Obi Still the One

Okay, some reporters like to ask question after question about Obi Egekeze and the fact that he missed three field goals, all further than 40 yards mind you, in the opener. What more can be said about it, right? And aren’t there other good stories on this team that deserve telling? Like the quarterback story, for heaven’s sake?

Anyway, Ralph said he has not taken a different motivational approach with Egekeze right now. Egekeze was pretty down on himself, and Ralph surely did not want to pile on the senior. Does everyone still have confidence in him? Here are some of Ralph’s quotes:

“Would I have liked him to kick all three through? Sure,” Friedgen said. “And I think it would have had a major impact on the game. The 47 and 48 yarder, he hit the uprights. If he is this far either way, he is 2 out of 3 and we are saying what a great kicker he is. So let’s not panic.

“I haven’t taken a different approach with Obi. I know he was very upset after the game. I think the worst thing I could do is come down on Obi right now. I need to show confidence in him and believe in him and when he has some success that will grow. What I liked was that we had a two-minute drill on Monday and it came down to kicking a 49 yarder and he nailed it. He came out with the attitude that, ‘I am going to kick this damn thing through.’ Which I think he has to do. You can’t go out there and hope they are going to go in. You have to go out and kick them through. Mind over matter type deal. I am kind of a perfectionist. Do I get upset when he misses them? Yeah, I do. But he is the best we got right now until we find someone else, he has to come through for us.”