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Dialing long distance doesn't work against Green Bay
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_eda092dd-020c-5ff7-8cb1-0b0b34190ca2.html
In the entire history of the National Football League, only five kickers have made a field goal of 63 yards or longer. And all five came either at the end of the first half or the end of regulation. After all, such attempts are the special teams version of a Hail Mary pass.
So it looked odd — very odd — when coach Jeff Fisher sent out Greg Zuerlein for a 63-yard attempt with 3½ minutes to go in the fourth quarter and the Rams down 21-10 at Green Bay.
“I thought he was gonna make it,” Fisher explained. “He had the distance. Took the wind intentionally for the fourth quarter in case we needed that because the wind was significant.”
So yes, the move showed a lot of confidence in Zuerlein, who was also sent out for 50- and 53-yarders in the second half Sunday.
Then again, it might also be viewed as a show of no confidence at the time in quarterback Nick Foles and the Rams’ struggling passing game on fourth-and-7 from the Green Bay 45. Foles was 10 of 26 for 73 yards with three interceptions at that point in the game and was getting very little time to throw because of pass protection problems.
“I was down by 11, so I thought it was the right decision, plus I had a couple timeouts,” Fisher explained. “We make the kick, we kick off, we get a touchback. I’ve got a couple timeouts, then we have ample time for a two-minute (drive) to try to tie the game.”
A successful field goal makes it a one-possession game at 21-13. As things turned out Zuerlein’s extra-long kick had the distance but sailed wide left. It didn’t miss by much, but Green Bay took over at the St. Louis 47 and took advantage of the good field position to tack on three insurance points for a 24-10 lead with just over a minute to play.
“It felt pretty good off the foot,” Zuerlein said. “I think I just played it a little too far out, and it didn’t come back the way I thought it was going to.”
Zuerlein didn’t think twice when Fisher called his number for a kick of near historic proportions.
“Not at all,” Zuerlein said. “Every time Coach makes a call to kick I think that’s the right call. I don’t think the distance really matters. I’ve just got to go out there and execute, make it happen.”
Matt Prater of Denver set the NFL record on Dec. 8, 2013 with a 64-yarder as time expired in the first half against Tennessee.
Tom Dempsey of New Orleans in 1970; Jason Elam of Denver in 1998; Sebastian Janikowski of Oakland in 2011; and David Akers of San Francisco in 2012 have all kicked 63-yarders.
Dempsey’s kick came as time expired in the fourth quarter for a 19-17 Saints victory over Detroit on Nov. 8, 1970. The other kicks came as time expired at the end of the first half.
It’s noteworthy, too, that three of those five longest kicks came in the thin air of Denver’s Mile High Stadium, where the ball travels farther.
Zuerlein said he made some kicks from 60 yards-plus warming up at Lambeau Field.
“Yeah, in the pregame I hit some from that distance,” he said. “It didn’t happen during the game, so something to work on. But I’m glad for the opportunity, and hopefully I get more of them in the future.”
Before Green Bay, Zuerlein had made 14 of 23 field goals from 50 yards-plus, or 60.9 percent, since entering the league in 2012. His career long of 60 yards was at home against Seattle in 2012; he also hit a 58-yarder in that game.
But he went zero for three from long distance against Green Bay. He had a 50-yard attempt partially blocked with 4:15 to play in the third quarter when Datone Jones got by Rams blocker Greg Robinson and got a hand on the ball.
On the Rams’ next possession in the third quarter, Zuerlein missed wide left from 53 yards. All tough kicks, but Zuerlein expects to make them all when Fisher beckons.
“He doesn’t put me out there to miss, so I’ve gotta just get better and execute when my name is called,” he said.
On the drive that ended with the blocked field goal, the Rams came up with one of their most effective passing plays of the game. On fourth-and-2 from the St. Louis 42, out came Johnny Hekker and the punting unit.
But Hekker took the snap and raised up, looking to throw to either Cody Davis or Chase Reynolds. Davis, who lined up just right of the line of scrimmage like a wingback, beat Green Bay defender Demetri Goodson off the line but then slipped and fell.
Reynolds, who lined up in the traditional up-back spot, leaked out toward the right flat but was well-covered by Quinten Rollins. Compounding matters was the fact that Hekker got flushed out of the pocket by Jeff Janis.
Hekker bought time by rolling right, then threw back over the middle to Davis, who had gotten back up for a 20-yard catch and what turned out to be the Rams’ second-longest pass play of the day.
“It was well-defended by Green Bay,” Hekker said. “That’s a look that we haven’t had when we run it against ourselves in practice. Cody did a great job of finding the open space; I threw it up and he came down with it.”
A former high school quarterback, Hekker is six for eight as an NFL passer for 99 yards and a touchdown. That equates to a passer rating of 155.7; the highest passer rating possible is 158.3.
For Davis, it was his first reception in a game since his high school days in Stephenville, Texas.
“It didn’t go exactly how we drew it up, but it turned into a scramble drill and Johnny made a great throw,” Davis said. “I was excited to get the opportunity to go out there and create another possession for our team.”
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_eda092dd-020c-5ff7-8cb1-0b0b34190ca2.html
In the entire history of the National Football League, only five kickers have made a field goal of 63 yards or longer. And all five came either at the end of the first half or the end of regulation. After all, such attempts are the special teams version of a Hail Mary pass.
So it looked odd — very odd — when coach Jeff Fisher sent out Greg Zuerlein for a 63-yard attempt with 3½ minutes to go in the fourth quarter and the Rams down 21-10 at Green Bay.
“I thought he was gonna make it,” Fisher explained. “He had the distance. Took the wind intentionally for the fourth quarter in case we needed that because the wind was significant.”
So yes, the move showed a lot of confidence in Zuerlein, who was also sent out for 50- and 53-yarders in the second half Sunday.
Then again, it might also be viewed as a show of no confidence at the time in quarterback Nick Foles and the Rams’ struggling passing game on fourth-and-7 from the Green Bay 45. Foles was 10 of 26 for 73 yards with three interceptions at that point in the game and was getting very little time to throw because of pass protection problems.
“I was down by 11, so I thought it was the right decision, plus I had a couple timeouts,” Fisher explained. “We make the kick, we kick off, we get a touchback. I’ve got a couple timeouts, then we have ample time for a two-minute (drive) to try to tie the game.”
A successful field goal makes it a one-possession game at 21-13. As things turned out Zuerlein’s extra-long kick had the distance but sailed wide left. It didn’t miss by much, but Green Bay took over at the St. Louis 47 and took advantage of the good field position to tack on three insurance points for a 24-10 lead with just over a minute to play.
“It felt pretty good off the foot,” Zuerlein said. “I think I just played it a little too far out, and it didn’t come back the way I thought it was going to.”
Zuerlein didn’t think twice when Fisher called his number for a kick of near historic proportions.
“Not at all,” Zuerlein said. “Every time Coach makes a call to kick I think that’s the right call. I don’t think the distance really matters. I’ve just got to go out there and execute, make it happen.”
Matt Prater of Denver set the NFL record on Dec. 8, 2013 with a 64-yarder as time expired in the first half against Tennessee.
Tom Dempsey of New Orleans in 1970; Jason Elam of Denver in 1998; Sebastian Janikowski of Oakland in 2011; and David Akers of San Francisco in 2012 have all kicked 63-yarders.
Dempsey’s kick came as time expired in the fourth quarter for a 19-17 Saints victory over Detroit on Nov. 8, 1970. The other kicks came as time expired at the end of the first half.
It’s noteworthy, too, that three of those five longest kicks came in the thin air of Denver’s Mile High Stadium, where the ball travels farther.
Zuerlein said he made some kicks from 60 yards-plus warming up at Lambeau Field.
“Yeah, in the pregame I hit some from that distance,” he said. “It didn’t happen during the game, so something to work on. But I’m glad for the opportunity, and hopefully I get more of them in the future.”
Before Green Bay, Zuerlein had made 14 of 23 field goals from 50 yards-plus, or 60.9 percent, since entering the league in 2012. His career long of 60 yards was at home against Seattle in 2012; he also hit a 58-yarder in that game.
But he went zero for three from long distance against Green Bay. He had a 50-yard attempt partially blocked with 4:15 to play in the third quarter when Datone Jones got by Rams blocker Greg Robinson and got a hand on the ball.
On the Rams’ next possession in the third quarter, Zuerlein missed wide left from 53 yards. All tough kicks, but Zuerlein expects to make them all when Fisher beckons.
“He doesn’t put me out there to miss, so I’ve gotta just get better and execute when my name is called,” he said.
On the drive that ended with the blocked field goal, the Rams came up with one of their most effective passing plays of the game. On fourth-and-2 from the St. Louis 42, out came Johnny Hekker and the punting unit.
But Hekker took the snap and raised up, looking to throw to either Cody Davis or Chase Reynolds. Davis, who lined up just right of the line of scrimmage like a wingback, beat Green Bay defender Demetri Goodson off the line but then slipped and fell.
Reynolds, who lined up in the traditional up-back spot, leaked out toward the right flat but was well-covered by Quinten Rollins. Compounding matters was the fact that Hekker got flushed out of the pocket by Jeff Janis.
Hekker bought time by rolling right, then threw back over the middle to Davis, who had gotten back up for a 20-yard catch and what turned out to be the Rams’ second-longest pass play of the day.
“It was well-defended by Green Bay,” Hekker said. “That’s a look that we haven’t had when we run it against ourselves in practice. Cody did a great job of finding the open space; I threw it up and he came down with it.”
A former high school quarterback, Hekker is six for eight as an NFL passer for 99 yards and a touchdown. That equates to a passer rating of 155.7; the highest passer rating possible is 158.3.
For Davis, it was his first reception in a game since his high school days in Stephenville, Texas.
“It didn’t go exactly how we drew it up, but it turned into a scramble drill and Johnny made a great throw,” Davis said. “I was excited to get the opportunity to go out there and create another possession for our team.”
