I’VE said this before and I’ll keep saying it every year, until we do it. If you want to increase the accuracy of the Kicker, use a QB as his Holder on Field Goal attempts.
K Jake Elliott has a career accuracy rating of 83.9%. He was 26/31 in his first year. He was 26/31 in his second year. He’s had none of his kicks blocked (knock wood), thus far. That’s not for a lack of teams trying though.
That of course has to factor into him working to get his kicks away sooner. However, if given a second or second and a half longer, to dial in… Hey, that can only help him out. But what does that have to do with a QB playing Holder?
If a QB is the Holder, it means that any FG attempt could be a fake. It means every FG attempt could be a fake. (Especially with Doug as the coach.) If the kicking team packs the line, then the defense has to crowd them and gets to attempt a block. However, if it’s 4th and 4, and the wing players line up outside, then the defense has to pull potential blockers away from the kick, to cover what could otherwise become a completely uncovered receiver.
This tells the Kicker that he has a little more time and breathing room for his kick. And it would all stem from using a QB as the Holder, as the Saints did here with QB Luke McCown
This play might not have happened had the defense identified and respected the personnel that was on the field.
We need to adapt and adopt tactics which make teams uneasy about how they approach US. At the same time, these seemingly small wrinkles can supply our own players with a greater sense of calm and confidence.
