Maybe I jinxed him.
Last Friday, I wrote about Kansas City Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop being nearly perfect thus far in training camp and preseason. How did I talk about a kicker and not expect to jinx him?
NJ Chiefs Fan said it best on Friday, "I'm confused. First a post about no injuries, now one about how accurate the kicker is. We’re screwed."
And he was right. A missed 28 yard field goal and a 53 yarder that bounced out was the jinx.
"The first half was unacceptable," Succop said following Saturday's loss to the Seahawks. "I gotta make those kicks. That's all there is to it."
Those missed opportunities would have given the Chiefs the victory.
"Yeah, you know, just didn't have enough on it and I missed it. No excuses." But, an important note is that he did recover and got the Chiefs within four points and a chance to win the game with a 35 yard fourth quarter field goal.
"I'm proud of how I played in the second half," he said. "It was a little better."
What I noticed on the first kick was a Seahawks defender coming through the line possibly within range to block the field goal. "Yeah, the first one I just missed it and it's unexcusable," Succop told reporters following the game. "I gotta make that kick every time."
Then, on the missed 53 yarder, Thomas Gafford's snap was low, possible throwing off his rhythm. I talked to a few other reporters who noted the low snap and, at least from our view, that might have caused him to slow down his wind up thus creating the kick about a yard short.
When asked about the low snap he said, "No, I didn't notice anything."
He was quick to take all the blame. As a kicker, when even the most minute discrepancies can affect the kick, it's easy to pass the blame even indirectly. For example, he could have said, "Yeah the snap was low but I still had a shot at it." Nope. No blame anywhere except for himself, which is an admirable trait in a kicker.
So, after going 3/3 during the preseason, and hitting 96% of his kicks in training camp, things came crashing down. Does he feel like this is a big step back, especially considering the consistent reminders that he's competing against other free kickers in the NFL including former Chief Connor Barth?
"No, you know, I've got to go out this week and improve, get better and come back and make the rest of my kicks."