Much will be said on blogs and sports highlight shows about the botched extra point attempt that lost the game for the Redskins today. Graham Gano didn't get the chance to send the game into overtime against the Buccaneers, but that doesn't mean he should be let off the hook.
↵Gano missed field goal attempts from 24-yards and 34-yards earlier in the game. Had he made either of those two previous attempts, the last minute extra point wouldn't have even mattered. The Redskins would have already been ahead. The game would have been over.
↵Michael Leahy of the Washington Post wrote a story today about how kickers put their jobs on the line every time they take the field. One false swing of the leg and a kicker could be fired.
↵But here's the thing. That's not true everywhere. David Akers could miss a potential game-winner and keep his job. Because he's done his job well for years. He's earned the right to make a mistake or two. Gano hasn't.
↵Just like every other career in the world, if you do your job well consistently and you make a mistake, your employer will understand. If you make the same mistake repeatedly, you could be out of a job. It's been nice knowing you, Graham.