Tag: field goals

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.”

Highlight: 

Ravens’ 2022 season in review: Special Teams

We analyze the Ravens’ 2022 special teams unit

Fundamentally sound play on special teams has been a core aspect of the Baltimore Ravens’ strategy over the years, and their 2022 campaign was no different. Though Lamar Jackson’s injury near the end of the season derailed the momentum that Baltimore had built earlier in the year, the Ravens’ special teams unit stepped up in a big way while the offense operated with backup quarterbacks, and helped keep the team in the playoff picture.

Over the course of 2022, kicker Justin Tucker missed just six field goal attempts and one extra point. He led the team in scoring by a wide margin, ending the season with over eight points scored per game, which was under six points more per game than running back Kenyan Drake, who managed two and a half per game.

On the other end of the special teams operation, punter Jordan Stout racked up 2,618 punting yards on 57 punts, good for an average of 45.9 air yards. Though the raw numbers seem impressive on the surface, his air yards per punt average was only good for 25th place across the league’s punters, which leaves plenty of room for improvement in 2023.

His coverage team allowed just 155 return yards on punts throughout the season, which ranked fifth in the league among punters who started 16 or more games over the course of their teams’ schedules.

Tucker’s job is secure as ever heading into next season, and his reputation as one of the NFL’s top kickers remains intact. Stout, on the other hand, may see his role challenged by competition if Baltimore decides to bring in another leg during training camp, and if he can’t show signs of improvement over the course of next season, could face major competition for his job.

Long snapper Nick Moore impressed as well, getting a bid to the 2023 Pro Bowl Games. He has performed admirably ever since stepping in for Morgan Cox a few seasons ago, and is one of the most consistent players at his position.

Punt and kick returns are also a big aspect of special teams, and Pro Bowl returner Devin Duvernay didn’t disappoint, showing his electricity in both aspects. He is one of the best return specialists in the league, and showed it on plenty of occasions before going down with a season-ending injury.

The Cowboys are sticking with Brett Maher despite their special teams coach saying he has the yips

Cowboys fans should be really, really nervous.

If you’re a sports fan of any kind, the last thing in the world you want to hear associated with your team is the yips. It’s the same vibe that Voldemort had in Harry Potter — you just can’t say it. If you do, it’s never a good thing.

So Cowboys fans should probably be terrified at this point. Because, according to special teams coordinator John Fassel, Brett Maher has a case of the yips.

Maher missed four extra point attempts against the Buccaneers in Dallas’ opening playoff game. Luckily, the game wasn’t close at all so the points didn’t actually matter. But, it seems, Maher’s confidence was shot.

At least, that’s what Fassel makes it sound like in this latest report from ESPN’s Todd Archer. Here’s what the coach had to say about Maher.

“I believe in the hot hand, and I believe in the yips, absolutely,” Dallas special teams coordinator John Fassel said. “And you know, you wonder sometimes how you get into the yips, and you wonder sometimes how you get back into the hot hand. I think it’s keep stepping up to the line and shooting that thing. We missed a couple of free throws [Monday] … He had a hot hand. Let’s face it, he only missed [six] kicks all season. The yips happen, so I expect a hot hand coming up.”

Yikes, man. Absolutely none of that sounds good. It’s all the opposite of what you want to hear about the situation if you’re a Cowboys fan.

Here’s the thing about the yips — it doesn’t just…go away. It’s very rarely just a one-game thing. Often times, it can last years. It may never actually go away at all.

We’ve got plenty of evidence available showing us how this works. Remember when Markelle Fultz forgot how to shoot? Or how about when Nick Anderson forgot how to shoot free throws? Here’s Chuck Knoblauch throwing a ball into the stands because he just forgot how to throw to first base.

These problems persisted for years in each case. Maybe Maher gets luck and he’ll be able to make those kicks come Sunday. But if not? Whew, boy. Dallas might be in serious trouble.

‘Expecting to make every kick’: Brett Maher embracing latest ride with Cowboys

Cut in 2019 over accuracy issues, Brett Maher has hit all his field goal tries so far this season, all from 50-plus and one a game-winner. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Many in Cowboys Nation were dubious when the club opted to head into the regular season with Brett Maher as their kicker. Things, after all, had ended badly toward the end of the 2019 season, when Maher was released due to a sudden lack of accuracy.

But the Nebraska native, now 32, was brought back to Dallas for this summer’s training camp and won the job over undrafted rookie Jonathan Garibay and ex-CFL star Lirim Hajrullahu. He’s been nothing sort of perfect after two games, sinking all three of his field goal attempts thus far, including the game-winner on Sunday versus Cincinnati.

“You do go out there expecting to make every kick,” Maher told media members after securing the Week 2 victory. “I feel like I’m in a good rhythm right now. Jake [McQuaide, long snapper] and Bryan [Anger, punter/holder] are absolutely money on the operation, gave me a great look at it. It’s just a really fun group to be a part of. That whole last sequence was awesome: Bryan pinning them deep with a punt, the defense getting a stop, getting a good punt return, and then getting in position and coming through. That was a very fun moment to be a part of.”

Maher’s 50-yard make is, incredibly, his shortest field goal of the young season so far; he hit one from 54 earlier in the Bengals game and was good from 51 in the season opener versus Tampa Bay.

The Cowboys’ special teams coordinator said his big-legged specialist would have been given the greenlight from even further away.

“We said 45-yard line. That was our goal,” said John Fassel on Monday. “There’s always a little bit of fudging if there’s [weather] conditions involved. But that big line is a nice target for the offense to think, ‘Let’s get past that big line of the 45,’ and then we feel good about a decision to potentially kick if it’s a walk-off. If there’s 10 or more seconds- just in case of a miss- then [the opponents] get a shot at it. So for end of half, end of game, walk-off kick, make that big line at the 45 our target for Brett, in our stadium. It could change in a road stadium that’s outdoors.”

Trying from the 45 would have made it a 63-yarder, equaling Maher’s career-best and the current franchise record. But long-distance bombs haven’t been Maher’s issue.

He’s responsible for four of the five longest field goals ever from a Cowboys kicker, and when the team cut him loose in 2019, Maher had booted two field goals from beyond 60 yards in back-to-back games about six weeks prior. But he had made only one of five from 40 to 49 yards out.

To be sure, Cowboys fans will let Maher hear it when he eventually pushes one wide or hooks a PAT. But for now, the new and improved Maher is making the most of his scoring chances… and is making the most of what is technically his third stint with the organization.

He was first on the Dallas practice squad briefly during the 2013 preseason as Dan Bailey rehabbed an injury. He was brought back in 2018 and outkicked Bailey for the starting job prior to that season.

But the fact that he’s back in the building again to prove himself to a new coaching staff doesn’t necessarily make this latest clutch kick any more rewarding, he says.

“Every opportunity is rewarding to be honest with you,” Maher confessed. “I’m happy to do my part with this group. The guys in the locker room are awesome. This whole game was a ton of fun to be a part of. This whole locker room is a ton of fun to be a part of. I’m embracing the ride and doing my part.”

And his coordinator is loving the comeback story, even if he’s just getting to know Maher for the first time.

“I was as happy as I could be. I’ve known Brett since he came out of college and kind of followed his career, like most guys, even if I haven’t coached them,” Fassel told reporters. “I wouldn’t say he’s exceeded my expectations because I thought he was always a really, really good kicker, but just his mental toughness and poise has been really cool to witness, because you don’t really get to know somebody like that until you’re coaching them. He’s a pro kicker, you know? Ups and downs and ups and downs.”

So far this time around with the Cowboys, it’s been all ups for Maher.

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Oklahoma Sooners Kicker Gabe Brkic named a finalist for Lou Groza award

Oklahoma Kicker Gabe Brkic was named as a semifinalist for the Lou Groza award for the third consecutive year.

The most interesting man in the Oklahoma football program is getting some national accolade. No, we’re not talking about Caleb Williams. We’re talking about the Sooners’ mustache man, kicker Gabe Brkic.

Today, Brkic was announced as a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award honoring the nation’s best kickers.

This marks Brkic’s third year in a row as a semifinalist. Only two others kickers hold the distinction of having been nominated as semifinalists three times; Wake Forest’s Nick Sciba and Nevada’s Brandon Talton.

Brkic has been excellent on the season making 17 of 20 field goals and has been perfect on his extra points this season. He is kicking at an 80 percent clip on field goals 40 yards or longer while also 5 of 6 from field goals on longer than 50 yards. His 56-yarders against Tulane and Western Carolina remain as the longest kicks of the season by any kicker in the NCAA.

He’s been clutch this season and in season’s past making game-winners like his winner against the West Virginia Mountaineers after Spencer Rattler and a struggling offense orchestrated a game-winning drive to get in Brkic’s range.

The finalists for the award will be announced on November 23rd effectively giving Brkic the rest of the Sooners regular season to make his case as one of the three finalists.  With the way the Sooner offense has been moving the ball of late, it stands to reason there will be many more opportunities for Brkic to showcase his talents.

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3 Stars of the game: Sooners shine on both sides of the ball vs. Kansas State

The Oklahoma Sooners had several players who stood out in their 37-31 win over Kansas State, but who earned our 3 stars of the game?

The Oklahoma Sooners just keep winning games. It may not always be pretty, but here they are six days away from a date with their Red River rivals undefeated. College Football Playoff rankings will be making their appearance soon, and the Sooners are starting to build a strong case.

To stay undefeated, three guys elevated themselves to help the Sooners get over a foe that’s been quite a hassle the last few years. Let’s look at who stood out and earned one of our 3 stars from the 37-31 win over Kansas State.

Third Star – Isaiah Thomas, Defensive Line

Isaiah Thomas has proven that he is indispensable to this defense’s growth and evolution for two years in a row. He’s so versatile and can play inside and out.

Whether it was setting the edge or penetrating gaps and allowing his linebackers and safeties free to fill, he did it all against Kansas State. The absence of their other uber versatile defensive lineman Jalen Redmond has only highlighted how awesome Thomas is.

He finished with two tackles for loss and this sack of Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson in the red zone to force a Wildcats field goal.

Up Next: Second and First Stars of the Game

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Oklahoma Sooners pick up big win over Kansas State 37-31

In one of their most complete performances of the season, the Oklahoma Sooners beat Kansas State 37-31 to move to 5-0 on the season.

As crazy as it may sound, this was the best Oklahoma Sooners win of the season. They went to Manhattan, Kansas for their first road game of the season and took care of business against a tough Kansas State team, 37-31.

The game wasn’t necessarily as close as the score indicated.

The Wildcats got the ball to start the game and methodically worked the down the field with some timely completions by super senior quarterback Skylar Thompson, who played despite a week-long game of smoke and mirrors from head coach Chris Klieman about the quarterback’s availability.

Kansas State made its way into the red zone before a forced fumble by defensive end Reggie Grimes and subsequent 60 yard return by Nik Bonitto set the Sooners up nicely.

After making it inside the 10, penalties, a botched snap, and poor blocking would result in the Sooners settling for three points off of a field goal from Gabe Brkic.

The Wildcats would answer on a touchdown pass from Thompson to star running back Deuce Vaughn.

The Sooners would respond with a 12 play 75-yard touchdown drive of their own capped off by a very creative run play involving Jeremiah Hall.

The Sooners and Wildcats swapped field goals before halftime. Oklahoma went into the locker room with a 13-10 lead.

Neither team punted until the 3rd quarter. Kansas State kept opting to go for it and the Sooners defense couldn’t get off the field. Conversely, Kansas State simply could not stop Oklahoma as every drive ended in points.

Things would get weird in the third quarter thanks in part to two different reviews.

Trailing 27-10, Kansas State attempted and recovered an onside kick, and referee Kevin Hassell went to confirm the ball traveled 10 yards. It did, but Lincoln Riley smartly and probably due to information he was receiving via his headset challenged the play again.

Riley argued that kicker Ty Zentner had accidentally kicked the ball twice (which he had). The illegal touching gave Oklahoma the ball. They would do nothing with it and instead turned it over on third and long on a Spencer Rattler interception putting Kansas State deep in their own territory. The pick amounted to nothing more than a punt as Rattler threw it up there hoping to make a play or catch a defensive pass interference call.

Another review came on a 4th down completion from Thompson to receiver Landry Weber. A superb attempt to catch it was ruled incomplete as the ball hit the ground as he attempted to secure it.

A slick Jeremiah Hall TD reception on a shovel pass from Rattler put the Sooners in front 34-17.

The Wildcats would eat up a lot of clock while scoring to make it 34-24.

The Sooners responded with another field goal from Brkic, which was followed by a kick return for a touchdown from Malik Knowles. Knowles now has three return touchdowns this year. Kansas State had one last attempt to get an offside and the attempt was unsuccessful as wide receiver Jadon Haselwood calmly caught the kick and took a knee.

Spencer Rattler threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, running back Kennedy Brooks was the lead back of the day posting 91 yards and a touchdown while Jeremiah Hall scored twice and Marvin Mims re-emerged with four catches for 71 yards.

Oklahoma can now return to Norman and prepare themselves for the Red River Shootout with the 4-1 Texas Longhorns. Kansas State will have a bye before playing Iowa State on October 16th.