Husted could just, well, kick himself Joey Johnston, The Tampa Tribune, published 27 October 1997 He once was automatic, perhaps the only Buccaneers player who could be relied on for consistent scoring. And now? "A couple of years ago, I was at the top of the crest," said a stone-faced Michael Husted, arms crossed, sitting back in his locker. "Now I feel like I'm in the trough. It's a roller-coaster life." Husted, Tampa Bay's placekicker, connected with more of the Houlihan's Stadium turf than the football during his extra-point attempt Sunday. The football sailed right, then hit the upright. He blamed poor mechanics. "I'm a professional and I like to be perfect in everything I do," Husted said. "It's not something I can clear out of my mind easily, but I've got to persevere. I just haven't been contributing to my team the way I'm supposed to." Teammates said Husted's miss didn't decide the outcome in Minnesota's 10-6 victory. But everyone could agree on this: It changed the complexion of the game's finish. With the Bucs out of timeouts and scrambling for the winning score from the Minnesota 24-yard line, Trent Dilfer was forced into a desperation pass attempt to the end zone with four seconds left. It fell incomplete. "That should've been me out there attempting the game-tying field goal," Husted said. "But I couldn't because of my earlier miss. I put the team in a bad position." What's more, it's becoming a habit. Before the Sept. 28 game with Arizona, Husted had made 102 of his 103 extra-point attempts with Tampa Bay. And the miss actually was a blocked kick. Then, the slump. Four games, three missed PATs. History lesson: In 1995, when PATs were a given, Husted hit field goals of 53 and 51 yards in consecutive weeks to win games for Tampa Bay. Make that ancient history. "We've missed three and we've got to get that corrected because they'll come back to haunt you," Bucs coach Tony Dungy said. "Obviously, they're (Vikings) going to be playing a different type of defense with a four-point lead as opposed to three. But there were a lot of plays in this game we should've made." Husted refused to make excuses, even though he has been working with a new holder, backup quarterback Steve Walsh, who replaced the injured Tommy Barnhardt. "The snap (from Jim Pyne) and hold were good," Husted said. "Regardless of the situation, especially on an extra point, you've got to put it through." Walsh said he didn't speak to Husted afterward, but will be there for support if needed. "In fairness to Michael, it's tough when you get a new holder," Walsh said. "Hey, we know he's a great kicker. We're not down on him by any means. There's really nothing I can say to him at this point. I know he's going to shake it off. I know he feels bad, but he needs to realize that was just one play, one point in a long ballgame." "I don't think his problem is mental, it's physical," special-teams coach Joe Marciano said. "It's baffling when you hit the ground first instead of the football. It's something that should be fundamentally ... it's baffling. He'll work through it."