From Mike Duffy, Baltimore Ravens.com
The Ravens officially waived kicker Steve Hauschka after he missed his fourth field goal of the season in a 16-0 win over the Cleveland Browns Monday night.
Hauschka, who was in his second year out of North Carolina State, sailed a 36-yard attempt just past the left upright at Cleveland Browns Stadium in front of a national "Monday Night Football" audience.
It came at a time when the score was knotted at 0-0, cancelling out a promising 12-play drive for Baltimore's offense.
"We entered the season knowing that we would have to go through some growing pains with Steve," said Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome.
"That happens with most new kickers in the NFL. But, for where we are as a team today, we need more consistent production from our kicker.
Every one of our players has to step up to a Ravens' level of play and that was not happening for Steve right now."
After missing a 41-yard field goal in the Ravens' season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, Hauschka went on to miss three consecutive high-pressure kicks.
The first was a 44-yard field goal that could have won a game against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6. His botched 38-yarder on Nov. 8 could have kept a 17-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals closer.
Hauschka's performance in Cleveland proved to be the final straw. Even though he rebounded to nail a 44-yard field goal in the third quarter, Hauschka also had an extra point blocked on what seemed to be a low kick.
He attributed his early error on a lack of confidence, but corrected his mistake on the second try.
"I was definitely mentally strong [on the second kick]," Hauschka said.
"I know how I missed the first one. It was a stupid mistake. The next field goal, I wasn't afraid of it, although it wasn't easy, a 44-yarder in Cleveland. I kicked with a lot of confidence."
Baltimore worked out former New York Jets kicker Mike Nugent and former Dallas Cowboys kicker Billy Cundiff last week, but head coach John Harbaugh explained that Hauschka would retain his job. He connected on nine of 13 field goals this season.
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