Value of a Kicker
 

How important is a kicker on a football team? They are definitely one of the top leading scorer but it seems they get no respect. They are very similar to wide receivers in aspect that they have to be fed to perform. Seems really like they are looked down upon.If a kicker can nail a 50 yard kick every time, thats only 4 first downs and easy 3 points.Will they ever be respected as great players? Is it possible for a kicker to one day kick 60 yard field goal with consistency? If it is possible, would that make the kicker the most important player on the field?

Re: Value of a Kicker
 

Jan Stenerud is in the NFL Hall of Fame, only having played the position of kicker. So I guess not all are looked down upon. Mike Vanderjagt and Adam Vinatieri also have gotten their fair share of praise.

Re: Value of a Kicker
 

Kickers don't get much respect because they don't get the media exposure that their teammates do. So, nobody really knows who they are with the exception of Adam Vinatieri.

As for the value of one, it depends. At a field like Mile High Stadium or some domed stadium, you can get away with having a weaker kicker. But at a place like Giants Stadium, the swirling winds kill a lot of long kicks, which is why we go through like one kicker every one or two seasons.

Re: Value of a Kicker
 

Kickers are talked about way too much. They're often put in a position where they decide games, and since most fans have short attention spans and can only remember what happened in the last two minutes of a game, kickers get overrated.

Vinatieri is a case in point. He missed two very short field goals in the Super Bowl against the Panthers, but people remember him as a hero for making the game winner, even though he had a terrible game. Other things being equal I'd rather have Vinatieri than a replacement level kicker, but he's not the best kicker in the NFL. The money we're paying him would be better spent elsewhere. Getting him is one of the very few Colts' moves that I disagree with in recent years.

Re: Value of a Kicker
 

Kickers are replaceable. Find a guy who can kick the [censored] out of the ball and give them a long, cheap contract. Let him go crazy.

Re: Value of a Kicker
 

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Vinatieri is a case in point. He missed two very short field goals in the Super Bowl against the Panthers, but people remember him as a hero for making the game winner, even though he had a terrible game.

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YAY YAY YAY SOMEONE ELSE FINALLY SAYS IT!!!! This "best/most clutch kicker ever" nonsense has got to go.

Re: Value of a Kicker
 

In college, a good kicker is invaluable, and many times we have seen the presence of a solid kicker (or lack thereof) completely change a game strategy.

Re: Value of a Kicker
 

The most important skill for a kicker is how good their kickoffs are, not their accuracy on field goals. Outsiders did an interesting study that more or less proved that field goal accuracy is complete bs and all variance. There is almost no correlation from year to year in field goal accuracy. But there is a lot of correlation from year to year in the length of kickoffs.

So that's what JOA means when he says find a guy who can kick it far and let him go crazy. Teams should pick kickers that can kick the ball very far, not kickers who seem to make field goals, which is all luck.

Naturally, the Pats got it correct when they dropped Vinatieri and added Gostkowski, who is actually the superior kicker.

Oh, to answer the OP's question, the difference between a good NFL kicker and an average NFL kicker isn't that great. The best kickers add something like a touchdown a year in terms of value in their kickoffs.

Re: Value of a Kicker
 

[ QUOTE ]
The most important skill for a kicker is how good their kickoffs are, not their accuracy on field goals. Outsiders did an interesting study that more or less proved that field goal accuracy is complete bs and all variance. There is almost no correlation from year to year in field goal accuracy. But there is a lot of correlation from year to year in the length of kickoffs.

So that's what JOA means when he says find a guy who can kick it far and let him go crazy. Teams should pick kickers that can kick the ball very far, not kickers who seem to make field goals, which is all luck.

Naturally, the Pats got it correct when they dropped Vinatieri and added Gostkowski, who is actually the superior kicker.

Oh, to answer the OP's question, the difference between a good NFL kicker and an average NFL kicker isn't that great. The best kickers add something like a touchdown a year in terms of value in their kickoffs.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was actually going to post the same thing about the importance of long kickoffs, so I totally agree with you there.

However regarding FGs...I don't doubt the study that FO did. But doesn't it seem foolish to say theres no skill in something like kicking a FG and that its all luck? I mean, I dunno....it just seems totally obvious to me that there has to be skill in it.

102,735 and counting

Re: Value of a Kicker
 

Is there any research on angling punts and coffin corner attempts? I figure a good coffin corner punter must add something to a team.