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    Ravens kicker Cundiff inconsolable after miss

    FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts (Reuters) - Billy Cundiff experienced every kicker's worst nightmare when he missed a last-minute field goal attempt that would have forced Sunday's American Football Conference title game between the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots into overtime.

    Cundiff, 31, hooked his attempt from 32 yards to the left of the upright with 11 seconds to play, allowing the Patriots to escape with a 23-20 win and a trip to the Super Bowl.

    "Let's keep this simple," he told reporters at a post-game news conference. "That's a kick I've kicked 1,000 times in my career but today I didn't convert.

    "That's the way things go, but there's no excuse for it."

    The home supporters at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, roared with laughter and breathed a collective sigh of relief while Ravens fans released a mighty groan.

    Within seconds, televisions commentators were criticising Cundiff while National Football League (NFL) fans around the world were lampooning him on social media sites.

    Cundiff, his head down, ran off the field, looking like the loneliest man in the world and for good reason.

    The field goal kicker sits on the sideline for most of the game before suddenly being thrust into center stage, often to win or lose the game. He often only becomes a talking point when he misses.

    "When you are at this level, if you're going to be a professional, it's your job," Cundiff said. "And I think you do have to take it personally. I get paid to make field goals I don't get paid to miss field goals."

    Cundiff has already experienced plenty of disappointment in his NFL career. In his first seven years, he was signed and traded by eight different teams before finally settling at Baltimore in 2009.

    It seemed a perfect fit and he reached new heights. He was voted to the 2011 Pro Bowl as the AFC placekicker then signed a five-year, $15 million deal before his worst nightmare became a reality.

    "You earn the respect of this team by playing well and I feel like up to this point I have given the guys a lot of reasons to believe in me so the disappointment is letting my team mates down," Cundiff said.

    "I've had setbacks before but I'll move on from this. It's one of those things that will strengthen me in the end."

    (Editing by Frank Pingue)

     
    • JimH  •  Mobile, Alabama  •  1 mth 2 days ago
      It was a missed kick.....it wasn't the end of the world. Go visit the children's ward in your nearest hospital.....look at all the hairless heads and kids so sick they can't even sit up....after that, this kick means nothing in the whole realm of things, now does it?
    • Country Black  •  Columbia, Maryland  •  1 mth 3 days ago
      15 millions for 5 years?????? he is winning!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • R  •  New York, New York  •  1 mth 3 days ago
      What about the wr who dropped the TD pass a couple plays before? That would have won the game.
    • Elder Lopez  •  1 mth 3 days ago
      Everyone seems to forget the dropped pass the play before that would have won the game.
    • ladoto  •  Westminster, Maryland  •  1 mth 3 days ago
      The worst #$%$ way to end your season.
    • Taser Park  •  Atlanta, Georgia  •  1 mth 3 days ago
      Alot of missed opportunities Not just the missed FG
    • Tom  •  Scituate, Massachusetts  •  1 mth 2 days ago
      Laces out!!!!!!
    • MacCull's Kin  •  1 mth 3 days ago
      And let's not forget, this field goal was for a TIE. There's no guarantee Baltimore would have won in overtime.
    • Bob H  •  1 mth 2 days ago
      Well, at least it turned out that he wasn't the biggest goat of the day. The Niners' Kyle Williams earned that honor.
    • Otto-Machelle  •  1 mth 3 days ago
      HE did not lose this game, though he will probably be made the scapegoat for the loss. Still, his tone and expression really showed how down and disappointed he was. I cant stand the Ravens but I do feel badly for Cundiff, simply because many will point the finger at him for this meltdown that was a total team effort!
    • PinkJade  •  Tampa, Florida  •  1 mth 3 days ago
      I blame Evans more than Cundiff. Cundiff missed the field goal for a tie. But Evans missed the touchdown to win the game! Evans dropped the ball. If he would've kept possession in the end zone, we wouldn't even be talking about Cundiff & a possibility of OT. Just sayin'.....
    • RachelP  •  1 mth 3 days ago
      I feel really bad for the guy. Kicking a football is a lot harder than it looks - I've tried it. Sure, he's supposed to be incredibly good at it, but, honestly, I'm still amazed every time I see one make it through the uprights. Sorry, Billy.
    • CBigfour  •  1 mth 2 days ago
      He's A Human Being!! Probably Under The Most Stress In His Life.Shake It Off Gettem Next Year
    • NickD  •  1 mth 3 days ago
      I am sure his team mates wanted to strengthen him in the end.

      Seriously, the headline read he was inconsololable. Ummm... the last thing that interview sounded like was inconsolable. have these wrtiers ever taken a vocabulary class?
    • Ryan  •  1 mth 2 days ago
      Honestly, that's the best way to handle a mess up this big. Acknowledge failure, apologize to teammates, and move on
    • KnaughtyKniight  •  Fort Myer, Virginia  •  1 mth 2 days ago
      The Ravens lost as a collective team effort. If others had played better, Cundiff wouldn't have needed to kick the ball to tie the game.
    • mike oxbig  •  1 mth 2 days ago
      Einhorn and Finkle......Finkle and Einhorn.
    • Curtis  •  1 mth 2 days ago
      The nice thing about him missing the kick is that the Harbaugh brothers will get to watch the game together!!
    • Chips  •  1 mth 3 days ago
      I've read most of the comments here and no one has mentioned something that I saw,that could've changed the outcome.The play after the pass to the end zone,when Flacco was rolling right,he was less than 1/2 yard from the first down marker.There was no one in front of him,all he had to do was go for the first down and step out of bounds.There would've been plenty of time on the clock for one try to the end zone and maybe two,call the time out and kick the field goal if they don't score a touchdown.If you watch the replay,everyone was in a rush when they kicked the field goal,a time out should've been called regardless.
    • Epps  •  McHenry, Illinois  •  1 mth 2 days ago
      Ravens were lucky that Brady was not playing well like he did against the Broncos. The defense had problems stopping him on his worse day. However, Flacco could have ran for one yard to get a fresh 4 downs. Lee Evans, his drop did not help but we are used to it in the Midwest. He did a lot of them at WI....lol. If you don't spin the ball well enough on the hold, it will mess you up, low snap, too, eh? Oh well, maybe next year take the delay of game and get settled in. At least both hair balls coughed up their games...
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