Washington kicker Chris Blewitt had two of his three field goals blocked on Sunday. The Football Team ended up losing 17-10 to the Denver Broncos, making the two mistakes that much more costly. Week 9 is Washington’s bye Week. Will the kicker be saying goodbye?
Not only did Blewitt have two of his three kicks blocked this week, but one of his two kicks were blocked last week as well.
He may be gone as quickly as he came. All but forgotten, save for the possible asterisk of being probably the only guy to have three of his five NFL field goals blocked.
That’s hard to even type or say out loud. Three out of five field goals blocked.
Has it ever happened before?
That’s doubtful, but researching it proved fruitless.
As a team, it’s tough to leave points on the board twice in a game that you lost by a touchdown.
Blewitt may be too easy a scapegoat, to not get picked off this week.
Semantic Point?
One of the field goals wasn’t really blocked though.
The kick was low enough that a Hobbit could have blocked it. Is that a blocked field goal? Who gets the block? The Washington offensive lineman that it hit the back of?
It should have it’s own statistical category. No other player should bear any statistical damage whatsoever from such a play. Nor should any player gain any statistical advantage.
Instead of a Blocked Field Goal, it should be a Botched Field Goal.
Thanks Coach
Last week Head Coach Ron Rivera was pretty understanding of Blewitt’s blocked field goal.
“He might have drilled that one maybe a little low? I believe it was a 42-yarder. It’s something a first-year guy, a rookie, basically, he’ll get better at giving that ball some elevation.”
How about three out of five times Coach?
Over / Under
There isn’t likely an Over / Under on how long Blewitt keeps his job this week.
If there were, and they put the day at Wednesday – it’s doubtful many would take the over. And it’s already Monday afternoon.
The fact that it’s a bye week gives it too much opportunity to be a negative distraction.
Expect an announcement soon.
So long, and thanks for the fish Chris.
Smooth Move Ex Lax
Is Dustin Hopkins still on speed dial by chance?
An apology, some flowers, some chocolate, a moderate pay raise and a phone call might be in order here.
Oh right, he already moved to sunny Los Angeles.
Dustin Hopkins had two kicks blocked in 93 games with Washington.
Just saying.
Not To Blame
Chris Blewitt isn’t to blame for the kicking disaster that Washington now find themselves in.
Once again, a clinic on how not to do things has been put on.
The first faux pas? Zero kicking competition in the offseason. Hopkins faltered slightly last year. It would have made sense to bring in somebody with an NFL pedigree to have some competition in training camp. If Hopkin’s job was as perilous that two missed extra points meant he was out of a job, then options definitely should have been considered.
The second mistake was unceremoniously dumping a guy that has been a good NFL kicker for almost seven years. In the middle of the season.
The third error was that they did all of this in favor of someone who hasn’t kicked for five years, and has never kicked in an NFL game.
Were there were more sensible options?
Copy a Gibbs-Era move and fake an injury.
Have two kickers on the active roster for a game.
Now it’s all gone Wu tang.
The flavor-of-the-month isn’t working out.
You’re dependable kicker that admittedly had seen some struggles, is irretrievably gone.
And there’s half a season to go.