If the 49ers hadn’t drafted Jake Moody in the third round, they probably would have cut him by now.
But the 49ers made a big investment in him last year, and Kyle Shanahan most likely was the person in the organization who wanted to take him. Which could explain why Moody is still on the team despite missing 7 of 15 field goal attempts on the road this season.
On Thursday, Shanahan explained why he believes the 49ers must be patient with Moody. Here’s what Shanahan said, courtesy of the 49ers’ p.r. department.
SHANAHAN: “I remember we were in Washington and we had a young kicker who missed a number of kicks, but I didn’t have much experience with kicking then. I remember I kept telling the head coach that he’s cost us two games, when are we going to move on from this guy? And he kept telling me how talented he was, ‘You’ve got to be patient.’ But then he lost us a third game and then the head coach had to make a move, but two years later that guy was the highest paid kicker in the league and going to Pro Bowls. So he was right, we had to be patient. But how long can you do it? And so, I think that’s just what’s tough with that position. There are no backups and stuff like that, so that’s what the challenge is. But I believe we’ve got the right guy and I think that eventually, I think he has shown that at times, thought he showed that at times his rookie year. I thought he showed that big time being 12 out of 13 to start this year. And I think he’ll show us all that in the future.”
Q: How about his emotional state, has he lost his confidence at all?
SHANAHAN: “No.”
Q: With Moody, do you feel like missing kicks, especially for a young kicker is part of the process that ultimately will make them a better kicker, kind of struggling through that?
SHANAHAN: “You hope so. I think if you have the talent, someone like Jake, I think that’s everything. I think the mental part of the game is huge. How you react to these things. I think it’s the same thing with quarterbacks. You watch some backup quarterbacks come in for a starter, play really well. They do it for a couple games, then they have their three-pick game and they get killed and then you see how they respond to that. Some guys come back and some guys it kind of breaks and they want to go back to not having as much pressure on them. So, I think that’s a huge part of this game with every position. But when it comes to the kicker, since it’s such a specialty and a deal that really only they deal with, I think the mental part’s as big as anything.”
MY TAKE: The mental part of Moody’s game is what’s in question. He’s perfect at home and awful on the road this season — that suggests his issues are mental, not physical. If he lacks confidence, he’ll never get over the yips. I don’t see how the 49ers can trust him under pressure.
