[Husker] UT-NU Observations from the Press Box

[andy at knipp.com]

In any case,  the Hail Mary or the 58 yard FG have a 10% (+/- 5%) 
chance of success. 

I thinks Steve's point is the best. The difference between the NFL and 
college is that the NFL has one kicker, maybe 2 if the punter is a good 
kicker as well.  How many does NU have ?  How many have kicked 50+ yard 
FGs ? That is what the coaches are paid to determine. It is still a 
very reasonable question to ask.

Andy


>Jeff,
>I was the original poster who posited whether a FG attempt would have 
been a higher percentage choice than a second Hail Mary. I mentioned 
that the kicker on my sons HS team very nearly made a 55 yd FG on 
Friday. I and no one else stated that "are all kinds of HS kickers  who 
can  routinely make 50+ yard field goal". Please don't put words in my 
mouth.
>
>My point is that a kicker who has a range of maybe 40 yds should not 
be a D1 kicker. If the Huskers want to return to the upper echelon of 
college football, they need a much better kicker. Look no further than 
the Chiefs game one day later. The Chiefs kicker drilled a 48 yd FG 
with 11 seconds remaining. A 5 yd penalty was called and he calmly 
kicked a 53 yd FG to win the game. That is the type of kicker NU needs.
>
>I realize that such kickers are the exception rather than the rule, 
but NU must do better than what they currently have. A below average 
kicker can easily cost your team a game or two each year.
>
>Greg Zimmerman, UNL '75
>Overland Park, Kansas
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Jeff Volk <jeffv at alphavideo.com>
>Date: Monday, October 23, 2006 2:55 pm
>Subject: RE: [Husker] UT-NU Observations from the Press Box
>
>> Steve,
>> 
>> My job takes me to a lot of college and NFL games and a fair 
>> amount of
>> HS games too and to imply that there are all kinds of HS kickers 
>> who can
>> routinely make 50+ yard field goals or that there are random kids
>> walking the campus in Lincoln right now that could make them also 
>> mightbe a little misleading and probably a lot absurd. 
>> 
>> Consider that in the NFL, home to arguably the sport's best 
kickers,
>> through Week 7 only 13 of the 30 leading FG kickers in the NFL 
>> have a
>> long field goal make in excess of 50 yards and that NONE has a FG 
make
>> like the 58 yd FG people are suggesting that we should have tried. 
In
>> fact only 1 kicker in the NFL period (who is not in the top 30 in 
FG
>> makes) has a make of 58 yards +, and that is Matt Bryant of Tampa 
Bay
>> (who kicked a 62-yarder to win the game on Sunday). Further, 
through
>> Week 7 in the NFL, 11 teams or nearly 1/3 of the league, haven't 
even
>> attempted a FG in excess of 50 yards and amongst teams that have
>> attempted at least one the results are 19 makes against 44 misses -
>> a
>> conversion percentage of only 43%. Of those teams, 6 or nearly 20% 
of
>> the league have made 0% or none of their 50+ yd attempts. 
>> 
>> So do the special teams need help - absolutely. But, could any 
>> kicker on
>> the roster, your average HS kicker, some mystery student walking 
the
>> campus or even your average NFL kicker likely have made a FG of 50+
>> yards - nevertheless one from 58 yards with a swirling wind - 
PROBABLY
>> NOT!!!! 
>> 
>> The hail mary was without question our best option to score and to
>> suggest otherwise is just an excuse to criticize the coaching 
>> staff - at
>> least in my humble opinion. If you throw the hail mary you have the
>> chance for an additional penalty (which would have definitely 
>> moved the
>> ball into FG range) or a tip and a catch for the win. Lining up 
>> for a FG
>> lets us all watch the ball flutter through the air and land at the 
>> 5 -
>> not even close to a make and with no real chance for anything else 
to
>> happen that could extend or win the game. 
>> 
>> Jeff
>> 
>> 
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>> 
>
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