We always recognize the quarterback, the running back, and the wide receiver for their game winning heroics on the field. But one position on a football team that is frequently over looked is the kicker. Kickers are very important to the team. Not only do they kick the ball off after each score and punt the ball down the field to give the other team a tougher chance of scoring, they also score points for the team. It hard to believe, but kickers sometimes hold the record for the most points scored for a team. These points can have a huge impact on the momentum of the game. A good example of a kickers importance is Sebastian Janikowski who kicked a 63-yard field goal before half time that fired up his team. Watch for your self.
Field goals can also change the outcome of the game and the outcome of the team altogether. For example Oregon played USC on November 19, 2011. Oregon was ranked number 4 in the nation and they had to beat USC to keep their BCS championship hopes alive. Oregon made a huge come back and the game came down to the last kick. The Oregon kicker lined up and missed the field goal. Another example is the Boise State vs. TCU game in which Boise State was in the same predicament as Oregon. They had to win to keep their championship hopes alive. The kicker for Boise State lines up for a strait on game winning field goal but he missed. These missed kicks cost both Oregon and Boise State their championship dreams. You can see that kickers are very important to their teams. They have a lot of pressure on them with every kick they attempt. Just watch this movie on Kyle Brotzman and you will see how much pressure kickers are under.
It is crazy that the kicker position is largely overlooked until they come out on the field for a game winning field goal. The pressure that is put on them is like setting a car on their back. One kick, one shot for everything or nothing. If a kicker misses a field goal almost every person that enjoys football puts the kicker under fire. We see this in the example of Kyle Brotzman. This is also evident in the movie called The Field Goal Kicking Garbage Picking Philadelphia Phenomena. This movie is about a garbage man who is recruited as a kicker for the Philadelphia Eagles. He does great at the start of his career, but he misses a few field goals and the whole city turns on him. We need to understand that kicking a field goal is not the easiest thing in the world. Most of us would not be able to make a regular extra point from 10 yards out let alone a 40-yard field goal under pressure. We shouldn’t criticize a kicker for missing a field goal no matter how far it is or how much is riding on it.
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