Are NFL kickers becoming too good?

[Deberg_1990]

Akers kicks a 63 yearder.....Kaeding went 5 for 5....

Why are the Chiefs still stuck with a guy who struggles with 41 yarders?


http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/features/2012/nfl_2012/week_1/david_akers_63_yards_why_is_the_nfl_discouraging_long_field_goals_.html


in Week 1 kickers made 67 of 72 field-goal attempts, or 93 percent. Oh, and the 49ers’ David Akers became the fourth kicker—after Tom Dempsey in 1970, Jason Elam in 1998, and Sebastian Janikowski last year—to kick a 63-yarder. He also became the fifth active NFL kicker to make one from beyond 60.

I’ve written before that the improvement in NFL kicking since the 1970s is one of the greatest non-equipment-aided performance leaps in any sport. Today’s kickers are bigger, stronger, physically and mentally better conditioned, and, most important, more technically sophisticated than their counterparts in the early days of the “sidewinder” or “soccer-style” kicker. This guy, for one, wouldn’t sniff the field today.

Kickers are so good now—more precisely, the distance from which they can score three points and their accuracy from all distances has increased to such a degree—that NFL coaches use them more than ever. NFL teams attempted a record 1,011 field goals in 2011, which works out to about four attempts per game. In 1984, the figure was 3.5 FG/G. In 1974, it was 3.0. As kickers have improved, the NFL has tried to make their job harder: in 1974, moving the goalposts to the rear of the end zone; in 1995, placing the ball at the spot of the kick instead of the line of scrimmage after a missed FG; in 1999, making them boot new, hard K balls.

[TEX]

Ours isn't...

[Mr. Flopnuts]

For what he is, Succop is a great kicker. He generally misses one at the beginning of the year, then lights fire the rest of the way. I'm not even remotely worried about Ryan fucking Succop.

[Fish]

We have to draft a new kicker guys..... like pronto!

[Aries Walker]

Akers's face after he made that field goal was priceless - and the kick itself was thrilling to watch.

[Deberg_1990]

For what he is, Succop is a great kicker. He generally misses one at the beginning of the year, then lights fire the rest of the way. I'm not even remotely worried about Ryan ****ing Succop.

Except at the end of the year with a potential trip to the playoffs on the line against the Raiders.

[mr. tegu]

Akers kicks a 63 yearder.....Kaeding went 5 for 5....

Why are the Chiefs still stuck with a guy who struggles with 41 yarders?


http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/features/2012/nfl_2012/week_1/david_akers_63_yards_why_is_the_nfl_discouraging_long_field_goals_.html


in Week 1 kickers made 67 of 72 field-goal attempts, or 93 percent. Oh, and the 49ers’ David Akers became the fourth kicker—after Tom Dempsey in 1970, Jason Elam in 1998, and Sebastian Janikowski last year—to kick a 63-yarder. He also became the fifth active NFL kicker to make one from beyond 60.

I’ve written before that the improvement in NFL kicking since the 1970s is one of the greatest non-equipment-aided performance leaps in any sport. Today’s kickers are bigger, stronger, physically and mentally better conditioned, and, most important, more technically sophisticated than their counterparts in the early days of the “sidewinder” or “soccer-style” kicker. This guy, for one, wouldn’t sniff the field today.

Kickers are so good now—more precisely, the distance from which they can score three points and their accuracy from all distances has increased to such a degree—that NFL coaches use them more than ever. NFL teams attempted a record 1,011 field goals in 2011, which works out to about four attempts per game. In 1984, the figure was 3.5 FG/G. In 1974, it was 3.0. As kickers have improved, the NFL has tried to make their job harder: in 1974, moving the goalposts to the rear of the end zone; in 1995, placing the ball at the spot of the kick instead of the line of scrimmage after a missed FG; in 1999, making them boot new, hard K balls.

I am almost positive the increased attempts is a more of a direct result of offenses being more pass oriented and in general moving the ball better than ever.

[In58men]

Akers's face after he made that field goal was priceless - and the kick itself was thrilling to watch.

During our football shin-dig I said he'll make it. Won a whooping $3 lol

[mr. tegu]

Except at the end of the year with a potential trip to the playoffs on the line against the Raiders.

He should have been the one that made sure Seymour was blocked properly on the second attempt?

[Discuss Thrower]

He should have been the one that made sure Seymour was blocked properly on the second attempt?

Or maybe not angle it all of 12 inches above the line's heads.

[Cornstock]

Hey remember that time we drafted Justin Medlock in the 5th round?

:facepalm:

[Chief_For_Life58]

chiefs rule

[Deberg_1990]

Hey remember that time we drafted Justin Medlock in the 5th round?

:facepalm:

Hes back in the NFL for the Panthers. He was 1 for 1 on Sunday

[htismaqe]

Hey remember that time we drafted Justin Medlock in the 5th round?

:facepalm:

He was the best kicker in college FB that year. Nobody anticipated that we was a complete headcase.

[suds79]

Hey remember that time we drafted Justin Medlock in the 5th round?

:facepalm:

That's particularly painful when Mason Crosby went the next round.

All you had to do was watch college football and it was clear that Crosby was the best kicker out there.

[HemiEd]

For what he is, Succop is a great kicker. He generally misses one at the beginning of the year, then lights fire the rest of the way. I'm not even remotely worried about Ryan ****ing Succop.

Yeah, but you are working on Sundays. The rest of us are worried.

[htismaqe]

That's particularly painful when Mason Crosby went the next round.

All you had to do was watch college football and it was clear that Crosby was the best kicker out there.

No, he wasn't.

Crosby had concerns about ball trajectory coming out. People were concerned he was going to push the ball low because to the long kicking he did in college.

This is pure 100% revisionist history.

[suds79]

No, he wasn't.

Crosby had concerns about ball trajectory coming out. People were concerned he was going to push the ball low because to the long kicking he did in college.

This is pure 100% revisionist history.

All I know is I had to hear about all year long from a CU buddy about how freaking good Crosby is.

Then you see him blasting long field goals all year long.

And he has proven clearly the best. So I guess if I'm wrong and it wasn't easy to see, then my buddy & I are just awesome talent evaluators. :P

Just to follow up.. You are right about some of the scouting report thing. (low trajectory)

However, this site rated him as clearly #1
http://www.fftoolbox.com/nfl_draft/profile_display.cfm?prospect_id=1185

[CoMoChief]

Shhh....don't tell people here that Succop sucks.

I've held my breath everytime he comes in to kick a FG. He's not clutch.

The guy is simply not that great of a kicker. I was pissed off as hell that we didn't go after Alex Henery

[Dayze]

I know one thing....the XP is a joke.
do away with that chit, or change it.

[TRR]

Shhh....don't tell people here that Succop sucks.

I've held my breath everytime he comes in to kick a FG. He's not clutch.

The guy is simply not that great of a kicker. I was pissed off as hell that we didn't go after Alex Henery

Agreed. I don't trust him at all. His stats suggest he is an above average kicker, but it always seems he is missing untimely FG's. Also, his leg strength on kickoffs is starting to drive me nuts. Other kickers are booming the ball threw the uprights on kick-offs. It seems his is mid-endzone at best.

Not a huge Succop fan.

[Baby Lee]

No, he wasn't.

Crosby had concerns about ball trajectory coming out. People were concerned he was going to push the ball low because to the long kicking he did in college.

This is pure 100% revisionist history.

How can that be a legitimate concern? Kicking trajectories are not like QB mechanics. Experienced kickers can offer up kicks at whatever trajectory the situation calls for.

[htismaqe]

How can that be a legitimate concern? Kicking trajectories are not like QB mechanics. Experienced kickers can offer up kicks at whatever trajectory the situation calls for.

Maybe the concern was that he wasn't experienced enough to do it the way you say?

[Baby Lee]

Maybe the concern was that he wasn't experienced enough to do it the way you say?

I guess that's possible, it's just that I bristle at the notion of immutable kicking traits after spending so much of my youth practicing being able to place a soccer ball wherever I wanted in the goal mouth from any spot on the field within 60 yards. Your intended target determines your trajectory, not some unchangeable kicking motion you're wedded to.

Get a few barley pops in me, and I might start thinking I could deliver a more catchable kick than Cassel can deliver a catchable ball at over 40 yards.

[htismaqe]

I guess that's possible, it's just that I bristle at the notion of immutable kicking traits after spending so much of my youth practicing being able to place a soccer ball wherever I wanted in the goal mouth from any spot on the field within 60 yards. Your intended target determines your trajectory, not some unchangeable kicking motion you're wedded to.

Maybe it's like a golf swing.

Your mechanics ALLOW you to lay the ball up with a bit of backspin and get the ball to stop on a dime but when you get up to take your swing, your competitive nature tells you to rip it, resulting in the ball sailing over the green and into the sandtrap.

[Baby Lee]

Maybe it's like a golf swing.

Your mechanics ALLOW you to lay the ball up with a bit of backspin and get the ball to stop on a dime but when you get up to take your swing, your competitive nature tells you to rip it, resulting in the ball sailing over the green and into the sandtrap.

Truce, I can see where a kicker can be knocked as insufficiently proficient, or not practiced enough, or wilting under pressure, or just plain yippy.

My point was that 'trajectory' alone is not a valid knock on kickers, like a low or slow delivery might be for a QB.

[htismaqe]

Truce, I can see where a kicker can be knocked as insufficiently proficient, or not practiced enough, or wilting under pressure, or just plain yippy.

My point was that 'trajectory' alone is not a valid knock on kickers, like a low or slow delivery might be for a QB.

Yeah, and I'm not a kicker or an NFL scout.

I just know that coming into that draft, there were concerns about Crosby's "style" and whether or not he could become a consistently good kicker or a poor man's Janikowski.

And in the end, hindsight is 50/50. The people that thought Crosby would be the better kicker were right, regardless of their reasoning.

[Deberg_1990]

I think the popular opinion was that the Chiefs drafted Medlock because of the UCLA connection.

[Baby Lee]

Yeah, and I'm not a kicker or an NFL scout.

I just know that coming into that draft, there were concerns about Crosby's "style" and whether or not he could become a consistently good kicker or a poor man's Janikowski.

And in the end, hindsight is 50/50. The people that thought Crosby would be the better kicker were right, regardless of their reasoning.

Not to belabor, but in hopes of providing a visual analog to what I'm trying to say. We played a shit ton of BB during lunch hours in HS, and there was a kid we played with who was a crack shot, but was very short. And whether it was a 3-pointer or a layup, he had two trajectories for any shot. Normal if he's wide open or on a fast break, and a much higher looping trajectory with the bigs in his face. He could snap in and out of each trajectory unconsciously, depending on the situation. His shooting proficiency was largely the same with either as well.

[jd1020]

50% of the kickers drafted in the 1st round have made it to a SB. Time to draft one in the 1st round.

[htismaqe]

I think the popular opinion was that the Chiefs drafted Medlock because of the UCLA connection.

He was also like 90% on his FG his senior season, a Groza finalist, and concensus 1st-team all American.

The pick wasn't completely without merit.

[Thig Lyfe]

Pioli needs to man up and draft a kicker in the 1st round. The Raiders did and they ended up going to the Super Bowl.

[Deberg_1990]

He was also like 90% on his FG his senior season, a Groza finalist, and concensus 1st-team all American.

The pick wasn't completely without merit.

Oh I agree. I didn’t have a problem with the pick. It was a middle rounder in a position of need. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t. Didn’t follow his career in the CFL, but sounds like hes turned himself around if hes made it back to the NFL.

[htismaqe]

Oh I agree. I didn’t have a problem with the pick. It was a middle rounder in a position of need. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t. Didn’t follow his career in the CFL, but sounds like hes turned himself around if hes made it back to the NFL.

His problem was never with the leg.

He apparently went all Zach Greinke during that first preseason. I can't recall who told me but I guess there was a point during TC that he sat in his dorm and cried, literally, not in a petulant fashion but in an innocent fashion, as if he were just mentally "broken".

[CoMoChief]

He was also like 90% on his FG his senior season, a Groza finalist, and concensus 1st-team all American.

The pick wasn't completely without merit.

Really? I didn't know that. I never heard of Justin Medlock when we drafted him. As far as I was concerned Mason Crosby was THE kicker to draft out of that class.

[whoman69]

We have to draft a new kicker guys..... like pronto!

I don't think we'll see a thread about drafting a kicker in the first being a key to winning a SB.