OWINGS MILLS – Although the Baltimore Ravens haven’t ruled out Pro Bowl kicker Billy Cundiff due to a left calf injury, they have Shayne Graham on standby as a fallback plan in case he’s unable to play Sunday.
Graham was brought in for a tryout and is likely to be signed if Cundiff isn’t healthy enough to kick Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
A former Pro Bowl kicker with the Cincinnati Bengals, Graham was beaten out by Cundiff last year for the Ravens’ kicking job. He stood in for injured Miami Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter for two games this season, connecting on 4 of 5 field goals.
Cundiff didn’t practice Thursday or Friday and is officially listed as questionable on the injury report.
“We’ll find out, I think so,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Friday when asked if he expected Cundiff to be available. “I’m hopeful, I really am hopeful. We’ll have a backup plan for sure.
“I think we’ll just see how it feels [Saturday] and then into Sunday. It’s not a major thing. Basically his calf cramped up, but we’ll take every precaution between now and Sunday.”
Graham was with the New England Patriots and the New York Giants last season after being cut by the Ravens. He’s a capable kicker whose only miss this season for the Dolphins was from 47 yards against the Dallas Cowboys.
If Cundiff is sidelined or was to aggravate the injury Sunday, the Ravens also have punter Sam Koch as a possibility for extra points and short field goals.
“I’ve seen him in the training room, but that’s all I know,” Koch said. “I haven’t even talked to him much. He’s doing everything he can to get himself ready for this game. He doesn’t want to sit out. He wants to be there for the game, so he’s going to do everything he can to be out there on Sunday.
“You have to wait until you’re out there to see how it really affects you. He hasn’t kicked since it happened. He doesn’t know how it’s going to affect him. It could affect, it could not affect him. It’s just kind of wait and see how it all goes.”
Cundiff missed two of his three kicks during the Ravens’ 24-10 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
For the season, Cundiff has converted 26 of 34 field goals. He has had a tendency to push his kicks wide right.
Koch hasn’t kicked field goals in a game since he was in high school growing up in Omaha, but hit 4 of 5 kicks in practice Thursday.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Koch said with a smile “If I have to, I’d be honored to do it. I’d go at least 63, I’d say 63 would be my max. I’d push it back to 64 if we could tie the record."
