Tag: kick

Darren Rizzi agitated with how officials managed end of third quarter

Darren Rizzi had a lot to say after the Washington Commanders were allowed to attempt a kick after the clock hit zero:

The New Orleans Saints-Washington Commanders game had a few calls made by officials that ultimately impacted the final score, and one such play was at the end of the third quarter. The Commanders were allowed to kick a field goal as the time on the clock was run out to zero seconds, this kick was missed, and then the officials called the quarter off and the play dead, allowing for a retry at the start of the fourth quarter.

Interim head coach Darren Rizzi had a lot to say about this decision and what he was told by the officials.

“Yeah it got totally mismanaged, so, y’know (Washington) had the diving catch, I didn’t agree with it at all, the way it was done,” Rizzi began. “So we had the diving catch, I wasn’t sure, I had the challenge flag in my hand, and I was talking to the sideline official and I’m looking at the clock and we’re discussing on the headset about, y’know, ‘Hey the quarter’s gonna end here, they’re gonna take the quarter.'”

Rizzi continued: “And I got the challenge flag in my hand trying to figure out and communicate with up top whether or not we’re gonna challenge the catch or not. And I’m talking to the official and I’m saying to him, ‘Hey I might challenge this, I might challenge this, hey the quarter’s over, the quarter’s over, the quarter’s over, the quarter’s over, the quarter’s over,’ for about four or five seconds. They let they play go, he misses the field goal.”

What happened next shocked him. Rizzi could only protest the do-over and watch as referee Shawn Hochuli’s crew let the Commanders try another kick after missing the first try.

“So whoever’s in charge of shutting the play down, they obviously let the play go on. And so the explanation I got is it’s a replay-assist situation, the play shouldn’t have been run because the clocks were at zero, the clocks were at zero, their clocks were definitely at zero, the quarter was over. But the officials missed that, and that’s why the play was allowed to go on. That’s where my gripe is: The play should not have been allowed to go on, they gave the field goal kicker basically a freebie, they gave him the mis-hit, and so …” Rizzi trailed off.

It was something he’d never seen before in decades of coaching. And that led Rizzi to level some strong criticism at the officiating crew for how they handled the situation.

“I’ve been coaching kickers for 30 years. You give a guy a warmup shot, he’s got a pretty good shot of making the second one. The success rate goes through the roof when the guy gets a second chance, so that’s where my gripe was, is that it was a management,” Rizzi said, pausing for breath, “Game management from the officials, operations, I’ll let the league handle it, but I hope that everybody else gets held accountable in this league. I hope that the people that mismanaged that get held accountable too because it was completely mishandled.”

Ultimately the Saints would go on to lose 20-19, and this was a critical point in the game as neither team particularly scored well at one point or another, so any points were hard to come by for both sides. Rizzi clearly was upset with the decision, and we will see what happens when the review comes in regarding what calls could have been made or not made.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Chiefs Dave Toub reacts to Harrison Butker’s missed PAT vs. Falcons: ‘I was shocked’

Kansas City #Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub reacts to Harrison Butker’s missed PAT vs. Atlanta #Falcons: ‘I was shocked’ | @EdEastonJr

The victory last week pushed the Kansas City Chiefs to 3-0 and undefeated in the young season. A minor moment in the game involving Harrison Butker showed that the veteran kicker isn’t perfect on the field.

Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub spoke to the media on Thursday, reflecting on Butker’s rare missed PAT during last Sunday night’s victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

“I was shocked. Everybody was shocked. I don’t know. Can’t explain it, it’s just, he’s a human being.” said Toub. “He missed one, and it bothers him more than anything. But the thing about him is he’s really good at forgetting that and then moving on to the next kick. He’s really good at that. So mentally, he’s strong.”

Butker shanked an extra-point attempt, pushing the ball past the right goalpost. The missed PAT didn’t affect the final score last Sunday night, but it was notable considering how perfect the Chiefs kicker was in those attempts.

“It’s just a miss. He caught some ground on it. He took, it slowed his leg down a little bit, pushed it right”, said Toub. “if you play golf, you, know, you hit the ground, you’re gonna end up, shanking it, it’s what happened there, he took a little bit too much ground on that.”

Butker will look to start a new flawless streak on PATs this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

WATCH: Chiefs S Justin Reid converts extra point vs. Browns

#Chiefs safety Justin Reid stepped in to score an extra point in Kansas City’s preseason finale against the #Browns.

Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid is known as a defensive leader, but it is his role as an emergency kicker that was notable on Saturday against the Cleveland Browns.

After the Chiefs evened the score late in the third quarter, Reid came on to kick an extra point to take the lead.

This was a booming kick that went through the uprights with ease. Reid’s leg has proven to be a valuable asset for Kansas City in the past, and his ability to fill in on extra points and three-point field goals shouldn’t go unnoticed.

While this kick is likely to be nothing more than a preseason novelty, Reid a scored point on special teams last year in the Chiefs’ march to Super Bowl LVII. When Harrison Butker went down with an injury in Week 1 back in 2022, Reid stepped in to convert one of his two extra-point attempts against the Arizona Cardinals to help lift Kansas City to its first win of the Super Bowl campaign.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1]

Chiefs ST coordinator Dave Toub discusses state of special teams unit

After the first win of the new season, #Chiefs’ special teams coordinator Dave Toub discusses where his unit is headed in 2021. | from @TheJohnDillon

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbwa53mtds520q2 player_id=none image=https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Though it won’t count for much at the end of the season, the Kansas City Chiefs’ win against the 49ers in the first game of their preseason schedule seems to have set the tone for the team moving forward. After returning 21 of 22 starters last year, Kansas City has a plethora of new talent all over the roster after loading up in the offseason following their loss in the Super Bowl.

Motivated as ever to secure another championship, this Chiefs squad seems to have a different mentality than in previous seasons. With expectations of winning on the biggest stage as they did in 2020, there is an aura of confidence and swagger about Kansas City headed into this year’s schedule.

The edge that Patrick Mahomes gives the team is obvious, but it’s their all-around well-balanced and carefully constructed roster, top to bottom, that makes them a Super Bowl threat. On special teams especially, the Chiefs have a well-oiled machine where up-and-coming players can make a name for themselves before contributing on offense or defense.

Special teams coordinator Dave Toub is perennially regarded as a potential head coach candidate for teams seeking a rebuild. That’s because Toub has made the Chiefs’ punt and kick squads a huge asset to the team, and given Kansas City a consistent edge against less well-rounded opponents.

In a press conference after practice on Tuesday, Toub shared his thoughts on the Chiefs’ special teams unit after the team’s preseason win against the 49ers. Speaking first of his second-year punter Tommy Townsend, Toub told reporters he was impressed with what he saw on Saturday.

“You can’t watch that game without noticing Tommy Townsend,” Toub said.  “He was outstanding for us. You saw him have those kind of days in practice where he bombs the ball, but we’ve just never seen him transfer it to a game like he did. It was really good to see. He had seven punts and he was really bombing the ball and placing it where we needed it especially the one that went out on the one-yard line. That was amazing.”

While Townsend’s job is secure, other players, especially those on the fringe of the Chiefs’ depth chart, are hoping to impress Toub in a secondary role on special teams to make the final 53-man roster. His input could make or break the dreams of any number of players on the team, and Toub made it clear that cutting down the roster during the preseason process is no easy feat.

“You know, it’s hard,” Toub explained about roster cuts. “Sometimes you lose guys that you want to keep, but you go in, you make your arguments for guys and they have to be solid offensive or defensive players first obviously. Then it’s our job to turn those guys down the line into really good special teams players and that’s the way it works. We don’t keep a lot of players just because they play special teams. That’s not what’s really happening here. They got to play offense and defense first and then we turn them into better players.”

With such a sterling track record of player development, Toub has already made an obvious impact on the current Chiefs roster. Guys like Marcus Kemp, Dorian O’Daniel, and Ben Niemann have all been involved in the special teams game in previous years, and look like locks to make the team again this season.

One surprising addition to Toub’s crew in Saturday’s game was cornerback Mike Hughes, a former first-round pick by way of Minnesota that Kansas City traded for this offseason to shore up the secondary. In his new role as a kick returner, Hughes seems to have impressed Toub, who made a point to comment on his performance to the media.

“He did a nice job,” Toub told reporters. “We put him in there as punt returner and kick returner. The kick return he really hit it, did a nice job. I told our guys to come out no matter where the ball was kicked, that’s why he came out eight deep. Everybody got under a block, they did a good job blocking. We were one block away from scoring on that play, but he really hit it. It was encouraging to see him do that and we knew he had return ability and it was good to see it in a game.”

The Chiefs’ trip to Arizona this weekend will give Toub another opportunity to assess the talent at his disposal. With rugged competition all over Kansas City’s roster, his experimentation with different players in new situations on punts, kicks, and returns could culminate in a few personnel decisions that might surprise some fans. There is a premium on versatility for this team that has become something of an identity. If Toub can get even a little extra out of anyone on the Chiefs’ roster, it could give them the edge they need to win another title.

[listicle id=96587]

Broncos specialists have practiced together this offseason

Broncos kicker Brandon McManus will have a new long snapper and holder this season.

NFL coaches are not allowed to hold official practices at this time of year but players are allowed to work out together on a voluntary basis.

Broncos quarterback Drew Lock organized some unofficial practices in the Denver area and many of the team’s offensive players — and even some defenders — were able to attend them.

During a Zoom conference call with reporters on June 11, Broncos special teams coordinator Tom McMahon said the team’s specialists have also worked together this offseason.

“I can’t be out there with them,” McMahon said. “I can’t watch anything that they’re doing, but I know that all those guys — our snappers, kicker and our punter — have worked together already.

“I think it is necessary, but they’ve taken that upon themselves and done it. I think they’re going to come into camp ready to go.”

Denver kicker Brandon McManus will return this season but the team will have a new punter/holder (Sam Martin) and a new long snapper (either Jacob Bobenmoyer or Wes Farnsworth). Those specialists will get to work together at official practices when training camp starts later this month.

[vertical-gallery id=642240]