Kickers

Just a warning to those out there who are punters or place kickers on a football team, this probably won't be your favorite blog. But, if any of you watched the Orange Bowl last night between Florida State and Penn State, I'm sure you can understand why I'll be talking about kickers in a negative way.

Football is a the most physical of all major sports. Baseball, basketball, even hockey don't even compare. For sixty minutes, it's 11-on-11, with guys getting hit, pounded, dogpiled on, blindsided, and more sore with each and every play. The quarterback is the target of all defenders. Getting to and hitting the quarterback is the goal of all eleven of them. Men anywhere from 230 to 310 pounds are coming after this guy, trying to come after and hit him for all sixty minutes. The fullbacks, halfbacks, receivers, tight ends are all targets when they have the football and sometimes, when they don't. The big guys up front, the offensive linemen are blocking 280-300 pounders all game long to try and protect their quarterback and set blocks for the other players who will be getting the ball. Yet, through all of this physical play, hard work, pounding, sweating, and cramping, the game can all come down to a 5'6'' 150 lb. kicker, whose only job is to kick. The other players are out there for 50-80 plays in the game. He might be out there for 5-6 plays in the game. How difficult can it be? The players on offense have to memorize 50-100 plays. All the kicker needs to do is know how to kick it. He doesn't have to study a man-under or base formation defense like the other players on offense will. Yet, even this is too difficult a job sometimes, as was displayed last night.

Florida State missed an extra point early in the game, or else they would've been up 17-16 going into Penn State's last possession in regulation. So, the game was tied at 16, going into PSU's last drive, of which, they missed a field goal that would've won it. Then it was on to the first overtime, and both teams missed a field goal. In the third overtime, Florida State clanked one off the upright and Penn State finally prevailed with a chip shot field goal that barely hooked inside the left upright. If it had been from a yard further out, that game might've headed to a fourth overtime. A missed extra point, and four missed field goals in three overtimes and the final drive of regulation. Your guys are busting their butts for sixty minutes and it comes down to a guy, who looks more cut out for cheerleading than football, kicking a ball made of pigskin through two uprights.

There's no other position like it. There's the free throw in basketball, but nobody is in the guy's face when he shoots it. That's why it's called "free," unless it's Shaquille O'Neal, then it may come at a price. There's no chance of someone blocking your shot. The biggest distraction may be the crowd. Big deal. In baseball, you have the closer, who pitches the 9th inning of a game to try and close out a victory for your team. Three outs and that's it. There's also room for error. The first guy might be walked, but then the next hits into a double play. As long as you maintain the lead, you get the save. It's not like they have a half-time cheerleader come into a basketball game after a possession failed and have her bounce the ball off her head into the hoop in attempt to salvage three points. Doesn't happen. It's not like in baseball, they bring in a mascot with a metal bat to hit after there were already three outs in the inning, to try and get some runs on the board. Nope, only in football will this take place. After three failed plays of throwing and or running the ball, they put the ball into the hands (feet) of a guy who is half the size (at most) of the rest of the players on the team, to kick the ball through the uprights. I'll never understand it and it's just got to drive coaches crazy, except Bill Belicheck, coach of the New England Patriots. That guy has the most clutch kicker in history, in Adam Vinatieri. Other coaches need to start to support the concept of cloning, so they can get themselves another Vinatieri. Because these other guys are just going to keep clanking that ball off the uprights in critical situations and make the rest of the players roll their eyes in disgust, saying to themselves, "That's the only dang thing he does all game and he can't even do that!"