In a season where the Steelers have seen him miss as many field goals in 9 games as he had the last three years, the club has released veteran kicker Jeff Reed.
Reed, who began the season as one of the 10 most accurate kickers in NFL history, cemented his fate Sunday night by shanking a 26-yard field goal vs the Patriots.
He was the Steelers’ kicker since the middle of the 2002 season, but will be replaced by former Redskins and Cowboys kicker Shaun Suisham.
He was worked out by the Steelers on Tuesday at Heinz Field. He missed seven of 22 attempts this season, including all four of his attempts between the 40- and 49-yard lines. He had only eight misses combined in 62 attempts during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
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mark
November 16, 2010 at 1:38 pm
I cant blame the team on this at all! He has been a liability all season, his head isnt in the game and when a kicker’s confidence is shaken its downhill from there. Im sure Suisham can make 26 yard FG’s. The team needs a lift and a shake-up. This is step 1 of a few more things that need to happen!
A - Lo
November 16, 2010 at 3:00 pm
I agree that we needed to get rid of Reed, but for suisham??! I don’t see how he will be any better off with him.
The Tony
November 16, 2010 at 3:11 pm
It is a shame to see Reed go because of what he has done for our organization over the years(on the field). However the pressure of the game clearly became too much for Reed to burden, so I say farewell and good luck. Is Suisham the answer? Probably not, I just pray to god that we don’t do anything stupid like the Jets did and draft a kicker in the first round. It shouldn’t be too hard to find a kicker right?
mark
November 17, 2010 at 10:33 am
Tony, if they have any trouble finding a kicker then shame on them! I will always say that kickers are a dime-a-dozen. That does not negate their importance, just that every college kid, Canadien or FA kicker out there can make 26 yarders! I think they will be ok. They really just have to get through this season.If our playoff chances come down to a kicker, then our problems were/are deeper then we thought!! I am more worried about our defense stopping others then I am our kicking situation.
Jeff
November 16, 2010 at 6:51 pm
I kinda think Skippy made his own fate but that Heinz turf didn’t help his situation. I hope this doesn’t back fire and he returns later this year in a Bungles uni and kicks 5 in a game
DrGeorge
November 17, 2010 at 9:36 am
Well, I said yesterday we needed to make some changes, but I was thinking of coaching philosophies more than personnel. Suisham and Reed tried out for the Steelers under Cowher and Reed was chosen as the better of the two; I suspect he still is. But GunKing (see the comment to the article above) raises a valid question: can Suisham put a kickoff into the end zone? If he can, it will improve our special teams enormously. His field goal range and accuracy on Heinz Field turf are probably no better than Reed’s, but perhaps his mind-set will be an improvement too. Let’s hope. I suspect Reed will catch on somewhere else and come back to haunt us. Clearly, there is more to this story than some missed field goals, and Jeff’s behavior and disparagement of the Rooneys no doubt made the parting inevitable. But he was a reliable kicker and contributed to two Super Bowls. He deserved a less acrimonious end.
mark
November 17, 2010 at 10:21 am
I somewhat agree DrGeorge. I have been a staunch supporter of Reed up until Sunday. I think your right about 2 things. 1) his off field issues cut his tenure short and 2) Suishams mind set will be an improvement. He was reliable until this season and this might have been the only position the team could improve upon “on the fly”. Clearly,the team has serious holes to fill. Can these holes be filled to save the season? We will see, but bringing in a clear-minded kicker should provide a lift. Knowing that the odds of getting 3 points might have just went up, should lessen the burden of worry.Do I think Suisham is the long-term answer? Absolutely not. But Reed was found mowing lawns, so finding another kicker this year or next should not be worrisome. How about finding a cover corner or a DT that can get a little pressure off his block? To me, thats much more important. Anyway, here’s hoping Reed clears his head, exorcises any demons he may have and lands on his feet. Just not hurting the Steelers anytime soon!
DrGeorge
November 18, 2010 at 10:07 am
Mark, we do have a lot of holes to fill and a good CB and DT are only two of the more obvious needs. But the kicker is often the leading scorer on an NFL team. It is an important position. Moreover, the kicker’s range dictates strategy in some offensive situations and enhances or hurts the defense (the ability to kick into the end zone on kickoffs for example). Suisham has the ability to be an adequate replacement for Reed. I just hope he doesn’t miss his first three kicks. We don’t need another controversy right now.
By the way, most of the Steelers are supportive of Reed and claim they didn’t see this coming. That supports our intuitive conclusion here that there was more to this decision than a few missed FGs.