Job security is not something built in to the description of a kicker in the NFL. The volatile nature magnifies every mistake, but it does the same for the successes.
Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers is on the wrong side of that coin right now, which is a long fall from his 2018 Pro Bowl season with the Jets. He has missed five of his 17 attempts this season, and went just two for four, along with a missed extra point, in Week 9 against the Buccaneers.
Kicking field goals is not easy for many reasons, both mentally and physically. Myers knows that, and so does the coaching staff.
“I always go back to the mechanics of it,” coach Pete Carroll said of his kicker. “There are things that he wants to be really precise about. He’s such a good practice guy in his drilling, his reps, his mentality, and his consistency is so good.”
Putting in the work is how any athlete across any sport improves. The only problem is when a kicker struggles, a proverbial clock seems to start. The bigger the stage, the shorter the clock.
Lucky for Myers, his clock doesn’t appear close to hitting zero.
“I think it’s just turning the corner and hitting a better percentage in all facets of what he’s doing,” Carroll said. “Why it went that one way in one game, I don’t know. The body of work has been really [good] otherwise. We’re counting on him to come right back to his strength.”
Carroll, along with the rest of the team, is behind Myers. The kicker that hit 91 percent of his field goal attempts a year ago, after getting cut in favor of Sebastian Janikowski by Seattle, can’t be too far removed from that level of success. Myers is only 28 years old in a profession that carries people into their 40’s.
Week 10 is a new game, a clean slate. Myers will no doubt have put the work in for the Seahawks in their Monday night meeting with the undefeated 49ers.
