The Redskins signed Cundiff to make the 45 and in field goals that seemed over time to be an adventure for other kickers we have had here.
His record beyond 50 was not good and the front office and coaching staff obviously knew and evaluated that.
Kickers are like goaltenders or pitchers, they have a routine and when they vary from how they normally play to compensate for other circumstances they often get thrown off and lose confidence in what they are doing.
In asking Cundiff to try what were essentially unmakeable field goals of 62 and 57 yards I think it's possible that Shanahan got the kicker out of his normal routine of steps or angle of approach to the ball (to make it go further) that then cost him both in accuracy and confidence on the shorter kickers later on today.
I don't know that's the case. But it's strange Cundiff came out against NO and the beginning of the Rams games and looked like he was in a good zone on his kicks.
An old coaching bromide I heard years ago, was that to be a successful coach you needed to ask a guy to only do what he was athletically capable of doing, or else your risk his confidence and performance.
It appears Mike treats his kickers like Bruce Boudreau treated goalies, and that is they are interchangeable and any 'psyche' issues are irrelevant.
But as we all know by watching the NFL for years these guys ARE affected by being taken out of their routine.
If it's the end of the game and we have to try a 55 yard field goal or lose a game and have absolutely no other choice, then I agree we need to see if Cundiff can convert it.
But in the Rams game the best chance was to run another offensive play on fourth down.
And in today's game early, that 57 yard kick was not a 'must have' at that time.
You have to know how to manage your personnel.
His record beyond 50 was not good and the front office and coaching staff obviously knew and evaluated that.
Kickers are like goaltenders or pitchers, they have a routine and when they vary from how they normally play to compensate for other circumstances they often get thrown off and lose confidence in what they are doing.
In asking Cundiff to try what were essentially unmakeable field goals of 62 and 57 yards I think it's possible that Shanahan got the kicker out of his normal routine of steps or angle of approach to the ball (to make it go further) that then cost him both in accuracy and confidence on the shorter kickers later on today.
I don't know that's the case. But it's strange Cundiff came out against NO and the beginning of the Rams games and looked like he was in a good zone on his kicks.
An old coaching bromide I heard years ago, was that to be a successful coach you needed to ask a guy to only do what he was athletically capable of doing, or else your risk his confidence and performance.
It appears Mike treats his kickers like Bruce Boudreau treated goalies, and that is they are interchangeable and any 'psyche' issues are irrelevant.
But as we all know by watching the NFL for years these guys ARE affected by being taken out of their routine.
If it's the end of the game and we have to try a 55 yard field goal or lose a game and have absolutely no other choice, then I agree we need to see if Cundiff can convert it.
But in the Rams game the best chance was to run another offensive play on fourth down.
And in today's game early, that 57 yard kick was not a 'must have' at that time.
You have to know how to manage your personnel.