Replies: 18
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110%er [6153]
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Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's
Jan 13, 2016, 5:43 AM
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Some how, some where, find someone who can kick the ball through the end zone!
Our opponents all seem to have this guy ... why don't we?
If we had him on Monday night, chances are we are national champs right now.
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CU Guru [1929]
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Re: Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's
Jan 13, 2016, 7:15 AM
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While no one person or group loses or wins a game, it's a team effort, it is safe to say our KO/KO return coverage is our weakest link and that weakness was never more obvious that Monday night. Attention to details/fundamentals needs to be job 1 for Dabo and staff.
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110%er [7224]
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Re: Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's
Jan 13, 2016, 8:06 AM
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For the kickoff team the problems start with the kick. Not deep enough and not enough hang time to allow the team to get down the field, and lack of touch backs. The onside kick by Bama was poor fundamentals on kickoff return team. That is coaching. The punting team suffers from lack of hang time and inability to kill the ball inside the 20, most of that is on the punter. Our punter going pro early last year hurt us in this game. There needs to be better emphasis on recruiting and better coaching.
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Varsity [233]
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Re: Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's
Jan 13, 2016, 8:36 AM
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I've replied on a couple other similar threads on this. We are recruiting a kicker out of Weddington HS in NC, Keith Duncan, but haven't offered yet. Iowa offered last week. He can consistently kick it in the end zone and holds records for most 50+ ft's, most in a career and season in NC. Very good kid, as well, and has a charity that donates money for every FG made. The kind of kid we want and the opposite of Lakip.
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Varsity [233]
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Re: Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's
Jan 13, 2016, 8:38 AM
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FGs, not FTs
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CU Guru [1512]
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Re: Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's
Jan 13, 2016, 10:27 AM
[ in reply to Re: Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's ] |
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stump: Nice young man and i've seen film on his kicking in game conditions. Sent film to Tiger recruiting. Never heard back What are we waiting for? Do you know?
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Varsity [233]
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Re: Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's
Jan 13, 2016, 10:57 AM
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Not sure. Probably waiting to see who leaves for the NFL and what other positions need to be filled. Also probably waiting to see how Huegel progressed. My instinct is that Huegel will continue to get better. He has the same kicking coach that Duncan has and they have similar form/technique. Saw Duncan nail a 52 yarder in a game on a very wet field. He told us his plant foot actually slid about 3 inches, but still had enough power to make it.
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All-TigerNet [14427]
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Re: Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's***
Jan 13, 2016, 8:50 AM
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Oculus Spirit [97151]
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^^^Excellent post -- arguably your best ever!***
Jan 13, 2016, 9:39 AM
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All-TigerNet [14427]
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Re: Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's
Jan 13, 2016, 8:52 AM
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How many did bama kick out of the ez. We returned almost every one of their kicks. We just got to do a better job covering them. Even the greatest kickers don't always hit them perfect.
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Orange Blooded [2111]
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Re: Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's
Jan 13, 2016, 10:22 AM
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I would just like to kick it in the endzone
but my leg is not as skrong
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Orange Blooded [2111]
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Re: Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's
Jan 13, 2016, 9:33 AM
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we are after two kickers in NC. both from the Charlotte area if i'm not mistaken. Both can kick the ball extremely well. I'm pretty sure both were offered preferred walk on but no scholarships. If they are as good as I think they are then they will get on scholarship eventually down the road if they come to us.
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Varsity [233]
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Re: Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's
Jan 13, 2016, 10:19 AM
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Keith Duncan will go to Furman on scholarship, unless Clemson offers. Iowa offered last week, but he would love to go to Clemson. His girlfriend received a scholarship to play soccer for the Tigers in the fall. He worked with my son on his kicking recently and I was very impressed with him.
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All-TigerNet [13888]
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Open Try Outs for the Cannon Leg
Jan 13, 2016, 9:41 AM
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Preferred walk on status...regular student with a boomer leg. Odds are, there is a kid on campus that can kick the ball out of the stadium
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110%er [5915]
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Spring Practice Excitement
Jan 13, 2016, 11:35 AM
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Open Tryout for kickoff specialist - our 12TH MAN!
What is the scholarship rule on a junior or senior bench warmer on a soccer scholarship becoming a kickoff specialist?
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Orange Blooded [4903]
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IMO coverage is the bigger issue
Jan 13, 2016, 10:24 AM
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I would like to have a kicker that consistently kicks it through the end zone but even the best college kickers can't kick it all the way through 100% of the time - which then opens up the possibility of a return.
Our coverage has been bad all season and Alabama finally exploited it. I don't care if you have the strongest leg in all of college, if you can't cover the return you can get burned. And what happens if you have the absolute strongest kicker but he gets injured or sick?
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Orange Blooded [2410]
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Re: IMO coverage is the bigger issue
Jan 13, 2016, 11:41 AM
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Then we're back to where we are now.
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CU Guru [1341]
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Re: Job #1 in off season? Find a strong leg to handle KO's
Jan 13, 2016, 12:07 PM
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You might want to look at the NFL statistics, then get a realistic view of your expectations. Yes, these are the "best of the best" that were in college, and are now getting paid 6 figure salaries to kick the ball "out of the end zone".
NFL TEAM KICKOFF TOUCHBACK PERCENTAGE Rank Team 2015 1 Indianapolis 87.01% 2 Baltimore 85.14% 3 Atlanta 68.42% 4 New England 68.32% 5 Dallas 67.12% 6 Denver 67.07% 7 Carolina 66.99% 8 Jacksonville 65.48% 9 Tennessee 65.15% 10 Washington 62.92% 11 Miami 61.11% 12 San Francisco 60.32% 13 St Louis 58.82% 14 Minnesota 54.95% 15 Oakland 54.32% 16 San Diego 53.95% 17 New Orleans 53.66% 18 Tampa Bay 53.66% 19 Detroit 51.95% 20 Philadelphia 51.85% 21 Arizona 50.51% 22 Buffalo 50.00% 23 Seattle 49.47% 24 Green Bay 49.44% 25 Kansas City 48.45% 26 Cincinnati 48.39% 27 Chicago 46.99% 28 Houston 42.86% 29 Pittsburgh 42.00% 30 NY Giants 39.78% 31 NY Jets 39.53% 32 Cleveland 38.57%
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All-TigerNet [11934]
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But, how many of those guys are paid just to do kick offs?
Jan 13, 2016, 2:29 PM
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Most of them are actually paid to kick accurate field goals and extra points while performing kick off duty is a distant second.
By contrast, colleges can find a "kick-off specialist" for the price of a year-to-year scholarship.
Maybe the guy they use couldn't kick a field goal to save his life, and he'll never see an NFL contract ... but he has a huge leg and can get it through the EZ regularly so he walks on and earns his scholarship by preventing long returns for TDs in critical situations.
I think that's the point of the OP.
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Replies: 18
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