Friday, July 16, 2010

Was Jason Elam's 63-Yarder Really Longer Than Dempsey's?

Here is the video of Jason Elam's officially record-tying 63-yard field goal:



As found on SportSpotLive, what I love most is the following comment:
If you look carefully at both Dempsey and Elam’s “63″ yard field goals you will see that Elam’s kick is placed right in front of the hashmark, 1-2 inches from the paint. In the Dempsey video it appears to be about a football width further from the hashmark, so about 5-7 inches in front of the hashmark. So according to the NFL they are ties, but in actual non-rounded distance Elam’s kick is 5-7 inches further (in my estimation). In any event the difference is enough to be noticeable.
Got to admit the guy has a point.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Ten Million Dollars for the Foot of Kris Brown

NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 16:  Place kicker Kris Br...Image by Getty Images via @daylife
The Houston Texans are making sure they have a solid place kicker in place for the foreseeable future, resigning Kris Brown to a 4-year deal worth a possible $10 million.
Brown, 32, hit 29-of-33 field goals last season (87.9 percent), a career-best conversion rate and the second straight season he had set a new personal standard for accuracy. In his career, Brown has connected on 231-of-294 field goals (78.6 percent).
Considering just how many games are decided by three points or less, it isn't surprising that the Texans are putting up this kind of dough for Brown.  One wonders just how much the pay increase ratchets up the pressure on Kris to perform.
Enhanced by Zemanta

Dallas Cowboys Kick Out Place Kicker Suisham

David Buehler, a player on the Dallas Cowboys ...Image via Wikipedia
The Dallas Cowboys had some major place kicking problems last season with Shaun Suishman making only one of three field goal attempts in their loss to the Vikings in the playoffs.
Cowboy fans were betting that there would be some changes at kicker in Valley Ranch, and now that we have found out that there have kind of been some changes. This week the Cowboys released place-kicker Connor Hughes, which means that the job of Cowboys’ place kicker will go to second-year man David Buehler. (via)
Now we will have to see if Buehler can handle the pressure but that's nothing new in the  world of the Place Kicker.
Enhanced by Zemanta

Freshman Punters Fight it Out in Alabama

The Crimson Tide looks like it will be counting on a couple of Freshman when it comes to getting the ball downfield on 4th down:

The performance of the various punters that Alabama trotted out during spring practice was nothing short of horrific. The good news, though, like I wrote following the game, was that in reality none of those punters were likely ever going to see the field this Fall. For better or for worse, it was always going to be a battle between two true freshmen, Jay Williams and Cody Mandell.
It's amazing that a big team like Alabama finds themselves counting on Freshmen for punting duties.  One would think they could have developed a few veterans.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

High School Place Kicker Audition Tape

Seeing more and more of these videos being used as recruitment tools for high school football players.  Below is the "audition" tape for Niklas Sade of Wakefield High School in North Carolina (via).  I wonder how many college recruiters out there are seeing videos like this and if they are making any impact on their decisions.

Britton Colquitt Sole Bronco's Punter... For Now.

Carrying on the tradition of punters with unusual names, the Denver Bronco's have released punter A.J. Trapasso, leaving just Britton Colquitt to punt for the team.

As the Denver Post said:
Nevermind his Victorian-era novel name. Colquitt is the man now. For now. Of course it’s still mid-June. There’s plenty of time for the Broncos to find another leg.
Colquitt had a little early trouble back in college at Tennessee, suspended in his freshman year for underaged drinking, but things seem to have straightened out for the young man and we'll see if he can hold onto his spot  through the pre-season.

Monday, July 12, 2010

60 Yard Field Goal By High School Senior

According to this post, below is a video of a high school student kicking a 60-yard field goal in an attempt to attract college recruiters.

The commenters on the post are having a field day coming up with various reasons this is either fake or otherwise invalid but I do think that this is just one more way smart kids are using the internet to advance their careers in a sport that can often overlook players not at marquis schools.