Zuerlein and pressure kicks

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moklerman

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THIS game would seem to fly directly in the face of that assessment. And again he was 26-28 last season! How are people worried?

Oh, well, if he did it once I guess that's the end of the story. :rolleyes:

Dude started his career out hot but has been streaky ever since. Not to mention, he hasn't been asked to attempt many long ones. I think Fisher could see his confidence wavering and reeled him way in last year.
 

bskrilla

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Oh, well, if he did it once I guess that's the end of the story. :rolleyes:

Dude started his career out hot but has been streaky ever since. Not to mention, he hasn't been asked to attempt many long ones. I think Fisher could see his confidence wavering and reeled him way in last year.

He was 16-23 his rookie year and then 26-28 his 2nd year. How is that starting off hot and being streaky after?
 
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Not to mention, he hasn't been asked to attempt many long ones. I think Fisher could see his confidence wavering and reeled him way in last year.

The deepest we punted from last season was the opposition 43 yard line with the score tied 7-7 against the Titans, so a 60 yard attempt, maybe we attempt that in Greg's rookie year, maybe we don't. We also passed up a 61 yard attempt, a 62 yard attempt, a 66 yard attempt and 2 67 yard attempts.

We also passed up a 57 yard attempt trailing by 20 @ Arizona with 32 seconds to play. A 55 yard attempt in favour of a fake punt tied 0-0 with Dallas. A 53 yard attempt trailing Dallas by 24 with 1:03 left in Q4. A 51 yard attempt on 4th and 1 against Atlanta down 14 with 12:24 left in Q2.

I look at that and there's maybe 2 attempts (the punt against the Titans and the fake punt) where I'd say you should attempt the kick. But who knows maybe Fisher did reel him in.
 

moklerman

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The deepest we punted from last season was the opposition 43 yard line with the score tied 7-7 against the Titans, so a 60 yard attempt, maybe we attempt that in Greg's rookie year, maybe we don't. We also passed up a 61 yard attempt, a 62 yard attempt, a 66 yard attempt and 2 67 yard attempts.

We also passed up a 57 yard attempt trailing by 20 @ Arizona with 32 seconds to play. A 55 yard attempt in favour of a fake punt tied 0-0 with Dallas. A 53 yard attempt trailing Dallas by 24 with 1:03 left in Q4. A 51 yard attempt on 4th and 1 against Atlanta down 14 with 12:24 left in Q2.

I look at that and there's maybe 2 attempts (the punt against the Titans and the fake punt) where I'd say you should attempt the kick. But who knows maybe Fisher did reel him in.
Don't you feel that Fisher backed off using him as a weapon like he was doing the first half of his rookie year? He often positioned the team to go for long field goals by design and, IMO, to Zuerlein's detriment. Asked him to attempt stuff that was way too long and it started to affect his overall game. Last year, he backed off that approach almost completely. Zuerlein barely attempted any 50 yarders much less the ridiculously long one's that Fisher started him out with.

I don't think GZ has made it all the way back though. I just don't have confidence in him coming in and making a long field goal when needed. He isn't Rackers bad at this point but I'm still not confident in him. He'll come through at times but no way is he "automatic". He's still young though so maybe he just needs more experience. Got all the talent in the world but he hasn't dialed in that mental part of the game IMO.
 

CoachO

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Don't you feel that Fisher backed off using him as a weapon like he was doing the first half of his rookie year? He often positioned the team to go for long field goals by design and, IMO, to Zuerlein's detriment. Asked him to attempt stuff that was way too long and it started to affect his overall game. Last year, he backed off that approach almost completely. Zuerlein barely attempted any 50 yarders much less the ridiculously long one's that Fisher started him out with.

I don't think GZ has made it all the way back though. I just don't have confidence in him coming in and making a long field goal when needed. He isn't Rackers bad at this point but I'm still not confident in him. He'll come through at times but no way is he "automatic". He's still young though so maybe he just needs more experience. Got all the talent in the world but he hasn't dialed in that mental part of the game IMO.

I don't agree with the sentiment that he "reeled him in" or that somehow that it left Zuerlein's confidence shaken. In his rookie year, he missed 7 kicks if I remember. 6 of those misses were from 54+. He has ONE miss from inside the 40 yard line, vs. Miami. Last year, he goes 26 for 28, (93%) so if that is him having his confidence shaken, I hope it continues.

To your point that Fisher didn't strut him out as often from 50+, I think yo have to look at the game situation in those instances, and not just the distance. Regardless of how good he is from 50+, in terms of being able to hit the distance, it is not an automatic, for Zuerlien or any kicker for that matter. With the emphasis Fisher puts on field position, unless those kicks were at the end of a half, its just not smart coaching to risk field position for what amounts to be a 50-60% FG opportunity.

To make a statement about Zuerlein's state of mind, is pure speculation, and from where I sit, totally unfounded. So we will just disagree on that point.
 

Debacled

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Don't you feel that Fisher backed off using him as a weapon like he was doing the first half of his rookie year? He often positioned the team to go for long field goals by design and, IMO, to Zuerlein's detriment. Asked him to attempt stuff that was way too long and it started to affect his overall game. Last year, he backed off that approach almost completely. Zuerlein barely attempted any 50 yarders much less the ridiculously long one's that Fisher started him out with.

I don't think GZ has made it all the way back though. I just don't have confidence in him coming in and making a long field goal when needed. He isn't Rackers bad at this point but I'm still not confident in him. He'll come through at times but no way is he "automatic". He's still young though so maybe he just needs more experience. Got all the talent in the world but he hasn't dialed in that mental part of the game IMO.
I just don't think situationally they were in the same positions last year as the year prior. 2012 we was plenty of "well, why not?" kicks. Last year, as Gator pointed out up above, the situations really did not present themselves.

I still think Fisher is comfortable with Zuerlein from 65 with the game on the line in the waning seconds of a game, assuming that 3 pts is what the team needs.

Lat night he missed on a 59 yarder that would have likely been good from 54 on a fluke play. He also missed from closer on a botched hold (see hekker drop and grab his head as the ball veered off course?). He didn't get the laces around and ran out of time, simply had to rush his hands out of the way so he wouldn't get booted by Zuerlein.

He is an accurate enough kicker with superb kicking power. A guy that has the ability to win a game from 65 is a rare find. It doesn't matter who is kicking, 50+ let alone 40+ is never automatic.
 
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Don't you feel that Fisher backed off using him as a weapon like he was doing the first half of his rookie year?

I have no idea, as I said there were two opportunities where I put my kicker out there, every other attempt over 50+ yards I wouldn't put any kicker in those situations. But without being Fisher it's tough to know exactly why the decision was at that time.
 

CodeMonkey

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The misses are identical. He either shoots a laser down the middle or just left (with enough power to make from 70 btw).

There is no other kicker I'd rather have.

Perhaps if he aimed at the spot between center and right pipe? He'd never miss.
 

CodeMonkey

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I have always wondered and wish if somebody could answer the question whether or not the ball makes a distinctive sound more so than any other kicker coming off of his foot. I've always had a feeling that there's a certain pop to his kicks that other kickers can't get. I can just see...You're just minding your own business in practice and the kickers are doing their own thing (crazy kickers) and you hear this WHAM and you say to the guy next to you, "man! that guy sure kicked the shit out of that ball."
 
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CoachO

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I have always wondered and wish if somebody could answer the question whether or not the ball makes a distinctive sound more so than any other kicker coming off of his foot. I've always had a feeling that there's a certain pop to his kicks that other kickers can't get. I can just see...You're just minding your own business in practice and the kickers are doing their own thing (crazy kickers) and you hear this WHAM and you say to the guy next to you, "man! that guy sure kicked the crap out of that ball."

I have said that since the day he got here. I compare it to going to batting practice when Pujols was still a Cardinal, and listening to the ball come off his bat. There is just a different sound to it. Same thing with Zuerlein.

His first season at training camp, was unlike anything I have ever seen before. The ENTIRE team would stop whatever drill they were doing to watch him kick. They would bring the FG unit out on the field, and just keep moving him back until he routinely was kicking from 60+ every practice.
 

CodeMonkey

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I have said that since the day he got here. I compare it to going to batting practice when Pujols was still a Cardinal, and listening to the ball come off his bat. There is just a different sound to it. Same thing with Zuerlein.

His first season at training camp, was unlike anything I have ever seen before. The ENTIRE team would stop whatever drill they were doing to watch him kick. They would bring the FG unit out on the field, and just keep moving him back until he routinely was kicking from 60+ every practice.
Cool
 

moklerman

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I don't agree with the sentiment that he "reeled him in" or that somehow that it left Zuerlein's confidence shaken. In his rookie year, he missed 7 kicks if I remember. 6 of those misses were from 54+. He has ONE miss from inside the 40 yard line, vs. Miami. Last year, he goes 26 for 28, (93%) so if that is him having his confidence shaken, I hope it continues.

To your point that Fisher didn't strut him out as often from 50+, I think yo have to look at the game situation in those instances, and not just the distance. Regardless of how good he is from 50+, in terms of being able to hit the distance, it is not an automatic, for Zuerlien or any kicker for that matter. With the emphasis Fisher puts on field position, unless those kicks were at the end of a half, its just not smart coaching to risk field position for what amounts to be a 50-60% FG opportunity.

To make a statement about Zuerlein's state of mind, is pure speculation, and from where I sit, totally unfounded. So we will just disagree on that point.
The numbers seem to show otherwise. Zuerlein was 23rd in the league in FG attempts and had a grand total of 1 50+ yard FG on only 2 attempts all year. Going from 13 attempts to 2 from one year to the next sounds a lot like being reeled in to me. Which isn't to say it wasn't for his own good, which I think it was, but he was still reeled in. The football equivalent of putting him on a pitch count and really managing his situations.
 

CoachO

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Don't you feel that Fisher backed off using him as a weapon like he was doing the first half of his rookie year? He often positioned the team to go for long field goals by design and, IMO, to Zuerlein's detriment. Asked him to attempt stuff that was way too long and it started to affect his overall game. Last year, he backed off that approach almost completely. Zuerlein barely attempted any 50 yarders much less the ridiculously long one's that Fisher started him out with.

I don't think GZ has made it all the way back though. I just don't have confidence in him coming in and making a long field goal when needed. He isn't Rackers bad at this point but I'm still not confident in him. He'll come through at times but no way is he "automatic". He's still young though so maybe he just needs more experience. Got all the talent in the world but he hasn't dialed in that mental part of the game IMO.

So you are saying missing FGs from beyond 50 yards should be automatic for Zuerlein? because of his 7 missed, 6 of them were beyond 54 yards. How that is somehow "shaking his confidence" is ridiculous, IMO. That they reeled him in last year, when it was just outlined in detail the number of "opportunities" they past up kicking. There wasn't a game situation that ANY coach runs out their kicker to try those kicks.

He bounced back last year by making 26-28 FGA, and you still question his "making it all the way back"? All the way back from where?
 

CoachO

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The numbers seem to show otherwise. Zuerlein was 23rd in the league in FG attempts and had a grand total of 1 50+ yard FG on only 2 attempts all year. Going from 13 attempts to 2 from one year to the next sounds a lot like being reeled in to me. Which isn't to say it wasn't for his own good, which I think it was, but he was still reeled in. The football equivalent of putting him on a pitch count and really managing his situations.

If you honestly think they put him on a "pitch count" in GAME SITUATIONS, then I don't what to say to you. They limit his activity in practice, of course. The bottom line, the simply were not in the same situations last year, as in his rookie year.

You cannot look at the raw numbers and make any definitive statements about the reasons behind it. Rams and Gators did the research, and listed the "opportunities" that they chose to pass on. Are you really saying because they chose not to attempt 6 60 yard FGA somehow is an indication they "reeled him in" or that passing on a 57 yard attempt in a game where they are trailing by 20 with 32 seconds left has anything to do with kicker?
 

moklerman

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You cannot look at the raw numbers and make any definitive statements about the reasons behind it. Rams and Gators did the research, and listed the "opportunities" that they chose to pass on. Are you really saying because they chose not to attempt 6 60 yard FGA somehow is an indication they "reeled him in" or that passing on a 57 yard attempt in a game where they are trailing by 20 with 32 seconds left has anything to do with kicker?
I'm saying it's unlikely that circumstances would dictate such a stark contrast in seasons if there weren't coach's decisions to go along with it. Just as one can't just look at the season totals, one also can't just look at drive charts or 4th down numbers to know everything that was going on or the approach being employed.

Maybe it does add up to 16+ games of coincidence and lack of opportunities but I find that hard to accept.
 

CoachO

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I'm saying it's unlikely that circumstances would dictate such a stark contrast in seasons if there weren't coach's decisions to go along with it. Just as one can't just look at the season totals, one also can't just look at drive charts or 4th down numbers to know everything that was going on or the approach being employed.

Maybe it does add up to 16+ games of coincidence and lack of opportunities but I find that hard to accept.

ok, but I just don't know how you can say, whatever the reasons were, based on making 26 - 28 kicks, last year, he "hasn't made it all the way back", somehow saying you can "read him mind" as to HIS level of confidence! You are totally speculating how he is "feeling" with your unfounded remarks. and his 93% FGM says otherwise.
 

moklerman

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ok, but I just don't know how you can say, whatever the reasons were, based on making 26 - 28 kicks, last year, he "hasn't made it all the way back", somehow saying you can "read him mind" as to HIS level of confidence! You are totally speculating how he is "feeling" with your unfounded remarks. and his 93% FGM says otherwise.
I'm not sure why you'd think I was offering anything other than my opinion. I haven't claimed to read his mind.

As far as his numbers last year, it's good that he made 26/28 but a) that's a relatively low number of attempts and b) most of his kicks were relatively shorter. I don't knock him for making the shorter one's but I do think it supports the idea that Fisher was trying to put him in much more manageable situations to rebuild his confidence, rhythm, whatever you want to call it. His FG attempts under 40 yards almost doubled last year from his rookie year so I'd expect his accuracy to be pretty high.

Overall, I just don't get the same vibe from him that say, Venateri had going there for a while. Which is perhaps too much to ask of a young kicker. But I also don't feel that Zuerlein can never become that kind of kicker. Maybe he just needs more experience and/or confidence. He's solid right now and by no means a problem. But he isn't "Money" yet either.
 

CoachO

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I'm not sure why you'd think I was offering anything other than my opinion. I haven't claimed to read his mind.

As far as his numbers last year, it's good that he made 26/28 but a) that's a relatively low number of attempts and b) most of his kicks were relatively shorter. I don't knock him for making the shorter one's but I do think it supports the idea that Fisher was trying to put him in much more manageable situations to rebuild his confidence, rhythm, whatever you want to call it. His FG attempts under 40 yards almost doubled last year from his rookie year so I'd expect his accuracy to be pretty high.

Overall, I just don't get the same vibe from him that say, Venateri had going there for a while. Which is perhaps too much to ask of a young kicker. But I also don't feel that Zuerlein can never become that kind of kicker. Maybe he just needs more experience and/or confidence. He's solid right now and by no means a problem. But he isn't "Money" yet either.

You do realize that he has always been a very accurate kicker, right? to say that he can never be "that kind of kicker",,, what does that even mean? That he missed 6 kicks from well beyond 50 yards in his ROOKIE year, somehow still haunts him is just ludicrous. But thank you Dr. for your diagnosis!