I think that another thing that plays into it is that coaches don't want to take the heat if the team turns the ball over when they are already in field goal range. The press would blast the coach for "being greedy".
The articles would say something along the line of "If the coach can't trust his kicker to make a 47 yard field goal, then the coach should have found a better kicker."
Yeah that plays into it. The sports press is really fond of criticizing failed risk taking, a coach will take a lot less guff losing with "safe" plays than almost winning with risk.
Luckily after Saturday the majority of the press has been of the opinion that no FG try that starts with the number 4 in the yardage is easy, they've been highly critical of Schott and Edwards for killing their drives for long range kicks. Maybe that will help next year.
There's also a lot of peer pressure in the NFL, and that's why you see so few basic types of offense, so little variation in formation, little risk-taking, etc. Collegiate coaches are a lot more free to roll out new strategies and systems, and I believe most of the seeds of innovation start in college. Too bad college football is getting like the NFL, with every good team basically running the same thing.
BTW, Young Jim Mora played for my high school coach in Seattle. Coach told me Mora started in the Niners organization getting lunch for the coaching staff.