In Week Three, Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith stood behind kicker Kyle Brindza after Brindza missed three field goals and an extra point in a 19-9 loss to the Texans.
Smith wasn’t quite so supportive after Brindza had another awful game against the Panthers this Sunday. Brindza missed field goals from 29 and 43 yards and missed another extra point to run his total of missed kicks to seven in the last two weeks. Smith didn’t guarantee a change would be made, but it sounds like they’re going to at least take a look.
“We’re not going to start kicking people off in the press conference after the game,” Smith said, via the Tampa Tribune. “We’re disappointed in Kyle’s play today. We have to do a better job with extra points, with field goals when we need them. Those were critical parts of the game. We need to get more production from there.”
There were kicking disasters all around the league on Sunday which could make this a banner week for players looking for work at the position. It would be surprising if Tampa isn’t one of the teams doing the hiring.