Heres a scenario

[notredomer23]

I presented this at GH and would like to see what your take on this is....Note: I am talking about our Irish team.

Say we are down 28-27(missed XP) against any team. There is 30 seconds left and your driving and your up to the opponents 15, but your faced with a 4th and 4 from the left hash mark. you have one timeout. What do you do?

I myself would go for the first down.

 

[BDIrish4ever]

This scenario still has a variable that you didn't mention, so I will give my opinion off the extra variable of opponent's defense:

Quality Defense (ex: USC and UNC) - attempt the FG
Suspect Defense - Go For It!

 

[Timugen]

I send Walker out to kick, but let him know that if he misses it he may as well just keep walking right over to the other team's sideline.

 

[Freeman Ara]

I send Walker out to kick, but let him know that if he misses it he may as well just keep walking right over to the other team's sideline.

Yeah because nothing lessens the pressure of a game winning kick like telling a kid his scholarships on the line.

 

[SouthernIrish]

One of my sons played college soccer as a goal keeper and was the kicker for his high school football team. Both positions are so dependent on the mental aspect. GK during pks, kicker at all times.

The kicker has about 3 seconds of action, the snap, the hold and the kick. Its a perpetual mental battle to stay focused. They are always thinking about the last kick.

The crowd booing him is the worst thing they can do. Its a unique position. He HAS to get his confidence back. Its not babying him, because that position takes balls to begin with. Its getting his head back in it.

 

[MirageSmack]

I would somehow try to force the other team to use all their timeouts earlier in the 4th qtr, so they can't ice him (further) at the end of the game.

On the left hash mark, maybe I will. He seems to miss them all right, so our odds are better.

Plus, when you've missed so many, the odds improve that you're going to make one soon.

He has the distance o plenty, even on the long kicks. He just needs to figure out the straight down the middle part.

I say kick it.

 

[NDinL.A.]

I would somehow try to force the other team to use all their timeouts earlier in the 4th qtr, so they can't ice him (further) at the end of the game.

On the left hash mark, maybe I will. He seems to miss them all right, so our odds are better.

Plus, when you've missed so many, the odds improve that you're going to make one soon.

He has the distance o plenty, even on the long kicks. He just needs to figure out the straight down the middle part.

I say kick it.

I know what you mean, but when you're bad, you're bad. If you keep missing, there's a reason. His odds don't improve if he keeps on missing.

I'd rather put the ball in the hands of my best players, Clausen, Tate and Floyd. But i mean, it's a 32 yarder! You HAVE to kick it, right? I don't know, it's a uper tough call. As a caoch, you get skewered either way if it goes wrong.

As bad as Walker has been when up by 21, I can't imagine what a mess he'd be under the pressure of a game-winning kick. I'd go Clausen to Floyd, personally. But that's why CW makes the big bucks...

 

[sportallyr]

I'd send John Carney out there and bang the kick through the posts for the win. What, we don't have Carney anymore? Oh, then in that case I'd go for it.

 

[kmoose]

Fumblerooski!

 

[Timugen]

Yeah because nothing lessens the pressure of a game winning kick like telling a kid his scholarships on the line.

Yep, and because not much is more of a waste of a football scholarship than a kicker who can't hit the broad side of a barn.

 

[WaveDomer]

I think you have to kick

I think you have to kick

Just keep practicing and having FG competitions in practice. Do whatever you need to do to get his mental game back. There's no way we can play a season acting like we don't have a kicker. They just need to figure out what the deal is. It's got to be mental. The only way through that is for him to start making them in a game. The only way to make them during a game is to actually kick it during a game. Weis going for it on every key fourth in field goal range is not a great confidence booster. At some point you will need him to kick one.

 

[roto-stud]

There is another scholarship kicker on the roster... when he he going to be given a chance to excell???

 

[ACamp1900]

personally I let the kid try to get the monkey off his back in a big way... let him kick it

it's not like he doesn't know how... his head is just messed right now

 

[alleycat9]

you have to kick there unless you dont have a kicker.

we used to do the free throw thing at basketball practice, someone goes up and shoots 2 if he makes both then there are no suicides if he misses either then you run. and you do it all over again.

give him 2 kicks to have the team not run sprints, he makes em both everyone is happy, if not they just end up doing it like he was in the marines.

 

[bert2834]

You have to kick it. If he can't make a 32 yarder then he shouldn't be on the team. I think you have to let him kick more and not go for it on 4th down as much. Show the kid you believe in him. I am sure he kicks in practice. I imagine he makes more kicks in practice then the other kid so that is why he is OUR kicker. He just needs his confidence back. Somebody should take him to get some azz.