We all have shit days. Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby had one of those on Sunday.
Missed four field goals. Missed a goddam extra point.
That was critical in the loss to the Detroit Lions. Crosby wasn’t alone in that shitshow, but he was certainly front and center.
Still, it’s stupid to think the Packers should go find themselves another kicker. Crosby has hit nearly 80 percent of his kicks lifetime. If there was a time to get rid of the guy, it would have been after the 2012 season. That year, Crosby hit just over 60 percent of his kicks.
That proved to be an anomaly, which is what Crosby chalked up Sunday to.
“Well, obviously shocked; it’s never happened to me,” Crosby said. “That’s never happened to me. It doesn’t happen. So I’m going to evaluate it but I’m going to [chalk] it up to something that is an anomaly in life that I’ve never even been a part of. So I’m going to evaluate the details like I do every week and move on. Because that one for me is something that I’ve never been a part of and hope to never be part of again.”
Teammates and coaches came to Crosby’s defense and so will I. The guy has made plenty of big kicks for the Packers. He kicks the ball in one of the harshest environments in the league. He normally comes through.
Maybe the dome in Detroit threw him off. I honestly don’t give a shit. I suspect he’ll rebound next week. That’s good enough for me.
You saw Aaron Rodgers trying to console Crosby during the game. He came to his defense after the game too.
“I think he’s one of the greatest kickers of all time, “Rodgers said. “I’ve always said he and Robbie Gould, what they do in the elements over the years is some of the finest kicking that I’ve seen in my time. Obviously he’s disappointed. I don’t think he expected this. We have a ton of faith in him. He’s done it for a long time, made some big kicks for us over the years. They’ve got to clean the operation up: snap, hold and he’s got to make them.”
Fat Mike stood by Crosby as well.
“He’s got to make those kicks. He’s a proven highly-successful kicker, and I believe in him but he’s got to make those kicks. It’s a different game at halftime (if he makes those three first-half) kicks.”
And this, from a highly-successful football coach!
He must know. Highly-successful knows highly-successful, after all.
Kidding, of course. I would personally rather have Crosby missing four field goals a game than endure another year of Fat Mike’s reign.
Even the opponents felt for the guy.
“It sucks,” Lions cornerback Nevin Lawson said. “It sucks. I know he probably feels terrible right now, but one thing about it, man, this is the league. Some days you’re going to be on top of the world and some days you’re going to be on the bottom of the earth.”
Crosby is hitting on 68.8 percent of his kicks right now. Not as bad as 2012, but the guy is going to turn it around.
That, I have faith in. Whether the Packers can turn it around, I’m not so sure.
6 Comments
Recent Posts
Which ranks him just 22nd among active kickers with more than 100 career field goal attempts and 55th all-time.
Not all of those kickers play in harsh climates
well if fatty stood up for him, he never has to make another kick. set for life, don’t ever hold a player responsible!
Some guys just get a pass…Crosby is one of those guys.
Rodgers is another one, although….it’s time to get it together, or is it?
#MasonToo
Crosby has been over hyped for years. People act like the choke job against the Queens was his first game winning kick. It was’nt. I remember him choking a few times when it comes to game winning kicks. He also has a knack for missing at the worst times. Also, he does not do this for free. He makes millions of dollars. Guys making a tenth of what he does do not miss that many kicks in a season let alone 1 game. Fuck Mason Crosby.