Steelers kicker Suisham keeps things simple

Shaun Suisham isn’t one of those eccentric placekickers who possess perplexing rituals or habitual quirks before every swipe of the football.

He keeps it simple. He believes preparation is the necessary prerequisite for success.

In a season in which late-game field goals have determined the outcome of many games, Suisham appears prepared as the Steelers begin to jockey for playoff position when they host the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night at Heinz Field.

A year ago, Suisham’s 21- and 49-yard field goals were the difference as the Steelers beat the Chiefs, 13-9, at Arrowhead Stadium.

“I try not to complicate things,” Suisham said. “I have my body and mind prepared to feel good on game days and focus on putting a good foot on the ball.

“I trust my technique. I put myself in position to succeed when I’m on the field. I can hold my head high whether I make the kick or miss the kick — and move on to the next week.”

Suisham is serious about the job he performs for the Steelers. He takes nothing for granted — including the supposedly automatic point-after-touchdown he’s made 94 times in a row, 118 short of Gary Anderson’s team record.

Suisham admits he is somewhat meticulous and guarded, in part because the one time he dropped his hands, the Washington Redskins landed a crushing blow that left him reeling in self-doubt nearly three years ago.

The Redskins released him even though he was the most accurate kicker in team history. It hardly seemed logical, but Suisham lost his job after a stretch of near perfection was overshadowed by three unfortunate misses in losses to New Orleans and Dallas.

Suisham made stops in three cities — St. Louis, Cleveland and Dallas — before landing in Pittsburgh midway through the 2010 season. He rediscovered his stroke and confidence in making 17 of 20 field goals as the Steelers advanced to Super Bowl XLV.

Suisham resisted the temptation to declare some sense of vindication. Instead, he accepted his ouster in Washington as a serendipitous twist of fate.

So far, Suisham is having perhaps the best season of his eight-year career. The Canadian has missed once in 18 attempts: a 54-yarder that fell short in a 26-23 loss in Tennessee.

“When I make a field goal, I expect to make it,” Suisham said. “Obviously, it hurts my feelings when I miss a kick. I shouldn’t have missed that kick in Tennessee.

“It’s hard for me to remember good games. But I can always remember a miss.”

Suisham was on target the week before against Philadelphia. He split the uprights with a 34-yarder to propel the Steelers to a 16-14 victory over the Eagles.

Predictably, he tried to shy away from the spotlight. He reluctantly answered obligatory questions concerning his winning field goal.

“They don’t need to pay attention to me,” Suisham said. “I’m just happy to come to work. It’s my job. I don’t need a pat on the back, and I’m not looking for one.”

However, long snapper Greg Warren figures Suisham isn’t likely to escape the spotlight when winter ushers in the cold, swirling wind that challenges every kicker at Heinz Field.

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/2920717-85/suisham-field-steelers-kick-season-games-kicker-2010-goal-goals#ixzz2BibzyUmt
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I'm surprised with Suisham's season thus far. Last year I cringed EVERY time we went for a FG. Even the so-called 'chip shots'.

It seems this year that Suisham has put himself in a better mindset and it shows on the field. I don't know what was happening over the last couple of years, but this year I don't cringe (as much).

One thing I like about him is that he kicks the ball will very little curve to it. When was the last time you heard an announcer talk about the ball faded or the ball hooked? I think that has an awful lot to do with his accuracy.

So...David Akers.

Keeping things clutch when it matters is all I want out of him. He still scares the hell out me from 40+ in regular situations, and 20+ in clutch situations. Make that 10+ in playoff clutch situations. Bottom line is, he scares the hell out of 90% of Steelers fans, and the only way he can gain our trust is by staying accurate throughout the playoffs and in the big game.

Dodens Grav wrote:

So...David Akers.

63 yard field goal club AND at one time in his career, he kicked, and made, 19 consecutive post-season field goal attempts.

1) It doesn't matter if a player scares you or you don't trust him.
2) My point is that nobody is reliable. Everybody fucks up.

But you know what? If you compare Suisham's career average with the Steelers from the 40s, it compares competitively, if not favorably, to a lot of the top 20 most accurate kickers of all time. I'll even do the leg work if you don't believe me. You really can't ask more out of a kicker than that. If he scares you, that's your problem, and maybe your worry is unjustified, but you like to keep replaying a video of him shanking a 52 yard field goal in the super bowl instead. I've defended him with statistics and evidence as much as I can, but I can't compete with "it worries me when I see him kick". It's like telling somebody who thinks he saw a bigfoot that he didn't.

Dodens Grav wrote:

1) It doesn't matter if a player scares you or you don't trust him.
2) My point is that nobody is reliable. Everybody fucks up.

But you know what? If you compare Suisham's career average with the Steelers from the 40s, it compares competitively, if not favorably, to a lot of the top 20 most accurate kickers of all time. I'll even do the leg work if you don't believe me. You really can't ask more out of a kicker than that. If he scares you, that's your problem, and maybe your worry is unjustified, but you like to keep replaying a video of him shanking a 52 yard field goal in the super bowl instead. I've defended him with statistics and evidence as much as I can, but I can't compete with "it worries me when I see him kick". It's like telling somebody who thinks he saw a bigfoot that he didn't.

Before he joined the Steelers, Shaun was known as a fuck-up of a kicker who shanked THREE straight field goals against the cowboys, and missed two game-winners with the Redskins. One of those game-winners being less than 20 yards. Keep playing the statistics game all you want, but Gary Anderson was arguably one of the greatest statistical kickers of all-time, and he missed one of the only meaningful kicks of his career that would have won the game in the playoffs. In fact, he made EVERY field goal that season up until that point. MY point is this: Until Shaun Suisham shows me that he can make big kicks when the game is on the line, I CAN'T trust him. I couldn't if I wanted to, and you can't MAKE me. Keep in mind that you're in the minority here. A majority of fans think he's a shady kicker, too. It's not just ME.

I do respect your opinion, though. We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.