five field goals from beyond 50 yards in college and regularly makes kicks in practice, but that’s more precautionary. “We’ve thought about it,” Horton said. “We talk about it all the time. We practice Jordan on kickoffs. If that becomes something we want to do, we could. That is a consideration. But as of right now, that hasn’t been one of the things we’ve thought about.” Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, right, watches his 53-yard field goal attempt against the Eagles goes wide right in the third quarter of Sunday’s game. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) While his teammates enjoy some time away, Tucker will be doing some soul-searching during his bye week. “We’re going to treat this week just like any other break that we’ve had before,” he said after Sunday’s loss. “We’re going to turn over every stone, and I will do that, individually, for sure, just to address any and all issues I may have with my technique, anything tangible, anything concrete that I can make it a point to remedy.” Field goals aside, Horton thinks the Ravens are just starting to find a groove with the new dynamic kickoff format. “We’re on the up,” he said. Before the start of the season, Horton thought the Ravens might have an advantage with the changes, perhaps because of their longstanding success in that unit and the plethora of coaches bringing special teams experience. It has not played out that way. They’re 26th in average yards returned. Their longest return of the year — a 38-yard run from Rasheen Ali on Sunday — sits 25th among each NFL team’s best. They’ve given up a pair of onside kick recoveries. And Baltimore has an unspectacular middle-of-the-pack ranking in returns allowed and average yards. “I’m starting to see our guys are truly starting to get a feel for this kickoff return system,” he said. “It’s just a lot different than what we’ve been used to. We thought early, we’d come out and have an advantage. But we’ve rotated some guys. We’ve had some guys that are fairly young, in their third or second game of the season.” Tylan Wallace was at the forefront of those issues on Sunday. He muffed one punt return and fumbled another but recovered both. The former fourth-round draft pick admitted that he was “a little indecisive.” Horton agreed. The bye week is a chance to reflect on such issues. Horton approached the podium to speak Tuesday having just finished rewatching all 26 of his group’s kickoff returns this season. Four of those resulted in penalties that negated positive returns, which had Horton dialed in on adjusting technique. Beyond that, he’s seeing a much better understanding of the new setup with a renewed optimism for the final stretch. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.