Connor Barth: The Iceman Cometh

Place kicker Connor Barth has reached absolute zero, and it's a great, great thing.

An undrafted free agent in 2008, Barth returned to the Kansas City Chiefs for the final 10 games of the regular season after being beat out for the position in training camp.  In Week 15, the Chiefs had allowed a 21-3 lead to evaporate to a 21-22 deficit with :31 seconds to play when Barth was called in.  With :01 second on the clock, his 50-yarder missed, and the Chiefs lost.  It was Barth's first miss of his career, having been 9 for 9 up to that point.  Although just a taste of what was to come, the following offseason the Chiefs cut Barth in favor of a drafted kicker.

After a very short stint with the Miami Dolphins, Barth was signed by the Buccaneers on November 3, 2009, settling a position for Tampa Bay which was producing more than it's share of headaches.  I don't know if Barth arrived with veins frozen to the core, but since signing with the Buccaneers he has made a previously shaky position rock solid.  Barth has never missed an extra point in the NFL and was 14 of 19 at field goals last season.  You may remember several of them:

• Week 10, 2009: against the Miami Dolphins, a team which had recently given him the boot (intended), Barth kicked three field goals of 50, 51, and 54 yards for a perfect 3 of 3.  The youthful Buccaneers lost 23-25, but discovered a new weapon.
• Week 16, 2009: against the New Orleans Saints, Barth kicked the winning field goal from 47 yards in overtime to beat the New Orleans Saints (it's video that never gets old!).

Fast forward to last weekend against the Bengals, and Barth, with one second on the clock, kicked the winning field goal for the Buccaneers.  Redemption has been a theme this week for Head Coach Raheem Morris and if Barth needed some it would be his to have.  But I don't think he does.  His current 12 for 12 field goal streak reaches back to the Seattle Seahawks win last season.  He has redemption piled up in trucks in the parking lot.

Sean Payton tried to freeze Barth last season in overtime.  Marvin Lewis tried to chill him last weekend.  It just does not work with this guy.

Because you cannot ice The Iceman.