Rookie kicker Mason Crosby changed shoes twice before finding the right ones to combat the slippery turf at Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon, but by that time, it was too late.
He already had missed two field goals and badly mis-hit one kickoff.
Crosby had problems with his footing during the Green Bay Packers' 17-14 win over the Washington Redskins. He changed to longer spikes early in the second half and did so again later in the half before getting comfortable. The poor footing was at least partially to blame for Crosby's missed field goals from 46 yards (wide left) and 38 yards (off the left upright).
"The surface started getting slick, and you have to try and keep your footing," Crosby said. "I thought I hit those balls well, but they just kind of drifted on me."
Crosby said without being sure of his footing, he didn't plant as firmly as he normally would.
"You don't attack it as much and some of that causes a problem," said Crosby, who made a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter. "You turn your hips before you swing the leg through, and I just had a little draw on them, so they drifted a little bit too much at the end."
**Equipment manager Red Batty helped Crosby change to half-inch spikes after he slipped on a third-quarter kickoff, and Batty found a different shoe for Crosby.
"I thought the footing was good, but we've just got to wear the right shoes and wear the right cleats," special-teams coach Mike Stock said. "He came out and practiced before the second half. That's where you decide whether the footing is going to be OK with the shoes you have. When he came out, it appeared to be OK, but when he slipped on that approach, I said, 'You better change your shoes now.'"
Crosby missed only one field goal during his first five games.
