Kickers have been a part of the football since the game started. However, before this year there has never been as much attention put on the position. Kickers have always been thought of as the second least important position on the field, barely beating out punters. Last year the National Football League changed the extra point attempt from 18 yards to 33 yards and since then kickers have been a wreck. Extra points have been missed left and right throughout the year and I believe it has more to do than simply the 15-yard difference.
I like to compare the kicking position to a closer in baseball. People have been calling me crazy for years for thinking this, but it seems my theory is coming into effect. Every kicker in the NFL is capable of kicking a 55-yard field goal in practice, yet the percentages in games are much lower. Most people brush on this question with a simple answer. Most excuse the missed kicks because of the defensive pressure being put on the kicker. I do believe it is because of pressure, but not physical pressure, rather mental pressure put on themselves by the magnitude of the situation.
Kickers in the NFL have never been under this much scrutiny before. Fans, coaches and even fellow teammates have been ripping them because of their inconsistency. The problem is they're not just missing extra points, but missing easy field goals as well. This type of inconsistency is not caused by a lack of kicking talent in the NFL, but rather kickers being put under a microscope because of the rule change.
Just last week there were 12 extra points missed in week, the most by far in any week since the NFL was created. A 30-yard field goal should be automatic, and it had been for many years, but now it seems like its a risky kick for any team. It seems some kickers have been affected by the newly formed pressure on kickers, but in other cases, it seems one missed important kick could possibly kill a career of a kicker. Let’s take a look at some of the kickers who have been affected by this.
Blair Walsh to start. Walsh had a very solid career 5-year career with the Minnesota Vikings, and some believed he would be a franchise kicker. Last year in the NFC Divisional round of the playoffs, Walsh completely shanked a 27-yard field goal to lose the game for the Vikings. A kick so bad some referred to it as one of the worst choke jobs in sports in the modern era. So where is he now? Walsh is currently unemployed after being cut midseason by Minnesota. Prior to being cut he missed 4 extra points and 4 field goals in 9 games. Walsh never truly lived the kick down and it could possibly cost him his career.
Roberto Aguyo is up next. Former college kicker for Florida State, he was the most accurate kicker in ACC history. He was drafted in the 2nd round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2016 draft, the highest spot a kicker has ever been drafted since 2000. With high expectations, Aguyo did not start off hot. Missing kicks left and right in the pre-season of his rookie year did not help the scrutiny of picking him so early. Aguyo so far has already missed 2 extra points and is 13-19 on field goals on the year, one of the worst marks in the NFL. His longest kick is also only 43 yards, which is relatively horrible for a kicker with such high expectations.
The final criticism goes to Stephen Gostowski. For years he was considered the best kicker in the league. He holds the all-time record for most consecutive extra points made in a season. However, in the AFC Championship game against Denver, Gostowski missed the first extra point of the game after New England scored a touchdown. The Patriots ended up losing the game by 1 point and he has not seemed to live it down. Blaming himself in the locker room for losing the Patriots the game, and now off to a horrible start. He has already missed three extra points this year and missed field goals which he usually makes in his sleep. Gostowski is definitely still bothered by that kick.
Whether it is the new pressure added to kickers or a missed kick that cost their team a big game, more and more kickers have been having off years. Take any kicker in the league and he can hit a 60 yard field goal in practice. However, now it seems only a few can hit field goals much shorter than that in live games. Kicking is the most mental position on the field, and it seems this year is really showing that.
