Former Coach Brutally Rips Ravens' Justin Tucker
The Baltimore Ravens have seen kicker Justin Tucker go through a ton of struggles this season.
After being one of the NFL's best kickers for years and being almost automatic, Tucker has fallen off aggressively this season. That has led to some wondering just how much longer the Ravens can afford to risk letting him miss kicks at the level that he has been.
So far this season, Tucker has made just 19 of his 27 kick attempts and has missed two extra points as well.
With that being said, one former NFL head coach did not hold back from brutally ripping into Tucker.
Rex Ryan recently stated that Tucker would have been cut by now if it wasn't for his name and past track record. His kicking this season definitely would have cost him his job for most kickers around the league.
“Let's face it, if this wasn't Justin Tucker, the the Hall of Fame kicker, because that's where he's going to end up. Yeah, and quite honestly, he would have been cut five weeks ago," Ryan said.
Even though this is a very rough take, he's not wrong. Plenty of kickers have been released for missing much less than Tucker has. He has been downright bad so far this season.
At this point in time, Baltimore holds an 8-5 record. Tucker has potentially cost his team at least a couple of wins due to his missed kicks.
Obviously, the Ravens are holding onto hope that Tucker can turn things around. When he's on, he's one of the best and most clutch kickers in the NFL. They don't want to cut him due to his past success, but time could be running out.
If Tucker cannot start kicking at the level that he has for years, Baltimore may have to make a move. They can't afford to head into the playoffs with this many questions at the kicker position.
Only time will tell, but the pressure is beginning to mount on Tucker's shoulders. Ryan is stating the facts here and there is a very real chance that the Ravens may be forced to bring in another kicker at some point in the near future.