Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians explains why he has a soft spot for kickers

Published Dec. 22, 2016 7:40 p.m. ET

Nunzio Ingrassia

Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians knows all too well how fragile NFL kickers’ confidence can be when kicks go awry. Arians backed Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro after his 24-yard miss in overtime during Arizona’s Week 7 tie against the Seahawks.

Yes, Arians told the media that Catanzaro gets paid to make that kick, but that’s tame compared to what many head coaches have said after kickers have missed game-winning chip shots. So why has Arians supported Catanzaro, who is making a career-worst 73 percent of his field-goal attempts?

Arians says watching his son Jake, who was the Buffalo Bills' kicker for most of the 2001 season, gave the elder Arians new perspective.

"It's helped a bunch," Bruce said, via ESPN. "Just dealing with kickers my entire career but having a son that was one, who knows the psyche of a kicker, has helped me a bunch – how to handle them, how to speak to them, and what's important and what's not important."

Catanzaro says his coach doesn’t pull punches when he needs to criticize the third-year kicker, but also doesn’t kill the 25-year-old’s confidence.

"He keeps it real," Catanzaro said. "He's going to tell you if you're talent is better than what you're showing on the field, like if you're underperforming. He'll tell you, 'Hey, you're better than that.' He's always kept it real and I appreciate that about him. He's been a fun coach to play for in that regard.

"I draw confidence from it. He's the type of coach I love playing for."

Arians said the one thing he learned from watching his son kick is the importance of a good holder. The Cardinals have gone through three holders this season, and it’s that lack of consistency that Arians believes has contributed to Catanzaro’s struggles.

"It's mostly three different holders," said Arians, who has had just Catanzaro and Jay Feely kick for him during his four-year run in Arizona. "That enters the psyche part. I've said it before, having a son who had been a kicker in the NFL, the holder is more important than the snapper, especially if you're looking at the spot.”