Ken Whisenhunt: Jay Feely’s record-breaking kick not a surprise

Down three points and faced with a 4th-and-10 at the Bills’ 44-yard line, Cardinals’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt had to think fast.

Either call on kicker Jay Feely with just over a minute to play to kick an absurd 61-yard field goal to tie the game, keep the offense on the field to try and convert the first down or with three timeouts left send out punter Dave Zastudil to pin the Bills’ back in their own end.

The move seemed bold at the time, but Whisenhunt didn’t flinch. He called on his 12-year veteran kicker.

No kicker in the franchise’s history had ever converted from 61 yards. Feely himself had never hit a kick of that length, let alone attempted one in a live game.

But Whisenhunt had unwavering confidence in his kicker — who before Sunday’s game had a previous career-high from 55 yards out — because he’d seen Feely convert the attempt multiple times in practice.

“Jay has been working very well in practice, and he’s hit a couple of 60-yard kicks when we work on those,” Whisenhunt told Arizona Sports 620’s Doug & Wolf. “You felt good with him from that range.”

As the Cardinals began to drive down the field late in the fourth quarter, Whisenhunt and Feely got to together on the sideline to discuss a yard-mark that would make an attempt even feasible.

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