It would have been different if the wind had calmed down

The Buffalo Bills move an interesting list, Tuesday, Rian Lindell Kicker offer a contract extension of five years, $ 11,000,000. If Bill did not choose to Lindell, on the market for free agent in March, where 28 years ago to extend probably have been taken by another organization.

Although Lindell was for most of his career more than three years in Buffalo reliable, his new contract a strange moment.

Because, you see, Sunday, when the bills were behind the Titans in the afternoon in the fourth quarter, Lindell said the coaching staff had no leg hit a field goal from 45 yards winds. Thus, Buffalo a conversion on fourth and five in the area of 43 Polamalu white jersey
Texas was denied only by an interception and Reynaldo Hill. The game has the bills at 7-8, officially eliminated from the playoffs in the AFC.


It would be foolish to have Lindell - already 5 of 5 a day - to lie in order to head coach Dick Jauron in impossible conditions kick, but one wonders if he still wanted the challenge. Bills in his career, Lindell just a lack of clutch time - a maximum of 49 meters victory against the Jaguars last month that gave Buffalo a 27-24 victory.

The other kick in the fourth quarter real Lindell had this year was a competition in Indianapolis in Week 10. With less than seven minutes in the game and the exchange of two back left, a linear distance of 42 meters missed in the RCA Dome. Former Seattle Seahawk was to meet no wind, but just could not handle a lot of pressure on the road.

Of course, reflection on the inability of the Lindell late in the game, it's easy to go back to January 2004. The accounts, in hopes of winning a Wild Card, came in a Week 17 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the change of the game leading 17-16 in the second half Lindell could not convert a field goal chip shot from 29 yards. Since then, the Steelers came back loaded to score points over Buffalo 13-7, 29-24 win a victory and the elimination of the draft law of the playoffs.

Despite earlier concerns Lindell in the clutch, you can not be filled with his production under pressure argue scenarios. In the past two seasons, was the man in the seventh year in 52 of 60 shots, including the perfection of his five attempts over 50 yards. This season, he deserves consideration for the Pro Bowl, thanks to a high conversion rate of 43 Polamalu black jersey
92 percent on their kicks.

In the future, this means that the Bills agreed not find any effort for a new kicker in the offseason, so devoted to the team look like in several other areas that need attention. Contract extension Lindell also symbolizes that Buffalo will have a reliable kicker for five more seasons, but do not look much like Adam Vinatieri, when things are really low.

Since the accounts were not was in the playoffs since 1999 Lindell at the time still in Washington, there really does not matter whether they have a kicker Vinatieri-like? Maybe not.