Usually you ice a kicker after their team calls a timeout to set up the last minute kick. He already had his team’s timeout to prepare and is ready to go. Once they’re lined up and about to snap, you do it.
You don’t ice a kicker who’s rushing in a Mayday situation because his team has no timeouts!
(Especially when you can use your two timeouts and 20 seconds to get 35 yards to try a long game-winning kick of your own.)
As usual, McD strategizes like someone who has “best practices” for how to do things that he follows like a robot, never adjusting his protocols for the deeper nuances of the situation.