Pittsburgh Steelers fans hopeful that kicker Shaun Suisham’s injury won’t turn out to be that severe may want to stop reading.
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BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Rookie tight end Jesse James, a fifth-round pick from Penn State, was considered almost a lock to make the team as No. 3 behind vets Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth.
Suisham was injured on a second-half kickoff during the Steelers and the NFL’s preseason-opening game on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
Suisham will undergo surgery on his left knee this week and is likely to be placed on injured reserve, ending his season, according to the reports.
Whoever said kickers are not football players never met Shaun Suisham. And with the unpredictable winds that blow in from the Ohio, kicking at Heinz is no easy task.
Hartley emerged as the Steelers’ choice after participating in a tryout along with Alex Henery and veteran Jay Feely. The Steelers will have to sign another running back because they are thin there and Le’Veon Bell will miss the first two regular-season games with a suspension.
Yes, I know this is very reactionary and after the fact, but if your going to protect an investment you just signed to a four-year extension last season, then why not go that extra mile? Last season, he was seventh in the NFL in points scored. Graham’s career field goal percentage is better than Cundiff’s (85.5%), but since being cut by the Cincinnati Bengals following the 2009 season, Graham hasn’t really found a steady job.
Whether it is one of these three or someone else, it will be tough for anyone to duplicate the success of Suisham. Since originally signing with the team in the middle of the 2010 season, Suisham is 124-for-141 (87.9 percent) on field goals, including a career-high 30 made field goals in 2013.
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As NFL.com notes, while it would seem a small thing to be able to replace a placekicker, steady, consistent and clutch ones are very hard to come by.
