Go Figure...

#1
GVF

GVF

Talk Dirty To Me
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#1
Am I wrong, or wasn't Jeff Hall at one time the leading scorer in UT history, or atleast very close. I was reading the Wilhoit article and saw the other names. It is very peculiar to me that as strong as we have been in the past decade or so with place kickers, none are active professionally. Jeff is a motivational/inspirational speaker as a former pro athlete. Becksvoort and Hall both came up under Frisco, and Walls under Arena league, but none on active rosters. I guess the kicking circle is a wierd and unstable profession, more so than the "normal" players. Just found that curious???
 
#2
#2
this was discussed not to long ago in another thread, and if memory serves, the big reason for kickers making it or not making it boiled down to two things..
1. it's all mental...some can handle it, some can't...in the pro's, you have to be great at both.
2. lifespan for kickers in the league. they seem to last fairly long, and if a team has a good one, they usually don't draft or go after younger kickers, as they only usually have one on the roster anyway...harder for kickers, even good ones, to break in at a usually secure spot on NFl rosters.
 
#4
#4
jakez4ut said:
this was discussed not to long ago in another thread, and if memory serves, the big reason for kickers making it or not making it boiled down to two things..
1. it's all mental...some can handle it, some can't...in the pro's, you have to be great at both.
2. lifespan for kickers in the league. they seem to last fairly long, and if a team has a good one, they usually don't draft or go after younger kickers, as they only usually have one on the roster anyway...harder for kickers, even good ones, to break in at a usually secure spot on NFl rosters.
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Yeah, but as uch as kickers come and go, you'd think atleast one of htese gets called back on occasion. Kickers come out of "retirement" a good bit. Ol' Morton is back again at Atlanta. I just thought it odd. I'm going to try and find that thread. I missed that one, or wouldn't have doubled it up. OWB might pull his hair out, since I'm not a NewB.
 
#5
#5
GVF said:
Yeah, but as uch as kickers come and go, you'd think atleast one of htese gets called back on occasion. Kickers come out of "retirement" a good bit. Ol' Morton is back again at Atlanta. I just thought it odd. I'm going to try and find that thread. I missed that one, or wouldn't have doubled it up. OWB might pull his hair out, since I'm not a NewB.
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yeah, but your point about Morton Anderson kind of validates my point...rather than take a chance on an unproven commodity, they go get a guy that's almost 50...

Kickers are head cases...and that more than anything is what makes them or breaks them.
 
#6
#6
jakez4ut said:
yeah, but your point about Morton Anderson kind of validates my point...rather than take a chance on an unproven commodity, they go get a guy that's almost 50...

Kickers are head cases...and that more than anything is what makes them or breaks them.
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I wouldn't exactly classify any of our ex-kickers as chances. Certainly not when compared to the bulk of collegiate kickers. We have very accurate, long, and consistent kickers.
 
#7
#7
GVF said:
I wouldn't exactly classify any of our ex-kickers as chances. Certainly not when compared to the bulk of collegiate kickers. We have very accurate, long, and consistent kickers.
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i dont' either....as college kickers. but there's a reason why they aren't kicking in the NFL...and it isn't because they were "bad" college players.
 
#8
#8
I would think that one factor in kickers getting drafted is the demand for them. If teams have a good kicker, they're not going to waste a pick on another one. The kicker position is one of the most durable positions out there.

So some of it is just timing.
 
#9
#9
jakez4ut said:
i dont' either....as college kickers. but there's a reason why they aren't kicking in the NFL...and it isn't because they were "bad" college players.
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Yeah, but kicking is different. It's kicking. It's like there's a pool of available kickers that teams with not so good kickers pull from when they rotate. Maybe they just didn't like it and never answered any recalls. I can maybe understand Walls and Becksvoort, but I thought for sure Hall would still be kicking. Of all the players we put in the NFL, our best overall performers comparatively speaking to their position, are oddly absent. Just quirky. Like kicking and kickers.
 
#10
#10
OWB said:
I would think that one factor in kickers getting drafted is the demand for them. If teams have a good kicker, they're not going to waste a pick on another one. The kicker position is one of the most durable positions out there.

So some of it is just timing.
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That's true and Jake eluded to that a little, but it wouldn't be hard to find a few teams that could use one of them as replacements.
 
#11
#11
jakez4ut said:
this was discussed not to long ago in another thread, and if memory serves, the big reason for kickers making it or not making it boiled down to two things..
1. it's all mental...some can handle it, some can't...in the pro's, you have to be great at both.
2. lifespan for kickers in the league. they seem to last fairly long, and if a team has a good one, they usually don't draft or go after younger kickers, as they only usually have one on the roster anyway...harder for kickers, even good ones, to break in at a usually secure spot on NFl rosters.
Click to expand...
I think the exceptional ones can make it in. I remember that kicker Ohio State had not too long ago, Mike Nugent. He got drafted middle of the 2nd round to the Jets.
 
#12
#12
milohimself said:
I think the exceptional ones can make it in. I remember that kicker Ohio State had not too long ago, Mike Nugent. He got drafted middle of the 2nd round to the Jets.
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exceptional yes...but not every kicker is exceptional...Jeff Hall , John bvecksvort (sp?) tom hutton etc...all really good kickers in college...but didn't make it in the NFL...and it wasn't cause they couldn't kick.
 
#13
#13
milohimself said:
I think the exceptional ones can make it in. I remember that kicker Ohio State had not too long ago, Mike Nugent. He got drafted middle of the 2nd round to the Jets.
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That's why I found it strange Hall hasn't made it. Of all our 4 kickers now including Wilhoit, Hall was the one you could call superior at a national level from the pool of college kickers you can draft. Wilhoit has really packed it on this year too. And probably had a strong case in the 5 wins we did get last year. Will be interesting to see if he goes pro depending on how kickers fare this year.
 
#14
#14
jakez4ut said:
exceptional yes...but not every kicker is exceptional...Jeff Hall , John bvecksvort (sp?) tom hutton etc...all really good kickers in college...but didn't make it in the NFL...and it wasn't cause they couldn't kick.
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There's no magic to it. it's like any other pro sport or any other position in FB. If it weren't for teams like Cinnci, KW would be at WalMart. It's all luck ,timing, and needs. Regardless of how good you are. I'n sure Walls, Becksvoort, and Hall didn't make it for a reason, but not because they lack NFL kicking talent. Maybe just situational bad luck.
 
#15
#15
GVF said:
There's no magic to it. it's like any other pro sport or any other position in FB. If it weren't for teams like Cinnci, KW would be at WalMart. It's all luck ,timing, and needs. Regardless of how good you are. I'n sure Walls, Becksvoort, and Hall didn't make it for a reason, but not because they lack NFL kicking talent. Maybe just situational bad luck.
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which kind of goes back to my 2nd point in my original post...kickers have a long shelf life, most of the time, so there aren't a lot of roster spots available, even for good kickers.
 
#16
#16
Because of the long shelf life due to the contact they don't get is why you see people like Mort come and go. 5 years from now, you might see one of ours playing. Kicking is not a learned skill. It is an inborn art. They don't lose it. They may misplace it, but they never lose it.
 
#17
#17
Becksvoort waited on us at Calhoun's on River one time in the year following his graduation (can't remember what time of year it was). We talked to him about NFL, and he said he had tried and was going to try to catch on with a team, but that it was tough because most teams only carry one and moreso than other positions, a lot depended on connections - "who you knew & who knew of you." He was a nice guy, hope everything turned out all right for him.
 
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