Josh Scobee Needs to Get his Act Together

When Shaun Suisham went down with a torn ACL, we all mourned him. Our reliable kicker went down for the season. We brought in Garrett Hartley, and we lost him to injury as well.

The front office then sent a draft pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for their kicker, Josh Scobee. In hindsight, it looks as though we probably could’ve done better sticking to free agency.

He missed two straight field goals during the Patriots game. Obviously that’s not the type of production you want from your kicker.

The games against San Fransisco and St. Louis fared a bit better, but only by a miniscule amount.

This new PAT kicking distance is proving to be quite an obstacle for the league’s kickers.

Of course, Scobee is included on that list.

There’s no doubt that the Steelers’ recent habit of going for 2 points after the touchdown has to do with Scobee’s woes. Yes, the team has talked about going for 2 since training camp, but Josh’s struggles have accelerated their original plans. He’s so unreliable right now, its ridiculous.

That game against the Ravens tomorrow will be quite a test for Josh Scobee. Games between the Steelers and Ravens are always close, usually decided by a field goal no matter what their current records are.

Scobee can’t hold a candle to Justin Tucker, so if it comes down to a battle between them, the Steelers are thoroughly screwed. The offense will have to capitalize on their redzone opportunities, and execute their plays to perfection.

Since Ben Roethlisberger is out for the next few weeks, that lowers their chances of accomplishing this dramatically.

The Ravens won’t let mistakes go unpunished. Their defense is good enough to hold Pittsburgh’s offense to field goal attempts, even without Terrell Suggs. And with Scobee, that’s another situation they definitely do not want to be in.

Heinz Field isn’t the easiest of places to kick on, so that will only add to the problem.

So to recap, Pittsburgh’s newest kicker sucks right now, the offense will have to score touchdowns left and right to stay on the game, and don’t underestimate the Ravens or any other opponent ever for that matter.

Thursday’s game is as crucial as ever, and its a chance for Josh to come in clutch for once.

All eyes on the kicker, he may become either our greatest ally or our worst enemy.

Stats and info courtesy of Steelers.com and NFL.com