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Have PKs become terrible or has it ever been thus and I'm just now (1 Viewer)

ragnarok628

ragnarok628

Footballguy
Seriously seems like this season has got to be some kind of record, there've been what, half a dozen kickers cut since preseason started? This doesn't happen every year, right? or am I just going crazy. If it's not all in my head it's gotta be because of the extra point change. I think the 'free' XPs were like a confidence builder that helps them settle down and now that they're not a sure thing (as much as anything its) these neurotic kickers get no relief from the constant high pressure.

 
I was listening to this on the radio this morning and they were hypothesizing if somehow the xp being moved back has somehow impacted fgs, even though rationally it shouldn't. I do think fg % is down so far this year, whether that's an anomoly or trend is yet to be seen.

 
I think I read it this morning in MMQB, but 12 of the 32 kickers this year are rookies. Think that may have something to do with it.

 
Could be. The bigger question is when some next gen stats guy proves that it's silly to kick for an extra point. 50% chance of getting two points for gaining two yards is better, over the long haul, than a 90% chance of getting 1 point for what essentially a 30 yard fg.

 
I was thinking the same thing regarding the xp's. It was like when an nba player is struggling and gets to the ft line. Sometimes you just need to see an easy one go through to get your confidence back.

Now they're all shook up. It's pretty hilarious

 
TLEF316 said:
I was thinking the same thing regarding the xp's. It was like when an nba player is struggling and gets to the ft line. Sometimes you just need to see an easy one go through to get your confidence back.

Now they're all shook up. It's pretty hilarious
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Yeah on the radio this morning someone referenced a tweet they thought was from Jay Feely that said kickers use to treat the XP like a warm up that got them ready for FGs. Now they don't have to to a certain extent. Makes sense to me.

Also heard that there have 18 missed kicks (FGs and XPs) this week, which is the most in a single week since a 2011 week with 20. We'll see what happens tonight.

 
VaTerp said:
TLEF316 said:
I was thinking the same thing regarding the xp's. It was like when an nba player is struggling and gets to the ft line. Sometimes you just need to see an easy one go through to get your confidence back.

Now they're all shook up. It's pretty hilarious
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Yeah on the radio this morning someone referenced a tweet they thought was from Jay Feely that said kickers use to treat the XP like a warm up that got them ready for FGs. Now they don't have to to a certain extent. Makes sense to me.

Also heard that there have 18 missed kicks (FGs and XPs) this week, which is the most in a single week since a 2011 week with 20. We'll see what happens tonight.
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Ya I think the short ones help out the FGs. They stay loose, get to run in and see the ball go through the posts. High five a couple people and trot off and really get into a rhythem. Now, some teams are going for two, or they run out a little more worried/less confident for the XP. If they miss one, then when they come on for the FG it's REALLY in their heads. Lots of mental game to kicking in the NFL, and this long XP has definitely affected kickers' heads even on unrelated FGs

 
lots of dudes I never heard of kicking either, hocker, zbringdaza for TB, Meyers, just seems like there are not a lot of Justin Tuckers in the NFL right now

 
MattFancy said:
I think I read it this morning in MMQB, but 12 of the 32 kickers this year are rookies. Think that may have something to do with it.
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The guys getting cut for missing too much though haven't been rooks though, excepting Brindza now. And guys like Barth can't seem to get a job right now despite having veteran status and credentials and all.

I dont think i'm actually complaining about all these missed kicks though... I kinda like how FGs are a big risk, you see more going for it on 4th which is always exciting, gives everyone more chances to 2nd guess the coaches =P And now (if the trend holds) having a solid PK is a real advantage in the NFL

 
bicycle_seat_sniffer said:
lots of dudes I never heard of kicking either, hocker, zbringdaza for TB, Meyers, just seems like there are not a lot of Justin Tuckers in the NFL right now
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The Justin Tucker's are loving it too. Makes them more valuable.

I'd like to know if 30 yard FG% is down this year......including extra points....vs previous years. I don't recall that many 30 yard FGs being missed.

 
ragnarok628 said:
MattFancy said:
I think I read it this morning in MMQB, but 12 of the 32 kickers this year are rookies. Think that may have something to do with it.
Click to expand...
The guys getting cut for missing too much though haven't been rooks though, excepting Brindza now. And guys like Barth can't seem to get a job right now despite having veteran status and credentials and all.

I dont think i'm actually complaining about all these missed kicks though... I kinda like how FGs are a big risk, you see more going for it on 4th which is always exciting, gives everyone more chances to 2nd guess the coaches =P And now (if the trend holds) having a solid PK is a real advantage in the NFL
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Barth can only make FG from inside the 40 and hes awful on kickoffs

 
Judge Smails said:
It's really bad...not just XP's. Tons of missed FG's. Pitt and TB have had a lot to do with that. And NO
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And the Eagles.

They're 1-3, and two missed (makeable) field goals from being 3-1.

Parkey gets hurt, we sign Sturgis. Turns out there's a reason he was a FA after all...

 
Bill Barnwell at Grantland wrote at length on this today. The biggest difference is the XPs. They've been made at the historical rate for 35-yard field goals--94%--but that's an additional 300 "35-yard field goals" through four weeks! Basically, we've already had almost 600 FG attempts + XPs, over half of the total number of field goals last year.

Miss rates are in line with how things usually go, but even missing 6% of 35-yard XPs is 17 more missed kicks. Perception wise, it adds up.

 
Speaking of Justin Tucker....I heard today on one of the sports shows (cant remember which one) that Baltimore is the only NFL team to have a full time kicking coach and that it is no coincidence that they have had a string of pro bowl kickers.

 
They're so quick to cut bait on these guys, it's crazy. 12 kickers didn't get cut when there were 20 missed FGs in a week back in 2011, but now a few missed FGs and they're gone.

A QB can have a huge run of bad games and it's business as usual. Meanwhile a kicker that has like 5 years worth of solid kicking has two bad games in a month and he's a goner. People talk about how kickers like Tucker must be loving this because it makes him more valuable. But who knows, an off day or two and he could be the one on the chopping block in a few weeks. There just is no leash for these guys. Meanwhile Joe Flacco can be terrible for entire seasons and it's just shrug and move on. Kickers are far easier to replace, sure, it's just crazy how fast the GMs are to hit the "cut" button.

 
true story, bagel, but on the other hand there are only so many nfl calibur kickers in the world. The rampant cutting of kickers gotta slow down soon as teams realize there might not be anyone better out there to replace your guy that you wanna get rid of for a bad game or two

 
The delicate pysches of kickers may have been disturbed by the XP change.

MattFancy said:
I think I read it this morning in MMQB, but 12 of the 32 kickers this year are rookies. Think that may have something to do with it.
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If so that's a really good point, and it does seem like HCs have recently been looking for that big leg that is more of a weapon than say the reliable ol' Jim Carney who couldn't kick it very far but you knew would likely make it. There has also been some weirdness in traditionally good offenses like the Colts and Saints not giving their kickers so much opportunity.

ragnarok628 said:
true story, bagel, but on the other hand there are only so many nfl calibur kickers in the world. The rampant cutting of kickers gotta slow down soon as teams realize there might not be anyone better out there to replace your guy that you wanna get rid of for a bad game or two
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I don't know about that. Look at the stories of Havard Rugland and Morten Andersen. Rugland got cut by the Lions, why? It was before they had Prater. There was nothing wrong with Rugland. Then you have a HOF candidate like Morten Andersen who could have just as well stayed in Denmark but instead got a hairbrained idea to go to Michigan State.

 
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had to look both those guys up because i am not shark enough for that, but i'm not sure what i'm supposed to learn from that. My point was that sooner or later (if this super short leash stuff keeps up) some team is going to want to fire their kicker and have no one left to replace them with but either guys who are completely untested or the ones who already got recycled once or twice by other teams. I think it's a stretch to think there is a large amount of untapped kicking talent out there hiding under rocks. Sure Scobee's YTD stats with PIT look really bad at 60% but odds are if he had stayed all year he would have ended the season with a success rate that winds up being more or less representative of how PKs are doing across the NFL. And if teams continue to choose to move on from PKs at a moments notice I don't think it'll be long before the experience gap becomes a serious problem and who knows what kind of #### show we're going to be seeing at the kicker positions across the NFL

 
Walking Boot said:
I think they're missing at about the average rate, but, missing the "automatic" XP is putting additional pressure on them, and, also, affecting the coach's decision-making process for FG's. "Oh he missed an XP, no way we're letting him try a FG today" even though the missed XP was a 35-yarder and the FG could be a 25 or 30 "chip shot".
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the league is kicking more field goals this year (+3 FGA attempts per week league-wide). the league is going for more 4th downs this year, too (+4 4th down attempts per week). kickers are performing at about the same level as last year with accuracy, though. it's tough to say exactly what's going on, but i'm not buying the kickers' confidence thing, though.

kickers are only down half a percent this year: .849 last year, .844 this year.

it might fit the narrative with so many kickers cut already and journos are definitely talking about it, but the numbers don't exactly support it.

 
I think a lot of teams tried to save money by cutting proven vets for unproven "cheap" guys with big legs who could also kick it out of the end zone on kick-offs. Not many teams wanted to burn a roster spot and the money to have kick off specialists, and some of those decisions bit em in the butt.

 
Someone pointed out on the radio that there will no longer be any bad numbers in squares pools.

 
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