Canโt help but feel bad for these guys. one of the most pressured positions in all of sports, there were 1 million ways to avoid him needing to kick that game winner throughout the entire season. heโs just a scapegoat for the coaching staffโs lapses.
Loop spoke for 8 minutes and he was flanked by snapper Nick Moore and holder Jordan Stout. He said this season season has been the best experience of his life and it sucks that he didnโt deliver.
When youโre in an expectations pressure cooker as a fanbase, every win just feels like a sigh of relief, and every loss feels like a cataclysm. Tonightโs loss feels especially bad.
Iโve long thought thatโs mostly just emotional experience of a fan, but I have a hard time believing it hasnโt seeped into the organizational culture at this point. Too often, the players and coaches looked frustrated, and like they didnโt want to be out there.
Worse is when they get into high leverage situations and adopt the 1,000 yard stare we all have in the stadiums, or on our couches. This moment in particular felt like a boiling point where all of those frustrations and anxieties poured out of a player who you count on to deliver in the critical moment.
Things may turn out differently in the long term this season, but right now it seems like thereโs an intangible problem with this team. When they get into high leverage moments, it really feels like they donโt believe in themselves, and are waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Itโs a far cry from what made me such a long time believer in John Harbaugh, and it makes me wonder how much longer of a leash he has.