18 Dec 10 Jeff Reed May Have Worn Out His Welcome As Steelers Set To Audition Kickers

Jared Wickerham/Getty ImagesAnother week...and another deflating field goal miss by Pittsburgh Steelers place kicker Jeff Reed. Reed, who is the Steelers' franchise player, is having one of the worst years of his career. Before last night's loss to the Patriots he ranked 33rd in the league in field Reebok Green Bay Packers #52 Clay Matthews Realtree camo Jersey
goal percentage. For those keeping count at home, there are only 32 NFL teams. What did he do to improve that percentage? Nothing. One week after missing a field goal which would have iced the Cincinnati Bengals, he missed a 26-yard field goalwhich cost the team much needed points, field position and even more importantly, momentum. For someone who felt that he was treated unfairly by the Steelers in the offseason, despite the fact that as a franchise player he is making top five kicker money, you would think he'd be anxious to prove it Reebok Indianapolis Colts 18 Peyton Manning Realtree camo Jersey
on the field. Instead he has been arguably the worst kicker in the league this year and is showing signs of getting worse. His kick-offs were going much farther on average earlier in the season, but now they are routinely coming down around the 10-yard line. Combine these pathetic numbers with his off-the-field antics over the past few years, and I think this season could easily be Reed's last in a black and gold uniform. Adding even more insult to injury, it came out today that Jeff Reed is unhappy at how some of the fans are treating him this season. I'm sorry, Jeff. I'm sorry we expect you actually to convert some field goals for this team. That IS your job after all. The Steelers front office is also unhappy with this season's results from Reed, as they are planning to bring in several kickers Reebok Minnesota Vikings 28 Adrian Peterson Realtree camo Jersey
for auditions this week. Maybe it's a smokescreen to try and get more production from Reed, but at this point the numbers don't lie. Jeff Reed is an awful kicker. You've been money in the past, Jeff, but if this is the end, you can't blame the fans—you can only blame yourself.