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Josh Scobee Or Ray Finkle? Fans React To Loss With ‘Ace Ventura’ Jokes

By Jonathan Franks
Published on: 09:15 PST, Oct 2, 2015

Is Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Josh Scobee the real-life version of Ray Finkle?

In Thursday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, Scobee had the opportunity to seal the deal for his team with two field goal kicks in the fourth quarter.

Josh Scobee
Josh Scobee reacts after missing a field goal in the second half of the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field on October 1, 2015.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker failed both of those opportunities to score.

Therefore, even though the Steelers were initially ahead on the scoreboard, the Baltimore Ravens fought back and sent the game into overtime.

Ironically, it was a field goal kick that sealed the deal and won the game. However, that kick did not come from Scobee. On the contrary, it came from the Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.

Justin Tucker
Justin Tucker is greeted by fans following their 23-20 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 1, 2015

Unfortunately, those two field goals were not the first that Josh Scobee has missed since the season started. Since he was first traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the former Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs player has missed four field goals as well as an extra point.

That is apparently why the comparisons between Josh Scobee and Ray Finkle have started to emerge via social media.

Who exactly is Ray Finkle?

To answer that, you need to focus on the villain of the 1994 Jim Carrey film, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

Ray Finkle (played by actress Sean Young) was the humiliated former pro football kicker that lost the big game for the Miami Dolphins after missing a field goal.

Instead of blaming himself for the failed attempt, he blamed Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino for not holding the ball properly before he kicked it. That blame turned into vengeful hatred, which led Ray Finkle to becoming the homicidal villain (and police lieutenant) Lois Einhorn.

How did Josh Scobee react to missing two more field goals as one of the Steelers Thursday night? Unlike Ray Finkle, he did not blame the quarterback or even head coach Mike Tomlin.

During a post-game interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Scobee blamed himself for what happened on the field.

“I feel like I let the team down. It just wasn’t my night.”

Chances are that Scobee will not spend a lot more time wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey. When asked if he was going to start looking for a brand new kicker, Mike Tomlin made it clear that “we have to turn the stones over” since “it was an element of the outcome tonight.”

Scobee was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers shortly after the team’s other two kickers suffered injuries before the start of the regular season. Shaun Suisham tore his ACL and replacement kicker Garrett Hartley injured his hamstring, according to NBC Sports.

Thirty-three-year-old Josh Scobee first became a professional football player when the Jacksonville Jaguars signed him with the 137th overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. At the time that he was traded to the Steelers, Josh was the most tenured player on the Jaguars’ roster.

[Image Credit: Jared Wickerham, Scott Halleran & Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images]

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