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Despite recent downturn, Ravens HC John Harbaugh still backing kicker Justin Tucker
Baltimore's Justin Tucker has gone from an asset to a liability this season, but the Ravens are standing behind their star kicker.
Through his first 11 games, Tucker has made a career-low 72.7% of his field-goal attempts. Amid his struggles, Eddy Pineiro of the Carolina Panthers (89.381%) has surpassed Tucker (89.348%) as the most accurate kicker in NFL history.
On Monday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said they'll focus on helping Tucker end his slump instead of bringing in some competition.
"The best option right now is to get Justin back on point," Harbaugh said, per The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec. "We certainly haven't lost any confidence in Justin Tucker. He's definitely our best option."
Harbaugh said there is no thought to bringing in kickers/competition for Justin Tucker's job.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) November 18, 2024
"The best option right now is to get Justin back on point. We certainly haven't lost any confidence in Justin Tucker. He's definitely our best option."
Sticking with Tucker — a five-time first-team All-Pro — makes sense, considering he had nearly been automatic until this season. In a 19-17 victory over the Detroit Lions in 2021, he made a winning 66-yard field goal, the longest in league history.
In Sunday's 18-16 road loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tucker missed two field goals of 40-plus yards. In his postgame news conference, Tucker said he hasn't lost confidence, even though it's "certainly frustrating" to keep flubbing kicks.
"I'm still confident I'm going to go out there and nail every single kick," Tucker said, according to Ryan Mink of the team website. "Part of the way we stay confident is by continuing to work and trust the process. I might sound like a broken record, but it's part of what brings us success — is just trusting the process and then taking it one kick at a time."
Baltimore (7-4) is in the thick of the playoff hunt and a tight AFC North race with the Steelers (8-2). The Ravens better hope their trust in Tucker pays off. They certainly don't want his accuracy issues to come back to bite them.
More must-reads:
- Justin Tucker dethroned as most accurate kicker in NFL history
- NFL Week 11 knee-jerk reactions: Josh Allen takes lead in MVP race; Steelers establish themselves as a title contender
- The 'Baltimore Ravens head coaches' quiz
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George Kittle delivered powerful comment about new Packers WR that sheds light on what Green Bay saw in the player
The Green Bay Packers are not done adding wide receivers. The team drafted Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, signed Will Sheppard, but also added another rookie—Isaiah Neyor, a big-bodied, undrafted receiver who had signed with the San Francisco 49ers right after the draft. Neyor spent three months in San Francisco and had a quiet training camp, which led to the team's decision to waive him, but it was enough time to catch the attention of star tight end George Kittle. Going back to June, in an interview with Bussin' with the Boys, Kittle talked about Neyor. "He's a good kid. I like him. He's a freak. He is really tall, and I watched him running a route, he got like nine and a half yards in two strides," Kittle mentioned. "It was insane. We watched it like ten times in the tight end room. We were like, how is he doing this? It's funny." The rookie has an insane athletic profile. He's 6-4, 218 pounds, and ran a 4.43 40-yard dash. With a 9.97 incomplete Relative Athletic Score, he had elite size, explosion, and speed grades—but no agility testing information. "If you're that tall, just make plays and do well on special teams. Right?," Kittle added. "At the bare minimum, you should make the practice squad." Positional battle With two weeks of training camp gone, Isaiah Neyor will have a hard time to make the 53-man roster. The Packers have Golden, Williams, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks as locks. Veterans Mecole Hardman and Malik Heath are also ahead of the rookies. Even players like Cornelius Johnson and Julian Hicks, who spent last season on the practice squad, have a natural advantage. Christian Watson is expected to start the season on PUP, so he won't count against the 53-man for at least four weeks. However, both undrafted rookies (Neyor and Sheppard) have a real shot at making at least the practice squad. In Neyor's case, the 49ers expected him to be around—so much that they guaranteed him $259,000 as an undrafted free agent signing. But with injuries all over the wide receiver room, the Niners needed spots for veteran guys—they have players like Robbie Chosen, Russell Gage, and former Packer Equanimeous St. Brown on the 90-man roster. As a consequence, they lacked space for developmental pieces. With two drafted rookies in Jordan Watkins and Junior Bergen, Neyor became an afterthought. On the Packers, though, the rookie will have another chance to prove that George Kittle was right.
Sophie Cunningham, Sparks HC react to third incident of object tossed onto court
Over the past couple of years, the WNBA has seen a major uptick in ratings and overall fan engagement. Unfortunately, that has also come with negative attention. It may have reached a new low, as there have now been three separate incidents in which a fan has thrown a sex toy on the court. This time, it nearly hit Indiana Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham during a matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. Cunningham had already joked about it on social media, and given her outspoken nature and reputation as a bit of an instigator, she didn't shy away from it: She also laughed it up on her Instagram story: Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, however, didn't think it was a laughing matter. Following the game, she put the fans on blast for their "stupid" behavior. "It's ridiculous. It's dumb. It's stupid," Roberts said, per Yahoo Sports. "It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things. I think it's really stupid." There's no place for any of this in sports, much less in women's sports. The league needs to crack down on this and take the necessary measures to prevent it from happening ever again. The WNBA is finally thriving after years of surviving, and while the fans will eventually grow to respect the product, not all publicity is good publicity.
NFL Hall of Famer reveals why he chose to join Deion Sanders' Colorado coaching staff
Why Red Sox may regret extending rookie Roman Anthony
To say that the Boston Red Sox are keeping MLB fans and analysts on their toes this season is an understatement. Almost two months after trading the face of their franchise, Boston signed MLB’s No. 1 prospect, Roman Anthony, to an eight-year, $130 million extension. Between trading Rafael Devers and locking Anthony up through 2034, the Red Sox have been the boldest MLB team this season by far. But will this move pay off? Fans expected Sox owner John Henry to spend money on the team during the offseason, but no one anticipated a massive mid-year pact with a rookie would occur. Anthony has only played 46 MLB games, during which he has slashed .283/.400/.428 with 19 RBIs and two home runs. While his rapid ascent through the minor league and hot start to his professional baseball career are beyond what fans could’ve asked for, Anthony’s extension is still premature from a financial perspective. With a $16.25 million AAV on his contract, the Sox have piled high expectations onto a player who recently turned 21 years old. For Anthony’s sizable and long-term commitment to be worth the investment, he should produce an annual 2.0 WAR at least and earn at least three or four All-Star, Gold Glove or Silver Slugger Awards by the end of his contract. For reference, Marcell Ozuna and Kyle Tucker received contracts within $250,000 AAV of Anthony’s contract AAV, according to Spotrac. All three achieved this criterion before they were rewarded with lucrative agreements. Weighing these standards against Anthony’s newness to MLB, it’s nearly impossible to say Boston’s decision-making was backed by more than just impulse. Somehow, Anthony isn’t the first rookie the Red Sox extended this year. With five games of baseball under his belt, Boston closed an eight-year, $60 million deal with Kristian Campbell, who was MLB’s No. 6 prospect at the time. While Campbell’s $7.5 million AAV is drastically different from Anthony’s, the Sox’s strategy to hoard young players before they’ve had enough time to prove themselves isn’t logical. Keeping Anthony off the free-agent market for the next decade may be the best risk the Sox have ever taken, or it may be one of the most expensive decisions made. Anthony must deliver the high-performance projections his contract sets for his early extension to pay off, but odds are, Boston is putting the cart before the horse.
Steelers should think twice about critical preseason decision
Playing quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the preseason could be far too risky for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jacksonville Jaguars host the Steelers in their first preseason game Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Rodgers, 41, typically hasn't played in the preseason throughout his career but seems open to the idea. "I do think it's in the plan for me to play this week," the QB told the media Wednesday. "But whatever [head coach Mike Tomlin] wants to do, I'm fully on board." Tomlin, meanwhile, was noncommittal about Rodgers playing Saturday. Perhaps he's realizing it may be a bad idea. Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury when he played for the New York Jets during the 2023 season. Since then, the former Green Bay Packers star has lost some of his mobility. In 17 starts with the Jets in 2024, he took 40 sacks, the fifth most in his career. Starters don't play entire preseason games. Still, if Rodgers were to suffer an injury, it could throw a wrench into the Steelers' plans. Pittsburgh's other options at the most important position aren't great. Backup QB Mason Rudolph has a 9-8-1 starting record in the regular season, and his career passer rating (84.7) is below average. Rookie QB Will Howard fractured his throwing hand during Tuesday's practice, and the sixth-round pick out of Ohio State is expected to miss the rest of preseason. Steelers QB4 Skylar Thompson went 1-2 in three starts in three seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He also tossed more interceptions (three) than touchdown passes (one) in 10 games played. The Steelers offense was reportedly struggling at the beginning of camp, but it appears Rodgers is developing better chemistry with one of his new wide receivers. With the offense improving, playing the four-time MVP in preseason games may not be a must-do for the Steelers.
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