NEU » shots, then moves

The idea was to put some excitement into NFL extra points. On Sunday, it became unwise to head to the fridge when the kickers came in.A dozen times in Week 11, those 1-pointers became no-pointers. Blame the swirling winds. Blame the suspect blocking. Blame sloppy holding.Or point fingers at the toes of Mike Nugent and Robbie Gould, who each missed a pair of PATs. Not to mention Stephen Gostkowski and Steven Hauschka. Connor Barth and Kai Forbath. Matt Prater and Cody Parkey. And Jason Myers, who failed on seven extra points last season -- yep, seven -- and still kept his job with the Jaguars.It just drives me crazy to have a poor performance that contributes to a loss, said Nugent, whose Bengals fell 16-12 to Buffalo. Had he made both extra points, a field goal late in the game could have won it for Cincinnati.Thats the second time thats happened this year, that Ive contributed enormously to a loss. If I did what I was brought here to do, wed have two less losses, in my opinion.Several kickers noted they were compensating for the wind, particularly the Giants Gould and the Bears Barth, who coincidentally replaced the veteran Gould in Chicago this season. Kicking in the Meadowlands has never been a picnic, and conditions figure to get worse there and in many other NFL cities as the schedule moves along.But one of the main reasons for bringing in veteran kickers -- Myers is in his second pro season, Hopkins and Parkey their third, but the rest are pretty seasoned NFLers -- is their ability to handle such challenges, mentally and physically.They failed in record numbers Sunday.The first one I hit was where I was hitting them in pregame, Gould said. I thought I made it and it went outside the left upright. The second one I just didnt hit a good ball. Today was tough, but I have to make them.His coach, Ben McAdoo, was giving Gould the benefit of the doubt.It was a tough day to kick the football, McAdoo admitted, also knowing it was his decision to bring in Gould after the Giants waived Josh Brown in October following revelations about his abusive behavior toward his former wife.Well go back, well look at it, well talk about everything. The wind obviously was a factor every time you had a play in the kicking game today.That was not the case in Detroit. Ford Field is indoors, yet Prater and Myers had misses.So whats going on when a two-time All-Pro such as Gostkowski misses three PATs in the last five games? Or Hauschka has an extra-point kick blocked in successive games?Not to mention perhaps the play of the year last weekend, when Denver ran back a blocked extra point against New Orleans for a defensive 2-point conversion that won the game?A 33-yard kick should be automatic for virtually every NFL kicker, yet we know, 12 times over on Sunday, that is not true.Among the factors contributing are pressure, over-analysis, poor mechanics, weak blocking and, well, bad luck.Before last year, when the new rule placed the ball at the 15 for extra-point kicks, little thought or preparation was needed for such chip shots. Now, kickers -- and holders, snappers and blockers -- do need to think about the kicks. But they dont get a whole bunch of extra practices on them.Kickers traditionally are a quirky bunch. That isnt necessarily a bad thing; just look at how successful Sebastian Janikowski has been for the Raiders.But they also are prone to thinking too hard about kicks. Why else would opposing coaches try to ice them?Bad weather, particularly slippery surfaces and wind, have a huge effect. A wet ball is much harder to boot accurately, as well as more difficult to snap and hold. Uncertain footing plagues kickers legs and psyches.As for the wind, thats the enemy of everyone but defenders on a football team.So those excuses sometimes work, though, again, not in the friendly kicking confines of a dome.The biggest issue for kickers comes when they get in a rut. Unlike other positions that require deep knowledge of a playbook, kickers and punters are much more on their own. When placekickers cant find the middle of the uprights, they usually find themselves on their own and off the roster.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL. Fake NMD R1 For Sale .Y. -- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday that J. Adidas NMD Black Sale . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. http://www.cheapnmdonline.com/adidas-nmd-womens-clearance.html . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. Fake NMD For Sale . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Pharrell x adidas NMD Human Race Black . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. OAKLAND, Calif. -- Patrick McCaw flings a football across two courts and hits Ian Clark right in the basketball numbers, then jokingly jumps in front of Kevin Durant moments later as if to make an interception against a superstar teammate with a height advantage and remarkable wingspan on the rookie guard.Several minutes later, McCaw blows an enormous bubble with his gum as shootaround winds down on game day.The kid they call P Nice because his game is so good, so young, is getting comfortable in a hurry during his first NBA season, and it certainly helps playing alongside the star-studded cast of KD, two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green every day.When I figured out I was going to Golden State, that just made it even more of a dream, McCaw said. To be able to be on the same team as Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, guys that made it to the Finals in back-to-back years and have won the Finals ... to be with such great players and to learn from them my first couple years in the NBA is exactly how I wanted it to go.Overshadowed during Thompsons 60-point, 11-dribble performance Monday night during which he touched the ball for all of 90 seconds in a rout of Indiana was McCaws nine points on three 3-pointers and five assists in 15-plus minutes. He will get his first front-row glimpse at the Clippers-Warriors rivalry on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.The Warriors dont expect McCaw to be polished this soon, though he is showing positive signs despite inconsistent playing time. And he flat-out works.Really a precocious rookie for a young guy, assistant coach Ron Adams said. Hes got a pretty nuanced game for a rookie, in other words he does a lot of stuff that guys who have played for a couple of years start to do. Hes got a gait to his dribbling and passing, a rhythm thats fairly advanced.Along with regular good-natured razzing from Green, McCaw has found another way to stay grounded: He communicates with his five siblings and parents every day. They share a group text message chain or do FaceTime on their phones to stay in touch.Jeffery Jr., Celeste, Jayla, Camille and Trinity are his support system, along with mom and dad, Jeffery Sr. and Teresa, in St. Louis. They came to the season opener Oct. 25, which also happened to be McCaws 21st birthday.McCaw and his mom exchange messages and typically speak twice a week.Make sure you have fun tonight, she writes.Or, she checks up on his housecleaning: Did you mop? Did you sweep? His chores improved during college, she notes.Even though she was concerned at first about her third-youngest being on his own in Oakland, McCaw is thriving on a loaded roster. He showed up at Golden State and chose the unusual No. 0 for his uniform, explaining his choice as Zero worries, Zero doubts.This is Patriccks first official job, his mother said.dddddddddddd During the draft process we would tease him this will be his first job. Patricks first job is one of his goals, one of his dreams. Its still surreal.For about 15 minutes on draft day, McCaw thought he was headed to Milwaukee. But then the Bucks dealt him to Golden State.One thing Green points out is theyre both second-round draft picks from nearly the same slot -- Green was picked 35th overall out of Michigan State in 2012 and McCaw at No. 38 this year from UNLV.Something about them second-round picks, man, Green said with a grin. They do pretty well.Those type of things fuel you, McCaw said. But I think me and Draymond are just humbled to be in the position that we are. To play with the Golden State Warriors and have this opportunity is truly a blessing. Our work ethic and our drive and our passion for the game, that never stopped us. That second-round pick didnt tell us that we werent good enough to be first-rounders. That only made us want to work harder.That is evident if you watch McCaw on the practice floor or at Oracle Arena on game day.Hes got a real spirit about him, teammate David West said.More than 2 hours before tipoff, McCaw is among the first Warriors on the court putting up pregame jumpers or cutting without the ball to practice precise movement under the guidance of player development coach Willie Green. McCaw plants a foot toward the baseline, then sprints to the right wing for more mid-range shots, then moves to the other end of the court for a series of 3-pointers.Thats what he does, thats what he knows, his mom said.A lot of what you see is God-given, just his ability to be able to come in and play basketball at a high level, Willie Green said. Even outside of basketball he has a humble confidence. We call it swag. His nickname is P Nice. We call him that just because his game is nice. The moment is never too big for him.During one pregame sequence, McCaws first baseline 3-point attempt clanked off the rim and the rookie let out an Ahh! of frustration, then another Ahh! after another miss, then another. Finally, he swished two in a row and could relax, chomping his gum all the while.McCaws big plays send the excitable Curry into a McCawwwww! bird-chanting frenzy. Nothing new for the lanky 6-foot-7, 185-pound guard -- Ive heard that since middle school, he says.Hes very savvy, so he always knows where to be, Draymond Green said. He brings a certain swag with him that you can feed off of as you feed off someones energy. I think its pretty unique. ... Its like, `Im in the NBA, no big deal. Thats how he approaches everything. Its pretty cool. He doesnt say much but he listens, to everything. Hes a sponge. ' ' '