OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — If the Baltimore Ravens need a field goal in
the waning seconds of the AFC championship game, they'll call upon a
rookie with little regard for history.
Justin Tucker knows all about the 32-yard kick that Billy Cundiff
missed last January against the New England Patriots, costing the
Ravens a chance to force overtime with a trip to the Super Bowl hanging
in the balance.
None of that bothers Tucker.
"What's in the past is in the past," he said. "Anything that's happened
in the past year, two years, five years, 10 years, or just the last
several weeks, that's all null and void now because we just have a
singular task at hand — to beat New England."
Cundiff's miss in the AFC title game was among the most agonizing plays
in Ravens history. With Baltimore trailing 23-20 in the final minute,
Lee Evans dropped a pass in the end zone before Cundiff's kick sailed
wide left to end the Ravens' season.
"I moved on right after it happened," Cundiff said recently. "Because I
think in order to have success in this league, you have to wipe the
slate clean every year. You can't drag things in, whether it's positive
or negative, because each year is brand new. (But) would I like to have
that kick back? Yeah, most definitely I would."
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kicker Billy Cundiff misses v Patriots (David Butler II-US
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Cundiff was invited back to training camp last summer and was favored
to beat out Tucker, a rookie out of the University of Texas. But coach
John Harbaugh picked Tucker, who went on to validate the decision by
making every clutch kick from September through last weekend.
Tucker went 30 for 33 on field goal tries during the regular season,
including game-winners against New England and San Diego. Last week, he
nailed a 47-yarder in the second overtime to give the Ravens a 38-35
win over top-seed Denver.
Tucker's accuracy is exceeded only by his self-assuredness. If asked to
win the game Sunday night, Tucker said he won't flinch.
"I will be confident because we have a routine we follow," he said. "We
do what we know and do what we trust."
Morgan Cox snaps the ball, Sam Koch puts it down and Tucker kicks it.
It's as easy as 1-2-3.
Recalling Tucker's game-winner against the Broncos, Ravens special
teams coach Jerry Rosburg said, "He enjoys those moments. You could
tell when he went out there it wasn't intimidating to him. He was ready
to seize the opportunity. He made a great kick after a great hold and a
great snap. It was fun to watch."
Tucker is a rookie in name only. Sure, he was kicking for Texas a
little of a year ago, but after signing as a free agent with Baltimore
he was forced to grow up in a hurry.
"I kind of did away with that whole rookie notion when I got here just
because I had to come in and compete against a guy who had a lot of
success," Tucker said. "So I could never afford to think like a rookie
or perform like one. If I ever let myself think like that, I'd be doing
everybody in this building a disservice."
If Tucker walks onto the field Sunday night with a chance to win the
game, his teammates probably won't be thinking back to last year.
They'll be looking forward to a trip to New Orleans.
"This year, I've never been nervous about Justin Tucker kicking a field
goal," Ravens tackle Haloti Ngata said. "I think everyone can tell that
he has a lot of confidence and he kicks really well. I think, with
that, people just believe in him."
Said Rosburg: "He's got a very confident persona. He's a confident
young man in a lot of things he does."
Tucker's kick against Denver salvaged an otherwise horrible day for
Baltimore's special teams. Not only did the Ravens give up a 90-yard
punt return to Trindon Holliday, but they also yielded a 104-yard
kickoff return to the same player.
"I was certainly upset," Rosburg said. "When you give up two
touchdowns, that's unacceptable in a season let alone one game. We're
all very fortunate, those of us in the special teams room, that the
rest of the team played as well as it did to still secure the victory."
One week earlier, the Ravens held Indianapolis to zero yards on four
punts and five kickoffs. Rosburg cited plenty of reasons for the
breakdown against the Broncos, including a crosswind and missed tackles.
Fortunately for Baltimore, Tucker came through in Denver. The Ravens
are confident that, if needed, he will again in New England.
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