So you want to be a kicker?
I wouldn’t wish the stress of being a place kicker on anyone, a feeling reaffirmed when Boise State’s Kyle Brotzman missed two chip shots the other night in an overtime loss to Nevada — as crushing a defeat as a team from the Gem State has ever known.
I felt so bad for the kid that it caused a pit in my stomach, knowing he would ultimately feel responsible for costing an entire burgeoning football program a shot at a possible national championship, to say nothing of millions in lost BCS revenue pie.
Such is the life of a kicker, who whether fair or not is often either a hero or goat, with little gray area in between. Brotzman is the WAC’s all-time leading scorer, having surpassed the great Jason Elam recently, but that little bit of trivia is sure to be forgotten when thinking of the homegrown Boise kicker.
Unlikeliest of heroes
It’s always seemed odd to me how a sport like football is often times decided by one the least athletic players on the entire field. I can’t think of another sport where such is the case.
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine you’re a college or NFL kicker. For 59 minutes and 55 seconds, a bunch of big, strong, swift and gifted athletes have been fighting hard for every yard, requiring your services for a few extra points and kickoffs.
Your team is trailing 22-21, and your offense has just made a last minute drive into field goal range, before calling time out with five seconds left. You trot onto the field with a clean uniform, a special-order kicking shoe and join 10 other bruised, muddy, and sweaty teammates for a potential game-winning 40 yard field goal.
The game’s outcome rests on your shoulders, or in this case, foot. Make it, and you’ll be mobbed by happy teammates, miss it and you’ll feel two-feet tall heading back into the locker room. That’s a lot of pressure to endure.
Where have you gone George Blanda?
Twas a time when position players kicked. Sandpoint, University of Idaho and Green Bay Packer legendary guard Jerry Kramer was also an excellent place kicker, once leading the NFL in field goal percentage and kicking the game winning field goal in an NFL championship, the forefather to the modern SuperBowl.
Raider great George Blanda was the last position player to also kick field goals, not only throwing for touchdowns, but kicking the extra point. Since then the position has become decidedly more international and specialized, with an influx of players with soccer backgrounds and hard-to-pronounce last names blasting balls through the uprights.
Quick, who is the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history? If you answered Nate Kaeding, currently of the San Diego Chargers, you’ve been watching far too much NFL network. By the way, his 86.6 field goal percentage is best all time, even if he isn’t exactly a household name.
Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz might have been on to something when he refused to offer scholarships to kickers, instead holding an open tryout to earn the walk-on position at one of the top college football programs in the country.
A shot at redemption
No sooner had Brotzman pushed a field goal right at the end of regulation and pulled another left in overtime — chip shots his own coach said he’d usually make 99 times out of 100 — before a facebook page had sprung up titled “Bronco Nation loves Kyle Brotzman.” Others used their facebook page and various internet message boards to lambaste the kicker.
Such is the sports climate for today’s 21st century athlete, be it college or pro.
For me, one of the things that make sports so great is their unpredictability, especially in high pressure situations. When grounders stop rolling through fielders’ legs, when pro golfers stop missing three foot putts on Sundays of majors, when wide open guards stop missing layins, and yes, when field goal kickers stop missing chip shots, sports won’t be nearly as entertaining.
Here’s hoping Brotzman gets a chance to kick a game-winning field goal in whatever bowl game the Broncos land in, he drills it, and promptly gets mobbed by his teammates.
Eric Plummer is the sports editor of the Daily Bee. For comments, suggestions or story ideas, he can be reached at “eplummer@bonnercountydailybee.com,” or by phone at (208) 263-9534, ext. 226.