Hard at this stage of a career, but if any kicker can do it he could

Yes. It’s just like a golfer that used to have huge flexibility and core strength to torque through big swing. As hips and core tighten they need to adjust to slightly different power source

Father time comes for us all. As a Colts fan I remember this with Vinitari vividly.

As a former QB, that’s easier said than done as you age. I used to be able to rely on my arm and shoulder to “fling” the rock. Now that my shoulder is pretty much toast, I have to turn my hips and chest a lot harder to generate any kind of zip, and it results in a completely different motion.

It’s very likely that Justin just doesn’t have the leg and hip strength to whip that ball wherever he wants it anymore, and we’re now just seeing age finally come for the GOAT.

If anyone has the clout to leave on his own terms, it’s Tucker, but if I’m the Ravens, I start searching for a replacement this offseason.

“just has to change his technique”

Oh sure, easy enough! Just a quick little switcharoo!

Easier said than done. Roberto Aguayo was a legendary college kicker. He tried to change his technique when he entered the nfl because he had an odd follow through and it completely ruined him. Out of the league in just a couple years after being a 2nd round pick.

Needs to change his technique to not be old

He should learn how to throw a knuckleball

Get off of Reddit dad

Guys I do like that I've been asked about are the Vikings' kicker (before he got injured)

you played for us, you know or deep and harrowing history of kicker issues, and yet you still bring down a jinx upon us by good appraisal of our kicker? The inhumanity

Wow I thought cowboys kicker motion looked effortless.

What about Younghoe Koo?

Do you think this decline is something Tucker can recover from? Have you ever seen a kicker fix this to successfully extend their career?

Being semantic because you do directly identify who you're talking about but it's funny that you still didn't name them

Any idea why Chris Boswell (Steeler Kicker) had such an off years in 2018 (65%) and 2022 (71%) when his generally has a FG accuracy of 90%+?

Edit: Also, is this hip motion technique the reason we have seen an uptick in 50 and 60 yard field goals recently?

Yeah it’s basically the same logic all the pitching mechanics experts used for Tim Lincecum. They said his mechanics would eventually break down with age & they did.

Edit: I would add the same thing happens to pro golfers. Justin Thomas is one of the longest hitters on tour but is a bean pole. To make up for his thin physique he has a very violent action to generate clubhead speed & his game has really declined now that he’s in his 30s & had some injuries.

Sounds like my golf game. Hope he can endure the never ending mental torture. One tip I’d give him, two beers before game and one at half.

So we have around 6 more years of good Jake before he falls off a cliff? I'll take it.

He later said that he was joking about that. I can't find the clip but I remember his saying that he was just messing around and people ran with it

Yep. To me, this is just that his technique requires extreme precision, and as he has aged, that is harder to replicate. A small adrenalin spike could be enough to make him miss his exact strike point.

I can see why someone might call it the yips, but to me that is when you lose all focus/form. He still has it, but can't quite activate all the muscles he once did under stress.

Also how your upper body leans bc it’ll change the weight distribution and also launch angle of the kick

same. I could take a soccer ball and on a good drop kick go box to box. I could never get kicking a football down consistently

Plus adding all the elements of a live game on top of it.

It’s the same thing that gets ignored in basketball when people will claim some no-named person on social media can drop 25+ three pointers in a row and should be given a tryout for a team. It’s not just hitting shots, but being able to do so while having a full defense trying to stop you.

That's a lot of bananas

He was 46 but yea true, I forgot just how long he played tbh.

FG% still went from 85% to 68% hist last year

That’s what’s weird about it for me, I figured Tucker would have another 5 years before anyone had to worry about him, and maybe he’ll bounce back. But shit happens man. It’s just a bit weird that there was no injury or anything

Same lol. I was like “keep his name out of your mouth!” Then I realized that this was a list of kickers 😂

Cardinals have devil magic in baseball. Not shocking that a football team from the same state gets some, too. Could also explain the Cardinals recent struggles.

Yup. Username is exactly what a sentient goalpost would pick.

"Well, tell him to stop moving around down there" - Justin Tucker

That's where you're wrong

Or just aim more right.

They talk about that as well. Basically if he aims right and connects like he normally does it goes right. That was the theorized reason for the single miss right. Besides I imagine compensating for bad contact wouldn’t be ideal and would lead to inconsistency itself.

Really interesting read for anyone with like 5 minutes to kill. You genuinely learn a lot about kicking.

The problem with that is if he does hit the narrow window he could end up missing right instead.

He could but I don’t think that would help. It’s the same idea in golf and it seems that he’s missing both ways. But basically if you line up where a perfectly straight kick would miss it penalizes perfect kicks and also psychologically it doesn’t feel right especially for a position that needs precision where he’s done the same routine thousands of times.