Jake Moody's performance this season has been a frustrating storyline for many San Francisco 49ers fans. The second-year kicker has struggled, missing seven of his 30 attempts, including six in the past seven games since returning from a high-ankle sprain.
Following Moody's most recent miss against the Miami Dolphins, head coach Kyle Shanahan sounded less confident than usual when discussing his young kicker. Of course, the team was fresh off its second consecutive loss and ninth loss of the season.
On Thursday, Shanahan reaffirmed his belief in Moody's long-term potential.
"I still feel the same about him, that I believe he's going to be our guy," Shanahan said. "Everyone's got to perform and do things like that, and I think he has had a tough year. I think, before his high-ankle sprain, I think he missed one. I think he was 12 or 13 before that (he was 13 of 14), so I thought he was doing really well."
Shanahan acknowledged that the injury has likely played a role in Moody's struggles.
"And then, [he] had a high-ankle sprain to his kicking foot," Shanahan continued. "Since he's come back, he hasn't been as consistent, obviously. But I think a lot of that probably has to do with that, just common sense-wise. And hopefully, he can get to this offseason, heal up, and find a stroke again, and play at a high level that I think he will, because he's real talented.
"I think he's made of the right stuff, just from a mental standpoint and everything. And I think he has all the tools to be a great kicker in this league. He's still working to find that, though."
Moody acknowledges his struggles this season but insists his confidence remains intact.
"I feel like, throughout my entire life, I've gone through struggles, I've gone through high points," Moody shared on Thursday. "And the biggest thing is to just stay consistent, not change anything, not change your mindset, your physical—like the warmups or your form or anything like that.
"So yeah, the biggest thing is just stay consistent. You'll go through different highs and lows, and just gotta keep a straight head and just kind of move forward."
Shanahan drew a comparison to his time with Washington, recalling a similar situation with kicker Graham Gano. Back then, Shanahan had pushed to move on from the struggling kicker, but head coach Mike Shanahan insisted on giving Gano more time.
Washington eventually parted ways with Gano after missed field goals cost the team more games.
"But two years later, that guy was the highest-paid kicker in the league and going to Pro Bowls," Shanahan shared. "So he was right. We had to be patient. But how long can you do it? And so, I think that's just what's tough with that position. There's no backups and stuff like that, so that's what the challenge is."
Despite Moody's recent struggles, Shanahan remains confident—for now—that staying committed to the second-year kicker is the best decision for the 49ers.
"I believe we've got the right guy," Shanahan added. "And I think, eventually, I think he has shown that at times. I thought he showed that at times his rookie year. I thought he showed that big time, being [13] out of [14] to start this year. And I think he'll show us all that in the future."