Cardinals GM gives Chandler Catanzaro a vote of confidence, or does he?
Oct 24, 2016, 8:43 AM | Updated: 11:24 am
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The Arizona Cardinals have already made changes to their special teams unit this season when they cut rookie long snapper Kameron Canaday following a Week 3 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Might they be making more changes following a 6-6 tie with the Seattle Seahawks Sunday night?
Kicker Chandler Catanzaro missed a 24-yard field goal in overtime that would have given the Cardinals their first win over Seattle at University of Phoenix Stadium since 2012. It’s the second time this season Catanzaro has missed a potential game-winning field goal.
In the season opener vs. New England, also played on Sunday night, Catanzaro missed a 47-yarder with :36 left, hooking it wide-left. The blame, however, went to Canaday for what was called a “low snap” even though the ball never hit the ground until holder Drew Butler bobbled it.
The Cardinals, despite being 3-3-1 through seven games, have clearly stated their Super Bowl aspirations on numerous occasions. Can they get there with a kicker who hasn’t delivered in crucial situations?
General manager Steve Keim, the architect of the Cardinals’ roster, was vague in his comments about Catanzaro.
“He’s a professional and he’s made some big kicks in his time here,” Keim told Doug and Wolf Monday morning on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “Yet at the same time consistency is what creates longevity in this league. We have to support him now in a tough time and make sure he continues to do all the little things to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Keim consistently brings in players at various positions on Tuesdays for workouts to see if they can improve the Cardinals’ roster. It’s how the team acquired punter Ryan Quigley and snapper Aaron Brewer earlier this year. Will he do the same and take a look at some kickers this week?
“It’s just like any other position. We have expectations and if (Catanzaro) can’t meet our expectations, we’ll try and attempt to find somebody who can,” Keim said. “Now, the trying and attempting are a different story because generally, players that are on the street right now are on the street for a reason.
“More than likely, it’s because they missed several field goals or missed a kick in a clutch situation or have injury concerns. So there’s a lot of moving parts to that and it’s not as easy as probably most think, but it’s certainly something that on a daily basis, we spend a lot of time researching.”
This season, Catanzaro has made 8-of-11 field goal attempts, including a 60-yarder in the loss at Buffalo, which is the longest in the NFL this season. He’s also connected on 14-of-15 extra point attempts and has touchbacks on 70 percent of his kickoffs.