Billy Cundiff has made plenty of kicks in his NFL career. He could make plenty more before his football Sundays are through. But he'll likely always be remembered for the one he didn't make.
January 22, 2012. AFC Championship Game. The Baltimore Ravens are trailing the New England Patriots by three points with 15 seconds remaining. Cundiff comes in for a chip-shot 32-yarder that should force overtime and keep Baltimore's Super Bowl hopes alive.
Wide left. Real left.
It was the most devastating moment in Ravens history, but Cundiff -- much like a closer in baseball -- has simply turned the page and moved on. It's the only way to survive.
"The big lesson is, you can control what you can control," Cundiff said at Ravens OTAs on Wednesday. "So I think it's all about moving forward. That's the big thing for me. I know that I would've liked to make that kick. At the same time, it didn't happen, just like there were other kicks in my career that I haven't made."
Cundiff acknowledged he's watched replays of the shank.
"You can't really avoid it, but it's not something for me that I'm not trying to avoid it," said the veteran, who has kicked with nine teams in his 10 years in the NFL. "It's like other kicks I've missed in my career. I don't need to be reminded of it. I think it's a learning experience and you kind of put it where you put everything else."
"Morten Andersen taught me, from conversations I've had with him, he would say, 'Leave the foot, leave the mind.' So that's kind of the attitude I've taken."
How well Cundiff can follow Andersen's advice will likely determine how much of a career he has left.
