Haven’t seen a lot of discussion about this. A lot of talk about when the offense later in the game was playing to tie the game with a FG but not this 1st quarter decision. I’m aware Ryland missed a 35 yarder but you’d like to see the team have confidence in their kicker who was drafted for his huge leg. The guy was money at Maryland and for a team that 3 points is huge for you’d like to see them be able to kick 50+ field goals.
Wonder what the pressure factor is like kicking a 54 yarder in the 1st quarter or kicking a 35 yarder knowing the game is over if you miss.
I know it’s tough to trade up for a kicker in the 3rd round — but the biggest mistake we made as far as kicker in the draft wasn’t that we traded up to draft one, it was that we didn’t trade up far enough.
Moody has been an amazing rookie kicker and will only get better. He was the consensus #1 kicker on everyone’s board by miles. And most of all, we had TONS of late round draft picks to trade up for him, and there was no need to make them all (and yet for some stupid reason we did).
We f****d up not trading up for Moody, and we’re going to regret it for a decade+.