With a win on Sunday, the Ravens earned a chance to face off against the Indianapolis Colts in a rematch of a week eleven game. During that game, the Ravens’ fans saw the return of former Raven, Matt Stover. While the emotion was high, partly due to the frustration over the underachieving kicking game of the 2009 Baltimore Ravens, the majority of it rode on the return of arguably the most popular Raven in the history of the team. Although he was wearing the Colts’ blue and white, Stover received a welcome that most players on the Ravens’ roster can only dream of getting.

Over the course of the season, Stover has filled in nicely for the Colts as their starting kicker, Adam Vinatieri, recovers from a knee injury. So far this year, he is 9 for 11 on his field goal tries. His performance was enough to convince Indianapolis to give him the opportunity to continue being the starting kicker during the post season, therefore allowing Vinatieri to continue to rehabilitate and allow Stover to ride the momentum.

In Baltimore, the story has been a bit different since that week eleven game. Billy Cundiff, who took over the kicking duties for Steve Hauschka midway through the year, has been 12 for 17 in field goal attempts. Although his accuracy has been slightly lower than that of Stover’s so far this season, Cundiff has earned a somewhat positive reputation in Baltimore. Whether it is due to the fact that his arrival was viewed as a godsend when Hauschka was finally sent packing, or the fact that he has come across as a likable person, it remains a possibility that Cundiff will be retained at the end of the year.

Cundiff is twelve years younger than Stover, but is he a better fit?

The door seems to be closing on Stover despite the post season role the Colts have given him. With the return of Vinatieri, Stover will lose his place on the team, thus making him expendable. With Stover being pushed out the door and back onto the free agent market, it will give the Ravens the opportunity to pick up a kicker that had spent 13 years as the most reliable scoring threat to grace the field of M & T Bank Stadium. The majority of the fans would love to see Stover back in a Ravens’ uniform, supporting the old number 3 and pointing towards the sky after every successful kick. Baltimore would relish in the return of Stover, who had been the only remaining player on the roster from when the team moved from Cleveland in 1996 and instantly earned fan favoritism.

But what makes him any better than Cundiff?

Matt Stover will always be a fan favorite in Baltimore.

The facts don’t add up in Stover’s favor. Despite his better kicking percentage compared to Cundiff’s this season, the Colts play half of their games in a dome. Since Matt was signed during Indy’s week six bye, the team went on to play eight of their next eleven games inside, free of crosswind and temperature changes. Cundiff didn’t have the luck to get a chance to play any of his games with a roof over his head. Stover is also older, and the numbers don’t lie when his leg power is called into question. Since 2006, Stover’s longest field goal each season has dropped significantly; This year, his longest has been for only 43 yards. He has also missed both of his opportunities for 50+ yard field goals.

Regardless, Cundiff has also missed two chances for 50+ yard attempts, missing one against Pittsburgh at home and another in Oakland. While he has played the role as savior from Anti-Mr-Clutch, Steve Hauschka, Billy has been far the most accurate kicker that the NFL has ever seen. However, Cundiff brings experience along with youth. He brings leg strength, accuracy, and a drive to earn a long term spot on the team.

In the case of Matt Stover, it’s hard for fans to look past the fact that, despite his past successes, he has gotten much older. In just a two weeks, he will celebrate his 42nd birthday. While that may seem young to a lot of people, the NFL is often not a good fit for anybody blowing out that many candles. He is loved in Baltimore, and one would hope that the organization can find a way to keep him involved long after his playing career ends. However, the Ravens and the fans need to let go, move on, and understand that Matt Stover is no longer the kicker that he used to be.

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