Seeing Matt Gay accept a record-breaking deal with the Indianapolis Colts has made it difficult for the Los Angeles Rams to locate a suitable kicker.
The Rams started the season with experienced kicker Brett Maher, but he underperformed and was eventually cut. Lucas Havrisik, a young player, took Maher’s spot.
That did not resolve the problem, though, as Havrisik has arguably struggled even more, missing only 17 of 18 extra points and 15 of his 20 field goals in eight games. The Rams have missed more field goals than any other team in the NFL this season between the two kickers.
The Rams head coach clarified why the squad is not trying to add another kicker despite Havrisik’s difficulties.
“That’s not something that we’re interested in right now,” McVay said. “When you look at the whole operation, it’s snap, hold and kick and when you haven’t had Alex Ward, that makes a big difference. He’s done a really good job. And so all of those things go hand in hand. I know the kicker is the one that everybody wants to kind of pin on. Oh, it’s a missed kick because he is the one that gets tagged with the stab. But there’s a lot of layers to it.
“We want look at it and we want to figure out what’s the best way to get our whole operation tighter and those will be things that we’ll look for. But as it relates to Lucas, that’s not something that we’re thinking about right now other than continuing to move forward with him and help him continue to have the best opportunity for success with everything that that process and procedure entails.”
McVay acknowledged that his play-calling is being impacted by the difficulties at the kicker position, even though the Rams may not be searching for a replacement.
“It does. It’s something that… I was talking about it and there were some opportunities that you have to be considerate of. Alright, are you operating in four down territory? Maybe different than what you had in previous situations. So I think you have to continue to monitor the ability to execute at a high level and if not, then maybe you’re saying, hey, we’re operating with a different mode and mindset,” McVay said.
“And so those are things that we’ll definitely have to identify and especially when every single game matters so much and points are at a premium and you’d like to be able to finish these drives where you’re just hopefully kicking extra points. But it certainly is something that comes into the thought process, especially given the things that you mentioned.”
Mason Crosby, an experienced player, was recently added by the Rams to rival Havrisik; however, he was cut a week later and signed with the New York Giants.
The Rams need to straighten out their kicking position in the next weeks since they are very much in the running for the playoffs. If they don’t, they run the risk of having their season end.