Neil Rackers strikes again!

[Chris_Sanders]

Alrighty hyperbole crew...

Name these kickers who make fgs after bad snaps and holds "all the time". I mean if it happens all the time, then you should be able to answer the question easily.

Some of you need to accept that several things have to go right in football for a play to be successful. That is just the way it is.

 

[CardShark]

Believe it or not the ball placement and timing on a FG or PA is the one thing in the game that has to be perfect every time. If it's not you're almost garaunteed a miss. That doesn't mean that every time one is missed that the kicker gets a pass, it's only part of the equation. If it wasn't a bad snap and the hold wasn't bad, then Rackers would deserve the flak, but that wasn't the case. He made three where the hold was good so I see him being off to a much better start than last year. If the Cards can dominate a game like they did yesterday, then I'm betting that his impact will be minimal. Good or bad.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Alrighty hyperbole crew...

Name these kickers who make fgs after bad snaps and holds "all the time". I mean if it happens all the time, then you should be able to answer the question easily.

Some of you need to accept that several things have to go right in football for a play to be successful. That is just the way it is.

There were 563 FG attempts 40 yards and under last year. The combined number made was 545. That's a 96.8% clip. Rackers made 13/15 for an 86.7%. As for the guys who were perfect bad snaps/hold and all,they inlcuded, Matt Stover (19/19), Morten Andersen(21/21),Rian Lindell (18/18), David Akers (22/22),Joe Nedney (13/13), Jon Carney (10/10),Josh Scobee (9/9), and Jason Elam (17/17). Only 2 kickers, Jason Hanson and Lawrence Tynes, missed more than Rackers with 3 misses each.

 

[CardShark]

There were 563 FG attempts 40 yards and under last year. The combined number made was 545. That's a 96.8% clip. Rackers made 13/15 for an 86.7%. As for the guys who were perfect bad snaps/hold and all,they inlcuded, Matt Stover (19/19), Morten Andersen(21/21),Rian Lindell (18/18), David Akers (22/22),Joe Nedney (13/13), Jon Carney (10/10),Josh Scobee (9/9), and Jason Elam (17/17). Only 2 kickers, Jason Hanson and Lawrence Tynes, missed more than Rackers with 3 misses each.

How are you determining if they had bad snaps/holds? How many were? You can't just throw out kickers that were perfect and assume they had bad snaps/holds.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

There were 563 FG attempts 40 yards and under last year. The combined number made was 545. That's a 96.8% clip. Rackers made 13/15 for an 86.7%. As for the guys who were perfect bad snaps/hold and all,they inlcuded, Matt Stover (19/19), Morten Andersen(21/21),Rian Lindell (18/18), David Akers (22/22),Joe Nedney (13/13), Jon Carney (10/10),Josh Scobee (9/9), and Jason Elam (17/17). Only 2 kickers, Jason Hanson and Lawrence Tynes, missed more than Rackers with 3 misses each.

Still hyperboling. I said give me specific instances of kickers who were given a bad snap/hold and still made the kick.

I will take 3 instances last season to cover the "all the time" statement. You need to stop looking at numbers, making assumptions, and then using said assumptions to back up poor arguements.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

As far as Rackers game yesterday, the game was won on ball control and field position. Both much maligned kickers were instrumental in this. If you consider that Rackers missing after a terrible snap/hold a -3 point play, then you have to consider his masterful pooch kick off a +7 play.

If you will goat him for team errors, he should get credit on the other side as well. All in all he had a B+ game.

 

[joeshmo]

How are you determining if they had bad snaps/holds? How many were? You can't just throw out kickers that were perfect and assume they had bad snaps/holds.

I think it is a great example. So what you are saying is that out of those 130 snaps and holds that CBus brought up were all PERFECT. Not by a long shot. Its like a NBA player hitting 130 free throws in a row. Not going to happen or at the least the percentages of it happening is huge.

 

[joeshmo]

Still hyperboling. I said give me specific instances of kickers who were given a bad snap/hold and still made the kick.

I will take 3 instances last season to cover the "all the time" statement. You need to stop looking at numbers, making assumptions, and then using said assumptions to back up poor arguements.

Sorry but thats is a horrible thing to ask for. One, 9 times out of ten the field goal hold and snap isnt even replayed let alone put into slow motion. Two, unless someone wants to break down hours of tape there is no way to answer the question considering they dont keep such stats.

See my post prior to this the odds of the 130 kicks mentioned having 3 or more "None perfect snaps and holds" is highly in our favor.

Snaps and holds are not always perfect, its the good kickers that make adjustments to none perfect situations. It was a 35 yarder making it easier to make adjustments then say a 45 yarder where you need more leg then accuracy.

Rackers is a head case. He himself and the coaches have all admitted that Rackers is a creator of habit and needs everything to be the same everytime. It is why Wiz said that it was a mistake to get rid of Players because he wasnt comfortable with the new holder. If Rackers isnt comfortable then Rackers is missing kicks. The guy has to have everything perfect, and nothing is ever perfect with 22 guys on the field.

 

[Stout]

Please. Chris, you're grasping at straws. Aside from the fact that all good kickers can still make most of those kicks, as others have mentioned, look at the replay again. The snap wasn't perfect, but the ball was down in good position. Rackers didn't double-clutch. So, why is the hold to blame?

He missed a short chip-shot field goal. Man up and admit that. I just hope Whis mans up and holds this guy accountable. Keep him for kickoffs and bring in a better kicker for field goals.

 

[Gee!]

A tiger is a tiger & Rackers is Rackers. He's never been clutch & he never will.

Is this some kind of reference to him being a former bengal? Because at his I thought it was a reference to a tigers stripes.. Or maybe it all just accidently worked together..

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

As frustrating as Rackers performance is, what better choices are there available at the moment?

 

[earthsci]

As frustrating as Rackers performance is, what better choices are there available at the moment?

Well, there are Brazilian soccer players.

George Bush: "That's a lot of soccer players."

 

[cardsfanmd]

Well, there are Brazilian soccer players.

George Bush: "That's a lot of soccer players."

You guys and your naive thought process is hysterical to me. I just dont get why you feel the need to put FG kickers on such a high pedestal. It is by FAR the easiest job in proffessional sports. If it is as hard as you guys apparently think it is then I need to come try out for the team next year because I am automatic from 35 in with either foot and my eyes closed. I find it hard to believe that there are not MILLIONS of better kickers than me out there.

Turn on espn 12 and watch 3 minutes of a soccer game where guys are hitting people in stride while running themselves from 40 and 50 yards away and honestly tell me that you dont think they could quickly learn to kick football straight ahead from a stationary position.

 

[Redheart]

You guys and your naive thought process is hysterical to me. I just dont get why you feel the need to put FG kickers on such a high pedestal. It is by FAR the easiest job in proffessional sports. If it is as hard as you guys apparently think it is then I need to come try out for the team next year because I am automatic from 35 in with either foot and my eyes closed. I find it hard to believe that there are not MILLIONS of better kickers than me out there.

Turn on espn 12 and watch 3 minutes of a soccer game where guys are hitting people in stride while running themselves from 40 and 50 yards away and honestly tell me that you dont think they could quickly learn to kick football straight ahead from a stationary position.

Oh...you're a soccer player...now I get it...

 

[cardsfanmd]

Oh...you're a soccer player...now I get it...

Not at all, I would rather watch the wnba.

 

[Russ Smith]

You guys and your naive thought process is hysterical to me. I just dont get why you feel the need to put FG kickers on such a high pedestal. It is by FAR the easiest job in proffessional sports. If it is as hard as you guys apparently think it is then I need to come try out for the team next year because I am automatic from 35 in with either foot and my eyes closed. I find it hard to believe that there are not MILLIONS of better kickers than me out there.

Turn on espn 12 and watch 3 minutes of a soccer game where guys are hitting people in stride while running themselves from 40 and 50 yards away and honestly tell me that you dont think they could quickly learn to kick football straight ahead from a stationary position.

I don't know. I watched Cal's opener. 3 days before the game they changed to a new KO guy, walkon soccer player he'd been in camp with them last year but not in camp before he was just cleared to practice and thrust out there.

A friend of mine is a huge Cal fan he said the word on Cal boards all week was this kid is insane every KO is in the endzone he's still getting the mechanics down on FG's he takes way too long now, but his kickoffs will be touchbacks over and over. I don't think he got a single kick to the endzone against MSU most of them landed at the 10, and Saturday I only saw 2 KO's and again not to the endzone. They said during the game Cal is unlikely to let him do anything but attempt long FG's because he's just so slow at getting kicks off they'll get blocked.

I think you are really underestimating how complicated a FG is. I don't excuse Rackers at all I'm all over get a better kicker but I don't think the sign a soccer player problem solved idea is that simple.

 

[joeshmo]

Whiz and Coach both says it was Rackers fault.

"Whiz said kicker Neil Rackers tends to get too "quick" in his kicks and on his 35-yard field goal miss, that's what Rackers told the coach -- that he was going to fast instead of taking his time. Rackers is so good in other aspects of the game -- his pooch kicks, his booming kickoffs -- that his issues on field-goal accuracy haven't killed Rackers yet. He does need to get more steady though. Whisenhunt acknowledged "I think we will need Neil at some point."

 

[SoCal Cardfan]

You guys and your naive thought process is hysterical to me. I just dont get why you feel the need to put FG kickers on such a high pedestal. It is by FAR the easiest job in proffessional sports. If it is as hard as you guys apparently think it is then I need to come try out for the team next year because I am automatic from 35 in with either foot and my eyes closed. I find it hard to believe that there are not MILLIONS of better kickers than me out there.

Turn on espn 12 and watch 3 minutes of a soccer game where guys are hitting people in stride while running themselves from 40 and 50 yards away and honestly tell me that you dont think they could quickly learn to kick football straight ahead from a stationary position.

I just have to think that there are thousands of near poverty soccer players, who would love an NFL salary.
Whats holding em back? cost of a plane ticket?

 

[cardsfanmd]

I don't know. I watched Cal's opener. 3 days before the game they changed to a new KO guy, walkon soccer player he'd been in camp with them last year but not in camp before he was just cleared to practice and thrust out there.

A friend of mine is a huge Cal fan he said the word on Cal boards all week was this kid is insane every KO is in the endzone he's still getting the mechanics down on FG's he takes way too long now, but his kickoffs will be touchbacks over and over. I don't think he got a single kick to the endzone against MSU most of them landed at the 10, and Saturday I only saw 2 KO's and again not to the endzone. They said during the game Cal is unlikely to let him do anything but attempt long FG's because he's just so slow at getting kicks off they'll get blocked.

I think you are really underestimating how complicated a FG is. I don't excuse Rackers at all I'm all over get a better kicker but I don't think the sign a soccer player problem solved idea is that simple.

The soccer player thing wasn't really a plan, I was just trying to say that I think there are a bunch of guys out there who can kick a fg through the uprights.

I am not opposed to keeping Rackers for kickoffs and long FGs and bringing someone else to handle the 45 and in stuff.

 

[cardsfanmd]

I just have to think that there are thousands of near poverty soccer players, who would love an NFL salary.
Whats holding em back? cost of a plane ticket?

Uh, yeah.

 

[WisconsinCard]

As far as Rackers game yesterday, the game was won on ball control and field position. Both much maligned kickers were instrumental in this. If you consider that Rackers missing after a terrible snap/hold a -3 point play, then you have to consider his masterful pooch kick off a +7 play.

If you will goat him for team errors, he should get credit on the other side as well. All in all he had a B+ game.

You have got to be kidding us. A man needs to get props for doing his job. What is he paid to do? Make field goals and all other tasks assigned. He was assinged a task and he did it. Was that a "great" pooch kick? I guess it was, but only because TS made it that way. If TS just falls on it then was it a great pooch kick?

Oh and also by your theory then for all the kicks missed I calculate he still owes us about 20 in a row.

 

[Russ Smith]

The soccer player thing wasn't really a plan, I was just trying to say that I think there are a bunch of guys out there who can kick a fg through the uprights.

I am not opposed to keeping Rackers for kickoffs and long FGs and bringing someone else to handle the 45 and in stuff.

OK we agree there are better kickers available. I just think the sign a soccer player crowd would be surprised those guys struggle at it. Cal's kicker is italian not Brazilian but apparently he's got a strong leg but was just line driving kicks into the endzone and when Cal worked with him to get some hang time his vaunted distance completely vanished.

He isn't kicking FG's way too slow to get the kicks off. they had all these articles right before the game about him, what a great story it was, so far he looks exactly like what he is, a guy who's never kicked before.

I'm all for having a more reliable kicker it cost us too many games the last 2 seasons.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

If it is as hard as you guys apparently think it is then I need to come try out for the team next year because I am automatic from 35 in with either foot and my eyes closed.

Which is why you are making the big bucks posting on ASFN.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

You have got to be kidding us. A man needs to get props for doing his job. What is he paid to do? Make field goals and all other tasks assigned. He was assinged a task and he did it. Was that a "great" pooch kick? I guess it was, but only because TS made it that way. If TS just falls on it then was it a great pooch kick?

Oh and also by your theory then for all the kicks missed I calculate he still owes us about 20 in a row.

So no one should get props for having a nice game then?

You Rackers haters get more rediculous by the post.

 

[earthsci]

You guys and your naive thought process is hysterical to me. I just dont get why you feel the need to put FG kickers on such a high pedestal. It is by FAR the easiest job in proffessional sports. If it is as hard as you guys apparently think it is then I need to come try out for the team next year because I am automatic from 35 in with either foot and my eyes closed. I find it hard to believe that there are not MILLIONS of better kickers than me out there.

Turn on espn 12 and watch 3 minutes of a soccer game where guys are hitting people in stride while running themselves from 40 and 50 yards away and honestly tell me that you dont think they could quickly learn to kick football straight ahead from a stationary position.

Wow, you are very sensitive to a little ribbing.