The further your opponent is from the end-zone, the less likely it is that they will score. This seems like a fairly straightforward concept, but it’s something the Vikings front office (and most of the NFL) just doesn’t seem to get.
Since the invention of football, kickers have almost always done both the field goals and the kickoffs. There isn’t much of a difference between doing a kick-off or a field goal. This works out well for most teams as many kickers can boot the football pretty far. However, there are cases where a kicker can have very good accuracy, but can’t kick it very far.
The previous sentence describes our own Ryan Longwell very well. His accuracy is near perfect, but he just doesn’t do a very good job at kickoffs. Last season the Vikings ranked dead last in the league in kickoffs. Their opponents average starting position off a kickoff was at the 30 yard line, whereas the top-ranked Falcons kept there opponents to the 22 yard line. Eight yards might not seem like much, but it makes a big difference.
Most teams balk at the idea of signing someone simply to do the kick-offs. But as the following stats will show, this is something they (especially the Vikings) seriously need to consider.
Continue reading →
