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.
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.
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.
BREAKING: #Steelers have released Josh Scobee and signed Ray Finkle! #LacesOut #AceVentura pic.twitter.com/qq8zB0zcW5
— Craig Snyder (@craig86snyder) October 2, 2015
Josh Scobee is quickly becoming the Ray Finkle of the NFL “Laces out Marino!!! Laces out!!” Lets see who gets it??? Steelers Ravens — My Two Cents (@MyyTwoCentss) October 2, 2015
Kickers better than Josh Scobee, Ray Finkle, a baby, my cat……
— Derrick Nelson (@Dnelson125) October 2, 2015
Can ray finkle..I mean josh scobee please go back to Jacksonville…what a bum #nfl #steelers — Brandon Zitsch (@alphaweltall) October 2, 2015
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.
Ray Finkle #BetterKickersThanScobee @colin_dunlap pic.twitter.com/oSPbvCxu8r
— Gordon (@GCollins30) October 2, 2015
#BruceJenner courageous? Ray Finkle became Lois Einhorn in the 90’s, stole a dolphin & kidnapped Dan Marino #LacesOut pic.twitter.com/OOwxTBx3sc — Brad Davidson (@bradleyjose) June 3, 2015
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 .
Jaguars trade kicker Josh Scobee to the Steelers, per report http://t.co/97lESzaxX5 pic.twitter.com/qvwSsuEPVL
— Jaguars Update (@JaguarsUpdate) September 1, 2015
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]
