Steve Hauschka is willing to wait.
The newly minted full-time kicker for the Ravens knows that the organization's many fans embraced and admired Matt Stover. Hauschka is also aware that for the present and immediate future, every one of his kicks will be dissected and reviewed by Stover's loyalists. Hauschka knows what's in store for him as he succeeds Stover, and he will bide his time until fans welcome Hauschka the way they saluted Stover.
"I think it's going to take a few years for people to forget Matt Stover around here just because of what he has done, and I completely understand that," Hauschka said. "It'll probably take a few game-winners for people to accept me, but I'm ready for it."
Hauschka's approach illustrates the mountainous obstacle ahead of the 24-year-old kicker as he attempts to respectfully send the Stover era into the sunset while starting his own with the Ravens.
Stover was the primary kicker in the franchise's 13-year history and is the fourth-most-accurate field-goal kicker in NFL history with an 83.7 percent success rate. He connected on 14 game-winners and still holds the NFL record for most consecutive games with a field goal (38).
Even when the Ravens decided not to re-sign Stover in the offseason so the team could have a younger kicker with a stronger leg and not have to carry an extra one to handle kickoffs, his shadow loomed over the kicking competition between Hauschka and rookie Graham Gano.
Stover's name was frequently circulated among the news media and fans during the preseason, and coach John Harbaugh didn't exactly extinguish the flames as he acknowledged that Stover remained a factor and could be brought back into the fold.
Despite all the speculation, Hauschka insisted that the talk did not bother him.
"I respected what he had done for this town, and we're just trying to put the best team out there on Sundays," he said. "I didn't completely rule out the possibility that the coaches and general manager might think that Matt was our best option. I just tried to show them that I could do this really well, too. I was hoping they would go with me, but I never ruled out that possibility."
If you don't believe Hauschka, listen to Bob Ritter and Jerry Petercuskie. Ritter, the head football coach at Middlebury College, where Hauschka set school records in field goals in a single season (10) and a career (20), said Hauschka is not one to succumb to the pressure.
