haus

Did anyone not see this happening?

Ravens kicker Steve Hauschka was cut by the Ravens on Wednesday, one day after missing a 36-yard field goal and getting an extra-point blocked in a 16-0 win over the Cleveland Browns.

General manager Ozzie Newsome said the team will sign a new kicker — possibly Mike Nugent or Billy Cundiff — before Wednesday’s practice.

“I’m definitely disappointed,” Hauschka told The Baltimore Sun about a half-hour after the team made the announcement. “I appreciate the opportunity that they gave me here. I wish I had done better with a couple of the kicks there. But I don’t have any regrets. I’m just going to keep playing and working hard, and I think I’ll be on a team sooner or later.”

So we now have the first mistake of the John Harbaugh era.

I guess in hindsight what I have trouble understanding is that they knew a young kicker would have his share of struggles. In fact, let me quote Ozzie Newsome;

“We entered the season knowing that we would have to go through some growing pains with Steve,That happens with most new kickers in the NFL. But, for where we are as a team today, we need more consistent production from our kicker. Every one of our players has to step up to a Ravens’ level of play and that was not happening for Steve right now.”

So did the front office think that the team would be strong enough to overcome those growing pains? And if the plans were to contend once again wouldn’t a veteran kicker have been still valuable to this team?

So where do they go from here? I’d bet former Jet Mike Nugent gets the call.