Mike Vandermause column: Green Bay Packers shouldn't give up on K Mason Crosby
By Mike Vandermause December 22, 2009
He couldnt buy a successful field goal , with cash or credit. His ranking plummeted to the depths among NFL kickers. His accuracy hit an all-time low.
The year was 2001, and the kicker was Ryan Longwell , the Green Bay Packers all-time career leader in field-goal accuracy and scoring.
How soon we forget that Longwell, who turned out to be the greatest field-goal kicker in Packers history, endured a terrible season in which he made just 64.5 percent of his field-goal attempts.
The growing mob that is ready to run current Packers kicker Mason Crosby out of town on a rail needs to remember that and cut him some slack.
Crosby has missed a field goal in each of the Packers last four games, including a first-half 34-yarder at Pittsburgh Sunday that arguably was the difference in the Steelers 37-36 victory.
Crosby has converted just 72.7 percent of his field goals (24 of 33) and ranks a lowly 31st among NFL kickers this season. Thats not good enough, and Crosby will be the first to admit it.
But now isnt the time for the Packers to hang their struggling kicker out to dry. To his credit, coach Mike McCarthy stood firmly behind Crosby on Monday and said he has zero interest in bringing another kicker to town.
Its not likely that anyone available this late in the season would perform any better than Crosby.
Theres also the bigger picture to consider. Crosby has been serviceable during his college career at Colorado (75.0 percent) and first two seasons with the Packers (79.5 percent), and his strong leg indicates he has long-term potential.
Longwell made just 20 of 31 field goals eight years ago and ranked 33rd among NFL kickers, but bounced back by converting 85.2 percent of his kicks over the next three seasons. His 81.6 percent career mark ranks No. 1 in Packers history.
No one can predict how Crosby will respond to his slump, but history says he deserves every opportunity to break out of it.
The Packers coaching staff is taking the proper approach with Crosby by offering public support. In private, they would be wise to tell Crosby that hes their kicker regardless of what happens the rest of this season or how loud his critics complain.
Crosby shouldnt have to worry about his job status every time he tries a field goal.
Special teams coach Shawn Slocum said: What you need to do is have a mindset of Boy, I cant wait to make this kick as opposed to going out there saying, Man, I cant miss this one."
Crosby needs to be held accountable, and the Packers should sign another kicker during the offseason to provide some healthy competition.
Crosby was outstanding during a training camp battle with Dave Rayner in 2007. Maybe he needs that kind of competitive edge to stay sharp.
Crosby still ranks third all-time among Packers kickers in field-goal accuracy at 77.4 percent, behind Longwell and Jan Stenerud (80.8 percent) and just ahead of Chris Jacke (77.2 percent).
Even this season, for all the scrutiny Crosby has received, his accuracy is close to Longwells 74.1 percent during his final season with the Packers in 2005. Since leaving Green Bay, Longwell has converted 86.0 percent of his kicks.
Neil Rackers of the Arizona Cardinals has been the most accurate kicker in the NFL over the past two seasons (41 of 45, 91.1 percent) and in 2005 converted 40 of 42 field goals (95.2 percent). But in 2001, the same year Longwell struggled, Rackers made just 17 of 28 kicks (60.7 percent), and during a two-year span in 2006 and 2007 made just 73.1 percent of his field goals.
Rackers and Longwell provide compelling examples why it would be a mistake to give up on Crosby after one bad month, or even one subpar season.