Rams bringing back kicker Brett Maher after cutting Lucas Havrisik
Seven games into the season, the Rams cut kicker Brett Maher because of inconsistency.
Now, the Rams are bringing back Maher for the season finale against the San Francisco 49ers and the playoffs.
On Monday, a day after rookie Lucas Havrisik missed two extra-point attempts in a 26-25 victory over the New York Giants, the Rams cut Havrisik and agreed to terms with Maher.
“Getting into the playoffs definitely changes a little bit of the dialogue in regards to knowing what we have coming down the pipe,” McVay said during a video conference with reporters. “And so we wanted to get somebody in here that had some experience.”
The Rams aren’t perfect, but they’ve defied expectations by winning six of their last seven games. Other clubs would be unwise to underestimate them.
Maher, a fifth-year pro, played in four playoff games with the Dallas Cowboys. He made three of four field-goal attempts but only six of 11 extra-point attempts. Last season, in a wild-card victory over Tampa Bay, he made only one of five extra-point attempts.
This season with the Rams, Maher made 17 of 23 field-goal attempts before he was cut. He made seven of nine attempts from between 40 and 49 yards but only three of seven from 50 yards and beyond. He made 12 of 13 extra-point attempts.
“When you look at some of the earlier situations he was in, we asked him to attempt a lot of long field goals,” McVay said. “He was fairly consistent when you’re talking about some of those field goals from under 50 and in.”
The Rams explored “a lot of options” before deciding to re-sign Maher, McVay said.
“There’s not a perfect scenario,” McVay said. “But I think when you look at just the landscape, some of the options, this is what we felt like was going to be the best opportunity to move forward the way that we want to.”
In nine games, Havrisik made 15 of 20 field-goal attempts, but only two of six from 40 to 49 yards. He made 19 of 22 extra-point kicks.
A few weeks ago, Havrisik kept his job by fending off a challenge from veteran Mason Crosby. But his misses in Sunday’s victory over the New York Giants finally tried McVay’s patience.
“There was some good things that Lucas did,” McVay said, “but I think the overall consistency, especially when you’re talking about some of those shorter-range kicks that we expect to be at a higher percentage, we just weren’t coming through enough.”
The Rams know they made mistakes in their 26-25 win over the New York Giants, but the players praise the team’s ability to “find a way to win.”
The Rams (9-7) are currently the sixth seed in the NFC. The 49ers (12-4) are the top-seeded team.
Asked if the Rams would not play starters Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, McVay said “that could be a possibility” but that he had not made a decision.
“We’ve still got to take steps in the right direction regardless of if we play everybody,” he said, adding, “There’s certainly isn’t a perfect answer but what we will come to is what we think is best as it relates to not just this week but more importantly the wild-card weekend.”
Left tackle Alaric Jackson sat out against the Giants because of a family situation, McVay said. He is expected to return this week.
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