[NFL] Pats vs. Colts - make your prediction here!

[Ilium]

But how many of those get made by anybody? That's a LONG way. Although the Packers kicker nailed one that long this week.

 

[kenobi65]

But how many of those get made by anybody? That's a LONG way. Although the Packers kicker nailed one that long this week.

50 yards is, pretty much, the break point for an NFL kicker. Within 50 yards, most NFL kickers are expected to pretty much make the kick most every time. If a kicker can't reliably make a high-40 yarder, he won't keep his job for long.

Beyond 50 yards, it depends on the kicker, and the field and weather conditions. A guy that's normally reliable out to 55 or so indoors, on a rug, is going to lose a few yards in accuracy on natural turf (especially if it's chewed up), or if it's windy and / or cold.

Another determining factor on whether a team tries a long field goal is the game situation. When you miss a long FG, you're giving the other team increasingly good field position, which is why really long field goals are usually only attempted at the end of a half. (I think that Janikowski tried a 64-yarder last weekend, at the end of a half; my understanding was that he hit the upright, but that he had enough leg to have made it from 70.)

And, just FYI, Mason Crosby (the Packers kicker) hit from 48 and 45 on Sunday, but missed from 52 (though the miss was wide left, not short). Crosby's got a strong leg, from what I've seen.

 

[Ilium]

And, just FYI, Mason Crosby (the Packers kicker) hit from 48 and 45 on Sunday, but missed from 52 (though the miss was wide left, not short). Crosby's got a strong leg, from what I've seen.

Ah, my mistake. But 48 is pretty darn close.

 

[drothgery]

Another determining factor on whether a team tries a long field goal is the game situation. When you miss a long FG, you're giving the other team increasingly good field position, which is why really long field goals are usually only attempted at the end of a half.

It's also worth noting that on really long field goal attempts, smart teams will put a kick returner-type in the back of the end zone. The Bears scored a touchdown like that last year; the Chargers did last week (in one of the few San Diego highlights from that debacle in the Metrodome...).

 

[kenobi65]

It's also worth noting that on really long field goal attempts, smart teams will put a kick returner-type in the back of the end zone. The Bears scored a touchdown like that last year; the Chargers did last week (in one of the few San Diego highlights from that debacle in the Metrodome...).

Indeed, and this is something that was almost unheard of until a couple of years ago. Up until 1973 or '74, the NFL had their goal posts at the goal line, not the end line (a move that was made, IIRC, in the 1930s or 1940s, to encourage scoring), and, at that time, it was reasonably common to return long FG misses (since there was 10 more yards of real estate to play with). When the goal posts were moved back to the end line, returning missed FGs became very uncommon, mostly because very, very few of them landed in the field of play.

But now, we've now seen three super-long TDs on such plays in the past 3 seasons (Chicago's Nathan Vasher in '05, Devin Hester last year, and now Antonio Cromartie on Sunday). It's still a bit of a freak play, because it only really works on a long FG that lands short, and in the end zone (although it looked like Cromartie leaped up to catch the ball before it sailed past the end line), but it's a damned exciting play when it works. I imagine that, if they haven't already, special teams coaches will start to put a couple of fast coverage guys on the FG kicking team for long FGs, just so they have a chance of chasing down a Hester-type.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Here we go, straight from the AP:

"CBS has informed us that the unusual audio moment heard by fans during the Patriots-Colts game was the result of tape feedback in the CBS production truck and was isolated to the CBS broadcast," the league said. "It was in no way related to any sound within the stadium and could not be heard in the stadium."

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...3xDubYF?slug=ap-colts-noise&prov=ap&type=lgns

Not what it sounds like to me. Doesn't seem to affect the broadcasters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHQT...1/06/tuesday-stupid-the-colts-are-cheaters11/

 

[RatPunk]

Not what it sounds like to me. Doesn't seem to affect the broadcasters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHQT...1/06/tuesday-stupid-the-colts-are-cheaters11/

There are seperate microphone feeds involved there. The mics that caused the feedback in the production truck would have been a seperate audio feed than the ones from the broadcasters.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Mmm! Mmm! I love the taste of your salty tears, Scott!

This wouldn't be nearly so much fun if it wasn't so evil.

 

[RatPunk]

Mmm! Mmm! I love the taste of your salty tears, Scott!

This wouldn't be nearly so much fun if it wasn't so evil.

I would expect nothing less from you, Wulf!

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

7-1 is nothing to be ashamed of.

Could be worse.

Could be 2-6.