ALAMEDA -- It is painfully obvious that Sebastian Janikowski is nowhere near completely healthy, not even near the "97.2" percent coach Hue Jackson proclaimed the placekicker heading into the Raiders' game at Minnesota last weekend.Rather, Janikowski's left hamstring, which kept him out of Oakland's game against Kansas City on Oct. 23 and has hindered him ever since, is still a big issue. Even if it's not simply physical."(The injury) is all mental," Janikowski said Monday. "You're still scared to hit it really hard."
Janikowski, who seemed on his way to his first Pro Bowl appearance early on and tied the NFL record for longest field goal with his 63-yarder at Denver in the season opener, said he has never had a hamstring issue before."I get treatment every day," he said. "It might be the whole year, I don't know. With hamstrings, they take a while to heal."In Oakland's 27-21 defeat of the Vikings, Janikowski's fourth-quarter 49-yard attempt was blocked by Letroy Guion. It was the first time Janikowski had a field-goal blocked since the 2007 season opener, when Detroit's Shaun Rogers knocked down his 50-yard try at the Coliseum.So did the hamstring hamper him on the kick at Minnesota?"A little bit," he said, "but I hit a real low kick."Janikowski did, however, successfully convert 29- and 26-yard field goals against the Vikings."The other two were fine," he said. "I had good height. I just didnt hit it good (on the 49-yard attempt)."
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