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Rick Snider: Novak makes most of second chance
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A second potential game-winning field goal awaited the Washington kicker after a bizarre final minute versus Dallas on Sunday that included a miss by Novak and a block against Dallas. The game clock read 0:00, but a Cowboys penalty permitted one more play.
“You don’t often get second chances in life or football,” Novak said.
The 47-yarder was good — barely — for a 22-19 Washington victory at FedEx Field. Novak punched the air just like he did when launching the Ralph Friedgen era at Maryland in 2001 with a walk-off winner over Georgia Tech. Or the same thing against N.C. State. Or the same thing in his pro debut last season when beating Seattle on an overtime field goal for Washington.
Mark Moseley may be the best local kicker ever, but Novak is flirting with fans affections. An ACC-record points leader at Maryland, he has won two games for the Redskins despite playing only a handful with his release in-between.
Novak signed a three-year deal when returning to Washington last month, but his real deal is week to week. A second miss in the final minute might have created kicking tryouts at Redskins Park on Tuesday.
“I needed to make that kick,” he said. “It solidifies my future ... for a week.”
Friedgen used to joke of keeping Novak’s brain in a jar on his shelf. The son of two college professors doesn’t think about his fate too often. Novak knows pushing the ball to the right like his missed 49-yarder with 31 seconds left can happen if he raises his head just like looking up from a golf swing. Novak keeps his head down like a mule pulling the plow and hopes the ball goes straight. When the winner started curling right in the final moments before ducking inside the crossbar, Novak just felt blessed.
“I don’t know if the right side of the stadium started blowing all at once,” he joked. “I went from the most hated man in Washington. ... I’m just glad I had a chance to redeem myself.”
Novak’s successor at Maryland, Dan Ennis, called his former teammate from the locker room after beating Clemson with a field goal himself on Saturday. Maybe “Fear the Turtle Kickers” should be the new motto.
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at rsnider@dcexaminer.com.
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6:48 PM MST on Mon., Oct. 29, 2007 re: "Rick Snider: NFL’s fine of Taylor anything but"
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my brother anthony jo jo hunter is and always will be a good man as well as agood kind hearted man he never hurt anyone and that was his first time in any trouble in his life weather he rob any placed i cannot say from my heart but all the joy he brought to the streets of dc and the homes on tv playing maryland university basketball no one would stand up for him he would take poor kids on trips and help them when they where in trouble and feed people when they where hungry.and no one would help him when he was in trouble and he has been in jail for 10 years 5 to 45 years in jail when most people in jail do not get that kind of time for worst crimes not to say what people said he did was not wrong but my god he is a good person and from what i understand the store owner could not identify him as being the person that did the crime the witness a drug head that he knew off the street with a record and i guess she got what she wonted less time or shes free its wrong! sharons300@yahoo.com
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