Kicker Martin Gramatica’s timing was off

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New Orleans Saints placekicker Martin Gramatica could have won Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos but missed a 43-yard field goal wide right with 1:55 to go.

So what happened?

“The hold was good and he made good contact,” holder/punter Steve Weatherford said. “Other than that, I can’t tell much more.”

Must be difficult for kickers to analyze what is happening on the field. After all, kickers aren’t REALLY football players, right? Sure, they pretend to be –- they wear helmets, chin straps, shoulder pads, spikes, watches, wedding rings … WHAT??!!!

That’s right, take a closer look at the photo of the deciding field-goal attempt.

Weatherford is wearing a wrist watch and wedding ring during the play.

What are they for, visual aids?

Here’s some speculation on Weatherford’s strategy:

-- “Hey, Martin! See what time it is on my watch? Time to kick the winning field goal, buddy.”

-- “Hey, Martin! Just for fun I think I will time how long it takes to win this game on this play. What do you think?”

-- ‘Hey, Martin! Wonder if I can get an ad deal with Timex? You know, Takes a lickin’ but keeps on tickin’ as long as we keep on kickin’. I’m not distracting you, am I?’

Gramatica usually isn’t distracted. He entered the game 8-of-8 as a Saint, but also missed to the left on a 51-yard attempt as time expired in the first half. He declined to talk about his big miss, darting out of the locker room without even showering.

It was the first time Gramatica has missed two or more field-goal attempts in a game since missing three Nov. 24, 2004, against the Carolina Panthers while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although he still hasn’t talked to the press, apparently Gramatica did apologize to his coach.

‘He said to me on the plane afterward that he was disappointed because he didn’t come out and hit a full stroke,’ Sean Payton told the Times Picayune. ‘He backed off of it some. There was plenty of distance, and it just comes down to hitting that thing solid and having confidence. It’s a little bit unlike him. He was as disappointed as anyone.’

As disappointed as his holder, for example.

“He may have been making an adjustment for the one he missed at the end of the half,” said Weatherford.”

So, apparently their timing was a little off. If only they had synchronized their watches.

-- Athan Atsales