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Icing the kicker


KDIGGZ

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Who invented this?

 

My theory: it was invented by a kicker!

 

One day there was (probably) a kicker that thought to himself gee I wish I didn't have to rush the kick the game winning FG. I wish someone would call a timeout so I had extra time to set everything up perfectly. What if I made people think "icing the kicker" would be a good strategy to psyche us kickers out. But nobody would be that dumb, would they?

 

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I've seen spots where teams do it and the kicker misses. Never had any coach, kicker or anything say it had anything to do with it. 

 

I've also seen times where a coach waits and calls the timeout just before the snap and the kicker misses the original and then hits the redo.

 

All in all it's one of the more nonsense things in football IMO. 

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I only ice the kicker after the other team has already taken a time out. I could see a long break in that siltation working. On a situation when the kicking team has no time outs and is rushing for the kick it makes no sense. You are calling a time out for them basically because they would if they had one. 

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icing_the_kicker#:~:text=One variant of this tactic,after the play is over.

 

To summarize, the practice has been attributed to Mike Shannahan. In studies, on short FG's the difference was negligible and was slightly more significant on longer FG's but the results of that study have come into question. Since you can't call back to back timeouts anymore then the kicker can get very comfortable after that first timeout knowing they have all of the time they need to set up and hit the FG 

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I was looking at some statistical analysis of this today.  Seems there is a slightly larger chance of a miss when you ice a kicker but there are

too many variables for any of it to be a general statement.  Experience level of the kicker, distance of the kick, indoor/outdoor, home or away etc.

 

One said “it doesn’t hurt and you can’t carry time outs forward so why not?”.  But having that time out if any time remains is a BIG DEAL.

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When this first started - sure...it was unusual.  In big games - giving a kicker a chance to "think" about the impact of the kick is probably an advantage to the defense.  But a 9-1 team, where the game is virtually meaningless to them (other than a W is a W) - letting them rush the kick is far better.

 

Its one of those things id wish went away entirely.  Of course - id rather we call a timeout when we have 12 people on the field....but...

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I’ll go one further.  McDermott will ALWAYS waste a time out when our opponent faces a big play after they break the huddle and line up.  He seems to think this gives him a clue what they’re thinking and that they will have to either change to their 2nd choice play or run the original against a D that knows what’s coming.

 

If I was playing the Bills I’d line up in some other formation just to waste the time out then do what I wanted to do the whole time.

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I was yelling “No time out! No time out!” As the kicker was lining up and the play clock was dwindling down. I knew we’d need that time out to drive into FG range with 25 seconds left if he made it. The fact that I, a total novice, could recognize the value of a time out there while a coach who has been coaching for more than half my life couldn’t… 


It’s time. McDermott must go.

 

Hopefully Pegula feels the same. 

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15 minutes ago, JÂy RÛßeÒ said:

I’ll go one further.  McDermott will ALWAYS waste a time out when our opponent faces a big play after they break the huddle and line up.  He seems to think this gives him a clue what they’re thinking and that they will have to either change to their 2nd choice play or run the original against a D that knows what’s coming.

 

If I was playing the Bills I’d line up in some other formation just to waste the time out then do what I wanted to do the whole time.

A problem with that line of thinking is there's 15 third Downs and maybe a couple of 4th downs a game 

 

And McDermott does not call a timeout on every third down situation...

 

So the other team is guessing which three times out of 15 McDermott is going to burn a time out... Three out of 15 is not a good enough percentage to just have them trot out fake play calls

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3 hours ago, KDIGGZ said:

Who invented this?

 

My theory: it was invented by a kicker!

 

One day there was (probably) a kicker that thought to himself gee I wish I didn't have to rush the kick the game winning FG. I wish someone would call a timeout so I had extra time to set everything up perfectly. What if I made people think "icing the kicker" would be a good strategy to psyche us kickers out. But nobody would be that dumb, would they?

 

👏

What pressure did the kicker have in making a FG that no one expected him to make 

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I thought it started when the TO was called right before the snap but the play actually went off and gave the kicker another attempt.  Not called before the kicker even lined up for the kick.  Not sure it works in either scenario, but I thought that was where "icing the kicker" really came from.  But, what do I know, that's just where I thought it came from initially. 

7 minutes ago, Andy1 said:

It’s not like no one expects it or they don’t practice this in drills. It’s the dumbest thing in football besides the prevent defense. 

Hey!  Hey now!  How dare you! (gretta thunberg quote).  McD loves the prevent defense.  He practically uses it all game!  Keep the play in front of you!  If you play 40 yards back the play is always in front of you, so yeah, that.

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