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You have to love kickers sometimes.
In a rough-and-tumble game played by borderline psychotic competitors, there aren't usually room for feelings.
Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham isn't going to be seen as the toughest or the strongest player on the roster. He's seemingly ok with revealing his sensitive side, though.
Suisham is on his way to having the best kicking season in Steelers history, but he recently told Tribune-Review reporter Ralph Paulk he doesn't remember the good games. He does remember his misses, though.
"Obviously, it hurts my feelings when I miss a kick. I shouldn't have missed that kick in Tennessee."
That kick, a 54-yarder against the Tennessee Titans in Week 6, fell just a bit short, as the Steelers ended up losing 26-23 to fall to 2-3 on the season. He had hit a 52-yarder earlier in the game, but the one miss is Suisham's only miss this season.
He's 17-of-18 on the season, and a perfect 16-for-16 up to 50 yards. Only Suisham and St. Louis's Greg Zuerlein (7-for-7) are perfect from 40-49 yards on six or more attempts. Suisham's 8.6 points per game is the eighth-highest average in the NFL.
Suisham is tied with Gary Anderson for the team's regular season record for accuracy, having hit 93.3 percent (14-of-15) in 2010, after he replaced Jeff Reed in the middle of the season. He's at 94.4 percent heading into Week 10.
it's a great start to the season, especially considering Suisham was a question mark heading into 2012. He was 23-for-31 (6-for-11 from 40-49 yards, including 1-for-4 at Heinz Field), but he's been one of the most consistent players on the Steelers' roster.
The Steelers are averaging 23.9 points a game, including 25 points a game during their three-game winning streak that started the week after Pittsburgh's loss at Tennessee. As Suisham and the Steelers gear up for a prime time game Monday in Week 10 at Heinz Field against Kansas City, he'll take his icy, Canadian confidence and even-headed nature to a game that could require several field goals. He hit two at Heinz Field in prime time last year against the Chiefs, as the Steelers took the win 13-9.
Just don't expect him to call attention to himself, like the Steelers' kicker he replaced.
"I don't need a pat on the back, and I'm not looking for one."