49ers Blog and Q&A: 49ers look at two kickers known for playoff misses

49ers Blog and Q&A

News, notes and reader questions about the San Francisco 49ers

• Ask Matt a 49ers question

November 28, 2012

49ers look at two kickers known for playoff misses

The two kickers spied trying out for the 49ers on Tuesday turned out to be Nate Kaeding and Billy Cundiff, according the Howard Balzer of the Sports Xchange. Presumably the tryouts are due to David Akers' recent struggles. Akers was not seen in the locker room Tuesday.

Akers began the season with an NFL-record-tying 63-yard field goal in Green Bay, which earned him a display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He's been inconsistent of late, however. He missed a game-winning attempt against the Rams in overtime on Nov. 11 and was 1-3 on Sunday with one of his attempts blocked. Akers currently ranks 29th in the NFL in field-goal percentage (70.4).

Head coach Jim Harbaugh and special teams coach Brad Seely, meanwhile, watched Kaeding and Cundiff in action Tuesday. Both kickers have been consistent over long careers, but both also are best known for big misses in the playoffs.

Kaeding, 30, missed potentially game-winning or game-tying field goals for the Chargers in the 2005, 2007 and 2009 playoffs. In a divisional playoffs game against the Jets in 2009, he missed all three of his attempts - from 36, 57, and 40 yards - and the Jets won 17-14. Overall, Kaeding is 8-15 in the playoffs.

He suffered a torn ACL in 2011 and dealt with a groin injury this year that eventually led to the Chargers signing Nick Novak. Outside of the playoffs, Kaeding has been outstanding, hitting 180 of 207 attempts.

Cundiff, meanwhile, missed a last-second, game-tying, 32-yard field goal for the Ravens against the Patriots last year in the AFC Championship game. Cundiff, 32, struggled earlier this year for the Redskins and was released.

Akers last year set an NFL record with 44 field goals and was a major component in the team's winning formula. Earlier this year, he said he always had been good about breaking out of slumps. His 70.4 percentage on field goals, however, is his lowest since he became a full-time kicker in 2000.

- Matt Barrows

About Comments

Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.

What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com

Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)

Here are some rules of the road:

• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.

• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.

• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.

• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.

• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.

• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.

• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.

• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.

You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.

If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.

blog comments powered by Disqus

FOLLOW US | Get more from sacbee.com | Follow us on Twitter | Become a fan on Facebook | Get news in your inbox | View our mobile versions | e-edition: Print edition online | What our bloggers are saying

Please use the form below to submit your question. Because there is a 100-word limit for questions, a word counter is located directly beneath the box where you enter the your question.