ASU Football: Zane Gonzalez Pivotal to Cards Success
One of the most underrated positions in football when it comes to its importance is the kicker. The amount of times teams have won or lost a game due to a made or missed kick proves how pivotal NFL kickers are to their teams. For former Arizona State kicker Zane Gonzalez, his field goal kicking this year will be more crucial than ever for the success of his team.
Gonzalez is entering his third year with the Arizona Cardinals after signing with the team more than halfway through the 2018 season. During his first two years with the Cardinals, the team was never in playoff contention. But this year seems to be different. Arizona believes they have a great shot at making the playoffs in 2020, especially with the league adding a seventh playoff team to each conference starting this year.
This means Gonzalez's ability to make field goals and extra points will be more important since one missed kick could possibly turn a winnable game into a loss in less than five seconds. The pressure will be at an all-time high for Gonzalez as well since the Cardinals have high expectations for every player this season.
The Cardinals are off to a fast and impressive start through two games this season. Arizona beat the defending NFC Champions, the San Francisco 49ers, in its season opener by a score of 24-20. The 25-year-old went one-for-three on field goal attempts. He missed two long kicks from 49 and 52 yards but drilled a career-long 56-yard field goal as time was expiring in the first half, which ultimately helped the Cardinals secure the victory.
In the Cardinals home opener, Gonzalez played much better. He converted all six of his kicks (three field goals and three extra points) in Arizona's dominant 30-15 win over the Washington Football Team. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury will be hoping for more games like this from Gonzalez as the season moves along.
In 2019, the former Sun Devil really hit his stride and proved why he was an NFL draft pick. Gonzalez converted 89% of his kicks, going 31-of-35 on field-goal attempts during his first full season in Glendale. Gonzalez was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2017 draft. His stint with the Browns didn't last too long, however, after he missed three potential game-winning field goals in the first two games of the 2018 season. It was only his second year with Cleveland, who released him after only five field-goal attempts. Arizona would go on to sign him on November 20, 2018, and has been Arizona's kicker ever since.
Gonzalez had a great four-year career with ASU, as he led the Pac-12 in field goals made during each of his four seasons in Tempe. Gonzalezes' senior season was his best, winning the Lou Groza Award given to the nation's best kicker. He was also a consensus All-American in 2016, after he made 92% of his field goals, leading the PAC-12.
The Arizona Cardinals 2020 season will depend heavily on the leg of Gonzalez. The team hopes he can have another strong season as he did in 2019, to help the Cardinals have a successful year, with playoff fever hot in the desert.