By G.Stryker
SteelerNation.com
We are halfway through the 2019 NFL season, and I think it is safe to say that Chris Boswell is back! "The Wizard of Boz" is perfect on all 18 extra points, and only missed one of his 18 field goal attempts (a 54-yard try against the Miami Dolphins).
Boswell’s story is quite unique, especially when you take into account that he has not left the team that made him a starter. The Pittsburgh Steelers brought him in as their 4th and final kicker in 2015, after Shaun Suisham and Garrett Hartley were injured in the preseason, then Josh Scobee was released after two terrible games. Since then, Boz was solid the rest of 2015 and 2016 before enjoying a career year in 2017. That season he, made 3 game-winning kicks and earned himself a spot in the Pro Bowl as the AFC’s kicker. The Steelers loved his clutch performance so much that they rewarded him with a 5-year contract.
2018 was supposed to be a great year with high expectations. Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned. Boswell struggled mightily, missing five extra points and seven field goals. The usually clutch Chris, was now missing game-winning kicks, and struggled all year with consistency. Through it all, something odd happened last year. Though Boswell was missing kicks, he was not kicked to the curb like so many kickers when they struggle through a trying year. Instead, the Steelers doubled down, committed to him, and allowed him to work through his struggles. Boswell struggled with his leg strength at the end of the year, and was finally placed on injured reserve before the Week 17 game with a groin tear.
This year, it appears that patience has paid off. Instead of a knee jerk reaction that the NFL employs so often when a kicker misses a game-winning kick, it appears the Steelers did the right thing, and weathered the storm so they could enjoy their Pro Bowl caliber kicker again in 2019. And as a Steeler fan, I couldn’t be happier with the result!
How do yinz think the Boz is doing this year? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!
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