NFL kickers just might be too good at their jobs now!?

New York Post

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00:00Has the modern NFL place kicker become too good at his job?

00:03Some still can't even hit consistently from inside 42,

00:07but there are some freaks out there with some big legs that are launching them from 60-plus.

00:12Our New York Post sports columnist, Mike Vaccaro, has a column up on the Post website

00:16about how to fix the NFL's 60-yard field goal problem.

00:21Mike, thanks for hopping on with us.

00:23I can't wait to get your thoughts on this one.

00:25I read the article, so I already know.

00:26But for the people at home, we see kickers miss routine extra points from 33 yards out,

00:34and some even miss the chip shots under 42.

00:37So hitting from 60 wasn't so normal back in the day.

00:41But what problems does having kickers that can hit from 60-plus present to the modern game?

00:48I actually think it's good for football.

00:50Yeah, look, I mean, if you like seeing kickers dominate the game, then it's wonderful.

00:54But, and look, I mean, there's nothing wrong.

00:57They're only doing their jobs.

00:58They have to be very good at it now.

01:00You know, I mean, the turfs are better than they used to be.

01:03A lot of games inside domes.

01:05And these kickers don't look doughy like, you know, slow-pitch softball leaguers like they used to back in the day.

01:11But all of that said, I mean, especially when you combine it with the fact that now with the new NFL kickoff rules,

01:16you know, so many drives are starting from the 30, 35-yard line, you combine the two,

01:21basically you're one first down away from being in scoring position.

01:24I'm not really sure that's the way football is supposed to be.

01:28I think field goals are supposed to be a little more challenging than they are.

01:31I get it.

01:32You have your outliers now who still miss their 40-yard field goals and so forth.

01:36And I'm sure Buffalo Bills fans will tell you a chapter in verse about how easy field goals are.

01:41But, you know, all of that said, I mean, you have this preponderance now of kickers who not only make it from 60,

01:47but make it with, you know, room to spare.

01:49So we're not far away from 65-yarders becoming commonplace and, you know, probably 70-yarders becoming in play now too.

01:57And, again, I'm not sure that one first down and in was necessarily the way these games are supposed to go.

02:03But, I mean, look, I mean, in the same way that people want to, you know, outlaw the tush push and they've outlawed other things,

02:11in other sports that became too routine, I mean, I don't know if they're going to do this with kicking,

02:15but it's certainly something that I think is on people's minds.

02:18So you think this is more of a problem or more of just the evolution of the game?

02:23Because Odell Beckham Jr., I feel like, made the one-hand catch just routine,

02:28and now you have everyone doing it.

02:30And that's just because guys are practicing it now better.

02:32So do you think that, like, the NFL, the rules committee will look at this or identify this as a problem?

02:40Or do you think it's just something that they have to chalk up as the evolution of where the game is now today?

02:45I think it's down their priority list.

02:47I mean, I think first and foremost is probably either modifying or getting rid entirely of the tush push,

02:52which has become a real hot-button issue now every week because not only is it hard to defend,

02:57but it's hard to referee.

02:58It's hard to legislate.

03:00So on every one of these tush pushes now, I mean, there's 17 penalties,

03:03and that's not good for the game either.

03:04So I think that's probably going to be the focus of their attention immediately.

03:08But I think it's on the list, especially if we see this year play out,

03:12you see more and more, you know, 17-yard drives that resulted points

03:17and weren't, you know, started by a turnover.

03:19So, look, I mean, it's happened before in other sports, you know, for a while.

03:23They outlawed the dunk in basketball.

03:25That was probably not a good idea.

03:26But they did widen the lane in basketball when guys like George Mikan

03:31and Will Chamberlain made it just too easy for big men.

03:34In baseball, they lowered the pitcher's mound when the pitchers became too dominant.

03:38It's not unheard of to do that.

03:39I know kickers won't like to hear it.

03:41But you know what?

03:42I'm sure they would probably adjust to the new rules just as well.

03:45So for the rules committee, when they meet in March or May of next year,

03:51let's say they agree and they say that, you know what,

03:53hitting from 60 is becoming a problem.

03:55This isn't what we, what do we want the game to be?

03:59What would you suggest for the rule change?

04:02Maybe like narrowing the goalposts?

04:04Yeah, you know, it's funny.

04:05I actually got a bunch of replies from readers.

04:08And some of them are interesting and some of them are a little far out.

04:11But they're all, you know, fun to talk about.

04:13I mean, I think, look, I think if we want to make the game look the same

04:16and pretty much just change the difficulty, narrow the goalposts and make the goalposts higher.

04:25I think those two things right away would at least make it a little more challenging.

04:29Now, of course, the problem with that is a lot of these really ace field goal kickers,

04:34you know, everything they kick is right down the middle.

04:36So it might not make much of a difference.

04:38But I think maybe you start there and you see, you know,

04:40if that makes it a little bit more of a, you know,

04:44a challenge for kickers that have these big legs now.

04:47And look, not every team has one.

04:49And so, look, I guess you have to reward the teams who are able to identify, you know,

04:54big legs in their kickers.

04:55But, you know, I just think it's a different game than it was intended to be

04:59when, you know, you only have to move the ball 10, 15, 20 yards

05:03and suddenly you're in scoring range.

05:06I just remember when Sebastian Janikowski was drafted in the first round out of Florida State.

05:12I was a kid back then.

05:14And that was kind of unheard of at the time.

05:16We can only imagine if guys are doing it or able to do this in college,

05:21then it's only a matter of time until a team uses a first round draft pick again on a kicker.

05:27You mentioned tush push and how that's in the news every single week.

05:32In fact, we did a breakdown on it earlier this week.

05:36So, what would you say is worse for the game right now,

05:38the tush push or kickers hitting from 60 plus?

05:41Well, the tush push.

05:42Look, I mean, and I've always been, I think I was maybe the last defender of the tush push

05:46in the context of the Eagles are very good at it.

05:50Yep.

05:50The Bills have a guy that you would imagine would be unstoppable at it also.

05:53So, it's a, there's definitely a skill to it when it's done properly.

05:57But it's impossible to legislate now.

05:59I mean, that, that Eagles Chiefs game last week, every time they did it,

06:03there were three guys jumping off sides on defense and four guys moving early on offense.

06:07And, you know, the referees just can't keep up.

06:09They, they, they pretty much just let anything happen now.

06:11And that's not good either because it'd become kind of a, kind of farcical,

06:15which is a shame because I think that, you know, it's, if it's,

06:18if it's able to be legislated,

06:19it's actually a good weapon for teams that have a very unique skill set to have.

06:24But I just don't think they can legislate it properly.

06:26It's impossible to do.

06:28And I think that's become the problem.

06:29And it's just become, you know, too much of a distraction week to, you know,

06:33and I still think you can have elements of the tush push without it being this

06:37full-blown rugby play.

06:39And I think that's the thing you hear now is that it's turning the game into

06:42rugby.

06:43And I don't think anybody wants that.

06:45So I, I think, I think that's going to be a real issue that they have to deal

06:49with.

06:49I mean, it almost died last year.

06:51I think it's going to be in real trouble this year because look, I mean,

06:55you know, the Eagles are the best team in football.

06:56So you're going to, you're going to hear about them every week.

06:58You're going to see them every week.

06:59And if a dominant conversation isn't that good.

07:02Saquon is or how good hurts is, or the defense is, it's the tush push.

07:06That's not good for anybody.

07:08You have a lot of giants fans,

07:10or you've made a lot of fans from giants fans who are like, yeah,

07:13ban the tush push and ban kickers kicking from 60 plus because they're

07:18still hurting from whatever it is we saw this past Sunday.

07:22Mike, thanks for hanging out with us.

07:24Sure, Brandon.

07:24Have a good weekend.

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