Tag: field goals

Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey will enter new realm of NFL’s all-time kickers in early 2025

From @ToddBrock24f7: Aubrey will become eligible for the NFL’s all-time FG accuracy list in early 2025. He chould be No. 1 or No. 2 right out of the gate.

Brandon Aubrey has had quite a storybook run.

The Cowboys kicker’s journey to the NFL was in and of itself an unlikely tale, the college soccer star who found himself washed out of the sport and working as a software engineer when his wife suggested he try kicking footballs instead.

That led to back-to-back USFL championships, and that led to a spot in camp with the Cowboys in 2023. All Aubrey did with that opportunity was lead the NFL in scoring, nail 14 out of 14 field goals from 40 yards or longer, set a new league record for most consecutive field goals to start a career, and earn both a Pro Bowl trip and All-Pro honors as a rookie.

In his second-year follow-up, Aubrey connected on more field goals in a single season than any kicker in Cowboys history. Of the 39 successful regular-season field goals ever kicked from 60 yards or beyond, the 29-year-old Aubrey has three of them (only Brett Maher has more, with four). He’ll make a Pro Bowl return in February, and earned his second straight All-Pro nod. He’s a bona fide weapon who seems destined to break the once-unimaginable 70-yard-field-goal barrier.

And at some point, probably in late-September to mid-October of the 2025 season- unless something goes catastrophically wrong- Aubrey will trot out onto the field, effortlessly swing his howitzer of a right leg, and walk back to the sideline suddenly in the conversation for a new title:

The most accurate kicker in NFL history.

Right now, that honor belongs to the Ravens’ Justin Tucker, who’s converted 417 of 468 of his career field goal attempts over a 13-year career. That’s 89.103%.

Aubrey’s percentage is already technically a hair higher than Tucker’s: 89.412%. But kickers aren’t included in the all-time rankings until they’ve logged 100 regular-season field goal attempts.

Aubrey has 85; only when he tries his 100th three-pointer will he automatically join the big leaderboard. It should happen fairly early. Aubrey’s 15th field goal attempt of 2024 came in Week 5. The previous year, it came in Week 6.

And when 100 does happen, the rest of the very best in the business will suddenly have company. But the reality is, there will already be a new leader of the pack by then.

The Chargers’ Cameron Dicker has 97 regular-season field goal tries in his career, and he’s sitting on a make percentage of 93.814.% Even if Dicker misses his next three kick attempts, he’ll still have a 91.000% rate when he hits 100 kicks, more than enough to comfortably dethrone Tucker as the accuracy king.

If Aubrey makes his next 15 in a row (which is certainly possible for him), he’ll also have 91.000% when he reaches 100 and joins the list.

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Kicking field goals has become a young man’s domain. Of the NFL’s all-time field goal percentage leaders, the top five are all active players. Eight of the top 15. Sixteen of the top 30.

Of course, young kickers have a smaller sample size. The excellent ones naturally go right to the top of the accuracy chart once eligible. That’s just how math works.

It’s not until the most accurate kickers start to age- and miss more frequently- that they slide down the historical rankings. There’s no shame in it; circle of life and all that. Adam Vinatieri, unquestionably one of the greatest to ever do it, is a surprising 35th on the all-time accuracy list. Sebastian Janikowski, so dominant he was a first-round draft pick, is 65th. Morten Andersen- who is in the Hall of Fame– stands “just” 77th.

Of the current all-time top 30, Mike Vanderjagt (at No. 8) is the only one who kicked in the league before Y2K.

The point is, no one stays atop the accuracy list unless they walk away from the game well before their skills decline.

And the numbers are all so close, it doesn’t take much to really shuffle the leaderboard. Consider Eddy Piñeiro. The Panthers specialist is currently the third-most accurate kicker ever, per the numbers. If he were to miss his next kick, however, he would drop to No. 6. Just two off-target boots from Atlanta’s Younghoe Koo would drop him from 13th overall to outside the top 20. Still impressive, sure, but this is a rankings list that can see a lot of week-to-week shakeup with a shank here or a doink there.

Aubrey has been dangerously accurate But his real superpower, of course, has proven to be kicking from distance. (Just look at his Week 17 miss in Philadelphia, a 61-yard bomb that hit the goalpost halfway up the upright and, a couple inches to the left, would have been good from much, much longer.)

The Cowboys (and most fans) would probably cut Aubrey a little leeway in the accuracy department and look past a random miss from 45 here or there because they know he’ll end up stealing an improbable win someday with a sniper shot from 70.

Even at this stage in his young NFL career, Aubrey is among the sport’s elite whether you’re talking about distance or accuracy. It’s just a matter of time, though, before he comes for the crown in both categories.

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Opposing kickers have struggled since Darren Rizzi became head coach

Since Darren Rizzi became interim head coach, opposing kickers have missed 75 percent of their field goals, and the Saints have 2 FG blocks

Apparently making your special teams coordinator your interim head coach earns you some good luck on the third phase of the game

Since Darren Rizzi has become the New Orleans Saints head coach, opposing kickers have struggled against New Orleans. Every team the Saints have faced since the coaching switch have missed a field goal, other than the Los Angeles Rams and they didn’t attempt a field goal.

The most notable miss was Bryan Bresee blocking Matt Gay’s field goal to seal a Saints win over the New York Giants. The play earned Bresee recognition as NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

It all started with Younghoe Koo and the Atlanta Falcons. Koo is a normally surefooted kicker, especially against New Orleans. He’d only missed two field goals versus the Saints coming into the game, and one was a blocked kick from beyond 60 yards.

In Week 10, Koo missed three field goals. That’s more field goals than he’d missed against the Saints in his whole career. It’s also the most kicks Koo has missed in a single game in his career.

In total, opposing teams are 2-of-8 on field goals since Rizzi has taken over. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. You be the judge.

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Blake Grupe has already made Saints history in Year 2

Blake Grupe has been sharp from long range since entering the league. He’s the only Saints kicker to hit this impressive milestone:

Blake Grupe’s performance this year has flown under the radar. Not only has the second year player been a more accurate kicker than he was his rookie season, Grupe has also shown good range in 2024.

This may feel hyperbolic, but Grupe has literally made history in his first two seasons. In his first year, he was the first kicker in New Orleans Saints history to make five or more field goals from at least 50 yards in a season, with six of them on nine tries. He’s done it again in Year 2, going five-for-five.

It’s extremely impressive because Morten Andersen and Wil Lutz are former Saints with strong resumes, but neither of them hit this one particular milestone. Grupe has done it twice.

To add to this feat, the kicker hasn’t missed from 50-plus all season long.

Let’s take a deep breath and hope the writer’s jinx doesn’t come into play against the New York Giants.

Grupe’s year has been defined by efficiency and range. He’s delivered both simultaneously on five different occasions. He opened the season with a career long of 57 yards against the Panthers. Grupe’s overall percentage of made field goals has jumped by nearly 10 percent as well. He’s earned some confidence during his brief time on the job, let’s hope he keeps it up.

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K Chris Boswell on track to break the single-season field goal record

Chris Boswell is on pace to break the NFL single-season field goal record, fueling the Steelers’ strong start to their 2024 campaign.

The ‘Wizard of Boz’ is truly onto something special in this spectacular start to the 8-2 Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 season. K Chris Boswell has all but locked up a potential third-straight AFC Special Teams Player of the Month award for November, and he is currently on pace to shatter one particular NFL record.

The single-season field goal record is held by David Akers, who made 44 field goals during the 2011 season. Akers had previously broken the 2005 record of 40 set by Neil Rackers, but Boswell is on pace to leave Akers’ record in the dust.

Through ten games played, Boswell has attempted 30 field goals and made 29 of them. He is averaging three attempts per game and is currently on pace to hit 49 field goals in the 2024 17-game season after his six field goals made in Week 11.

If Boswell achieves this historic feat, should the kicker at least be considered in the 2024 MVP race? After all, Boswell is perhaps the most responsible for the Steelers’ fantastic start to this season.

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Keeping Blake Grupe came down to dependability and consistency

Blake Grupe won his battle over Charlie Smyth by affirming Dennis Allen’s beliefs from last year

Dennis Allen has full confidence in Blake Grupe as the Saints starting kicker. Grupe won his competition over International Player Pathways rookie Charlie Smyth. Smyth repeatedly showed off his leg strength with multiple field goals of more than 60 yards in practice and in pregame as well. Allen made it clear that wouldn’t decide the battle, though.

When asked about the decision to keep Grupe over Smyth, Allen gave a strong endorsement of Grupe that extends into the previous season. “I like Blake Grupe. I thought this last year. I think it again this year. When he’s gotten into the games, he’s made the kicks he’s needed to make.”

Allen continues by saying, “I think he’s been consistent in practice. I’ve seen an improved player even from where he was at this point last year. I feel very confident about that.”

Allen described everything you’d want in a kicker, a consistent, dependable player. Grupe will need to deliver on this belief. There were some question marks a year ago, but if he can make the kicks he needs to make then he should wipe away doubt that Allen made the right call.

Rookie kicker Charlie Smyth has a big day at Saints training camp

Rookie kicker Charlie Smyth had a big day at Saturday’s Saints training camp practice, hitting all seven of his field goal tries:

Have a day, Charlie Smyth. The New Orleans Saints’ rookie kicker had a good day at Saturday’s training camp practice. Smyth connected on all seven of his field goal tries with his longest kick traveling 59 yards. Last year’s kicker Blake Grupe might be on notice.

Now that’s not to say he enjoyed a perfect morning of work at UC Irvine. Smyth struggled on his kickoff reps, sending too many of his tries out of bounds, as noted by Nola.com’s Luke Johnson. That’s not too surprising. He’s a former Gaelic football player from Northern Ireland who is still picking up the game and the responsibilities of his position. He’s going to make mistakes.

Still, performances like this are encouraging. Grupe was too inconsistent last season. While he did hit on each of his 40 extra point attempts, Grupe missed seven field goals from distances of 29, 29, 46, 47, 51, 52, and 54 yards. Those short-yardage misses are what’s most concerning.

If Smyth can keep growing and iron out his own inconsistencies, he might just put Grupe in a tough spot. Remember, Grupe himself was an undrafted rookie just one year ago. He displaced a former Pro Bowler in Wil Lutz. It shouldn’t shock anyone if Smyth pushes him aside by September, too. At the same time the Saints can afford to give Smyth a longer runway. He joined the team with an International Player Pathway exemption which means he can stay on the team with an extra practice squad spot until they’re confident he’s ready. We’ll just have to see how this battle plays out in the weeks ahead.

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Saints release backup kicker Austin Seibert, giving Blake Grupe the green light

Saints release backup kicker Austin Seibert, giving Blake Grupe the green light to continue kicking in black and gold:

Here’s a good sign for Blake Grupe moving forward. The New Orleans Saints released backup kicker Austin Seibert from the practice squad this week, giving Grupe the green light to continue kicking in black and gold.

Seibert was signed after a group tryout last week in the wake of Grupe’s groin injury. He’s been limited in practice but made all of his kicks (four extra point attempts and five kickoffs, two of which were touchbacks) last Sunday against the Detroit Lions. He’ll be up again for this week’s game with the Carolina Panthers.

Hopefully Grupe’s injury issues are behind him. The rookie has had an up-and-down NFL debut — he’s connected on 24 of 30 field goal tries for a success rate of 80%, which ranks 23rd among 34 qualifying kickers. On the upside, he’s hit all 23 point-after attempts. Grupe is one of 10 kickers who have scored 100% of their extra points this season. And 53 of his 62 kickoffs have been touchbacks (85.5%, which ranks 9th-best).

He just needs to be show more consistency on field goals. Some of Grupe’s misses have been due to a poor setup by his holder, rookie punter Lou Hedley, but he’s missed from a variety of distances. If he can bounce back from this injury and nail that down, the Saints decision-makers who have stuck by him — Dennis Allen and Mickey Loomis — will be feeling vindicated.

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Sean McVay’s conservative calls are partly to blame for Rams’ kicking woes

Brett Maher missed 6 FGs with the Rams, but Sean McVay put him in tough spots with conservative decisions

The Los Angeles Rams made the decision to move on from kicker Brett Maher on Tuesday, cutting the veteran after only seven games. Maher leads the NFL in field goals made with 17, but he’s also missed six field goals and an extra point – including two field goals and a PAT in Sunday’s loss alone.

Sean McVay said after the game that Maher has “got to be better,” but the Rams aren’t giving him another chance to prove himself after going 17-for-23 in seven games. Instead, they’re bringing in Lucas Havrisik, a kicker with no regular-season experience and a 64% make rate in college at Arizona.

It’s hard to say the Rams gave up on Maher too early because he has been a bit up-and-down, but McVay is partly to blame for his underwhelming numbers. Of Maher’s six misses, four came from beyond 50 yards. A 53-yarder hit the upright, a 57-yarder was blocked by the Seahawks, a 56-yarder came as a last-second prayer before halftime and the 51-yarder was just badly missed left.

All teams have to settle for long field goals throughout the season, but McVay’s conservative decisions on third and fourth down have hurt the Rams and put Maher in difficult spots. It’s why the Rams have attempted a league-high 23 field goals this season.

According to Ben Baldwin, the Rams have lost the fourth-most win percentage points by kicking field goals in fourth-down situations where the analytics call for them to go for it.

In other words, the Rams are settling for field goals when they should be trying to convert on fourth down. And if you look at Maher’s 23 field goal attempts, eight of them have come on fourth-and-5 or less. Obviously, the Rams aren’t going to go for it in all of those situations, but McVay has been conservative to a fault on fourth down.

His third-down play calling before attempting long field goals can be questioned, too. On Sunday, he called a run play to Royce Freeman on third-and-5 from the Steelers’ 35-yard line. It gained 1 yard and the Rams settled for a 53-yarder, which Maher missed.

McVay all but admitted it was a bad decision when talking about Maher’s performance this week.

“There’s some long attempts. We got to make the extra point. It’s a good protection and it’s something that he’s done really consistently, but I do think you want to understand the fact that a lot of these misses are in the 50-plus range, which, that’s a challenging kick,” McVay said on the “Coach McVay Show” Monday. “I don’t care whether you’re Brett Maher or the Matt Gays of the world. You look at everything and it’s not just exclusive to that kick. That’s where you kick yourself for some of those situations that lead up to it. Well, what could we have done on the third-down-and-5 when we have the first 53-yarder? Just, ah man. It’s one of those deals that you go back to work, you apply the lessons you learn and you don’t let the Steelers disappointment beat you twice as you start to prepare for the Cowboys.”

Another questionable call came back in Week 1 against the Seahawks. The Rams were in a third-and-7 situation at the Seahawks’ 38-yard line, and Matthew Stafford threw a deep shot to Tutu Atwell, which fell incomplete.

Had McVay called a higher-percentage play that could’ve picked up 5, 6, or even 7 yards, the Rams wouldn’t have had to settle for a 57-yarder, which you simply can’t expect your kicker to make more often than not.

Against the Colts in Week 4, the Rams had second-and-11 from Indianapolis’ 35-yard line. They picked up 7 yards on a screen to Puka Nacua, who was tackled at the 28 with 20 seconds left. McVay waited to take his final timeout with 4 seconds left, opting not to take his timeout immediately and trying to pick up more yards to make the field goal easier.

Granted, it was only a 46-yarder, which Maher should’ve made, but McVay wasn’t exactly aggressive in that situation. He could’ve gotten in at least one more sideline shot, even with no timeouts remaining.

Maher deserves plenty of blame for his misses, especially the PAT on Sunday. He was part of the reason they lost to the Steelers. But McVay has also been too conservative on third and fourth down in some scenarios, leading to a lot of drives ending in field goals – make or miss.

McVay is someone who often says he looks inward first, and perhaps he needs to consider being more aggressive when the Rams are between the opponent’s 30- and 40-yard line. That’s where he often plays it too safe.

Chargers 2023 roster review: Kicker Cameron Dicker

Cameron Dicker will have to compete against Dustin Hopkins, but a fantastic 2022 season should put wind in his sail.

The 2023 season is just a month away, and with weeks of dead time during the quietest part of the NFL offseason, Chargers Wire is endeavoring to document each of Los Angeles’ players before the start of the team’s training camp.

Any player whose surname rhymes with their position on the gridiron is sure to be a hit with fans, and Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker is no exception.

Signed to the active roster in the middle of the season in 2022 after an injury to Dustin Hopkins, Dicker was a staple on the special teams.

Dicker had one of the best rookie seasons by a kicker in NFL history, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December and January and two Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Additionally, he was an All-Rookie selection by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) after making 21-of-22 field goals (95.5%). The 95.5 field goal percentage was the best by a rookie kicker since the 1970 NFL-AFL Merger among players with at least 15 field goal attempts.

Dicker faces competition from Hopkins entering the new campaign, so nothing will be guaranteed for Dicker until he secures his spot on the Chargers’ depth chart.

Contract(2023): $870,000 base salary, no prorated bonus, $870,000 cap hit.

Acquired: The Chargers signed Dicker to a contract in November last season after he signed with Rams as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL draft. He spent time with the Ravens and Eagles as a rookie before catching on with the Bolts.

Quote: Austin Ekeler’s reaction to Cameron Dicker’s walk-off kick against the Falcons in 2022:

“Thank God. I was just like, ‘OK, yes, we got ourselves back in the situation, like thank you.’ We’ve been through so many kickers, had like three game winners from all of them now I feel like. I’m hoping they can all stay healthy. Like let’s get this kicker thing situated but whoever is up, as long as you keep making them, that’s we want. They came through and Dicker did his job today, so we appreciate him for that.”

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