Nate kaeding field goal accuracy during the regular season has been right up there with the best in the game, but the Chargers place-kicker still agonizes over some costly misses in the playoffs, most recently last season.
His anguish in the aftermath of going 0-for-3 in the Chargers' 17-14 postseason loss last January to the underdog New York Jetswas palpable and fueled his decision to consult with a sports psychologist. He told King he's visited with the psychologist about six times.
In the loss to the Jets, Kaeding missed wide left from 36 yards out and was short with a 57-yard kick just prior to intermission, before wrenching his final try from 40 yards away wide right. Kaeding told King that he was counseled to "keep the game in perspective. Don't make it bigger than it is. There's going to be peaks and valleys and just accept them."
Whether the advice has helped toughen his mental approach and put the misses behind him remains to be seen.
That Kaeding has struggled in the postseason is surprising when considering his regular season numbers. He has made 150 of 172 field goal attempts during the regular season for a conversion rate of 87 percent but in the playoffs he's 8 of 15, a conversion rate of 53 percent.
Other troubling playoff episodes include a missed 40-yard field goal in overtime in San Diego's 2004 wild-card loss, also to the Jets, and missed 45- and 48-yarders during the 2007 playoffs.
But it's the most recent misses that stick out in Kaeding's mind and test the patience of Chargers' management and fans. Kaeding told King that he struggled to shake off the first miss and that carried over into his other two kicks, especially the final one, which he tried to kick directionally rather than swinging his leg through the ball and driving it naturally.
Kaeding, though, should keep his chin up. His kicking after all, helped the Chargers reach the playoffs in the first place and he can do so again. And once there, redemption is just a clutch playoff field goal away.
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