University of North Carolina Athletics
Jeff Reed Signed By Pittsburgh
November 20, 2002 | Football
Nov 19, 2002
By ALAN ROBINSON
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Todd Peterson won't kick for the Pittsburgh Steelers again this season - and maybe not ever.
Peterson, the NFL's most inaccurate kicker with nine missed field goals in 21 attempts, was placed on injured reserve with a broken rib, meaning he's ineligible for the rest of the season.
To replace him, the Steelers signed former North Carolina kicker Jeff Reed, who beat out three others during a rare, in-season competition on a rainy Tuesday.
"A great thing to do on a day off, isn't it?" Steelers coach Bill Cowher said.
The Steelers also worked out NFL veteran Michael Husted, former Maryland kicker Joe O'Donnell and Danny Boyd, who was in the Jets' training camp last summer. Husted was the only one with NFL experience.
Reed, who will kick Sunday against Cincinnati, was cut by New Orleans during training camp. He was 28-of-36 on field goals and 66-of-67 on extra points in two college seasons, but never kicked a field goal longer than 49 yards.
This is the first time the Steelers have switched kickers during a season since 1970, when Gene Mingo and Allen Watson shared the job, except for a few times when a kicker was briefly injured. They changed kickers just before the 1995 season, when Norm Johnson replaced Dean Biasucci, and in 1982, when Gary Anderson replaced Dave Trout.
Peterson was the replacement for Kris Brown, who struggled badly in the Steelers' first season in Heinz Field last year by missing a league-high 14 attempts - 10 at home.
Peterson, however, kicked even worse than Brown, missing four times in six chances in the last two games, a 34-all tie with Atlanta and a 31-23 loss at Tennessee. He missed twice Sunday from medium range in Tennessee after breaking a rib while making a tackle.
Peterson will be paid his $650,000 salary for the rest of the season, but is not assured of being invited to training camp next summer.
With the Steelers (5-4-1) winless in two games after winning four straight, Cowher said they couldn't wait to get the kicking situation straightened out.
"We have to make the makable field goals - that just zaps the momentum of your team," Cowher said.
Defensively, the Steelers' biggest problem is getting off the field on third down. Steelers opponents are convert nearly 50 percent of their third downs, easily the highest percentage in the league. A week after Atlanta converted third-and-22, third-and-23 and third-and-24 situations, Tennessee was successful on 12-of-19 third downs.
That was one reason why Cowher made his players watch every minute of Sunday's loss, not just snippets of play as he normally does during his day-after meetings.
"We went over the whole game with the whole team," Cowher said. "I wanted them to experience the same feeling I had when I watched it. It was not a good feeling."
Cowher just wishes he had his whole team.
Not only are the Steelers missing injured quarterback Tommy Maddox, they will be without center Jeff Hartings (knee) and linebacker James Farrior (sprained knee ligament) against Cincinnati. Hartings will have arthroscopic surgery Wednesday but is not expected to be sidelined long.
With the Steelers thin at linebacker - Larry Foote is doubtful with a calf injury - they re-signed linebacker Mike Jones, who was Kendrell Bell's backup last season. Jones was recently cut by Oakland.
Maddox is out of the hospital and fully recovered after injuring his spinal cord against Tennessee. Kordell Stewart will start Sunday against Cincinnati and probably the following week against Jacksonville.
