It’s time for Chandler Catanzaro to pack his gear and hit the road. He is 11 for 15 on FGs and 23 of 27 on extra points. He missed two crucial FGs last night in the 16-3 routing by the Redksins. Those were points that wouldn’t have saved the day but would have salvaged whatever remaining confidence the team and fans had left.
Catanzaro began missing kicks in the first preseason game this year. After signing a three-year deal with Tampa, Catanzaro was supposed to end the kicking plague for the Buccaneers. He has only added to it.
During the first preseason game versus the Dolphins, Catanzaro missed a FG and an extra point. The Buccaneers won, so no one really paid too much attention to the misses. But everyone was still worried that our kicking troubles were far from over. Boy, were they right.
After that Dolphins preseason game, the veteran kicker swore that everything was going to be fine and that he was going make a lot of kicks. And he has just not made ones when we need them. It seems that we have been chasing missed kicks in too many close games this season. Missing, extra points and FGs are detrimental to the game and will take the wind out of the sails just as fast as any turnover.
After last night’s critical misses, fans have had enough. Coach Koetter may have had enough. Someone has to have had enough. Catanzaro mentioned that he is not sure what the issue is and that he has tried to fix the issue. The issue is not fixed, and it is getting worse. Whether or not Koetter gets rid of Catanzaro is left to be seen, and the answer to that question could come at some point during the day on Monday.
As far as I’m concerned, Koetter should be on the phone right now contacting those kickers that he had come in for tryouts throughout the past few weeks. Or he can pack his bags as well.
