ST. LOUIS (AP) – The rebuilding St. Louis Rams are vulnerable enough without their kicker missing chip shots.
Josh Brown was wide right on a 36-yarder that could have made the difference in a 2-point loss at Oakland last week. The Rams fell 16-14 to the Raiders and to 0-2 this season.
Brown also had a 34-yard field goal attempt blocked in the season-opening 17-13 loss to Arizona.
Still, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo is not worried about his veteran kicker.
“Josh Brown has been real steady,” Spagnuolo said. “I mean, obviously, would like that kick back. I mean, he feels as bad as anybody. I know in his mind, he considers that an automatic kick and we do, too. So, I would anticipate when he’s presented with that opportunity again, he’ll make it.”
The 31-year-old Brown is in his third season with the Rams, who signed him a five-year, $14.2 million contract as the replacement for Jeff Wilkins when he retired. His signing bonus was $4 million. Brown came from Seattle and carried the Seahawks’ franchise-tag designation in 2006, three years after drafting him in the seventh round.
At the time, the Rams figured if you can’t beat him, sign him. Brown tied an NFL record with four game-winning field goals in the final minute of regulation or overtime in 2006, with two of them coming against the Rams.
Those two kicks cost the Rams an NFC West championship, with the Seahawks winning the division at 9-7 and the Rams going 8-8.
Since then, the Rams have fallen on hard times. St. Louis has lost 27 of its last 28 games. In his last two years with the Rams, Brown has made 50 of 60 field goals.
Brown has made 2 of 4 field goals, including a 46-yarder, this season headed into Sunday’s home game against the Redskins.
The miss against the Raiders felt off from the moment he kicked it.
“It’s one of those situations, where you try to relax and you over-relax, you know,” Brown said Friday. “It wasn’t that far. To most guys in the league, it’s probably going to be a chip shot. That’s how I feel about it. Sometimes, when you over-relax, you leave it out there and that’s exactly what happened. I kicked the ball perfectly straight right at the pole.”
He knew right away, too, it was not good.
“From the moment you hit it, you usually know what’s going to happen,” Brown said. “It’s one of those things. That was one where I thought, ‘Oh, it’s going to be really, really close.”
After a miss like that, it’s important to turn the page and forget. Memory loss can be a kicker’s best friend.
“It’s one of those things, you’ve got to bounce back,” Brown said. “It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last time. It’s not routine and you never want it to be routine. It’s an experience you should learn from and humble yourself from.
“You need to always be intent when you’re on the field. You can’t just relax through one,” he added. “You’ve got to give it your all and aim dead center.”
For a team struggling to score points and win games, Brown said he knows his contributions are vital.
“Until the offense gets going, absolutely, my job is important,” Brown said. “I think there’s a lot of pressure. I don’t shy away from that. I invite that. It’s one of those things until the offense gets going, we need all the points we can get.
“I need to be a consistent veteran,” he said. “You can’t make rookie mistakes when you’ve been in the league eight, nine years. You have to accountable for what you’re doing and people need to count on you at all times.”
Spagnuolo remains confident in Brown, who connected on all nine attempts during the Rams’ preseason games.
“Josh is a pro,” Spagnuolo said. “I’m not going to let one kick throw me.”
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