So, does Sebastian Janikowski get into the HOF?

[American Gunner]

Don't see the relevance to being in the HOF.

Now if there was ever a kicker who could hit 85% of FGs from 60 yards away, that's a guy I could vote for because that would be game-changing.

I just don't believe kickers have a big enough role in the game over a career to merit being in the HOF.

Kickers win games. It's easy to sit there behind a computer and say if someone should be in, but these guys are put in high pressure situations, and come through for their teams. I think that if a player, no matter what his position, was one of the best at his position at the end of his career, then he should be placed in the HOF.

 

[MotionMan]

I think they need to make a concerted effort to vote in kickers and punters. Sometimes, nothing kills a team more than a bad kicker or punter, so the good ones should be recognized as well.

MotionMan

 

[KLin]

Shane lechler should get in as a punter. He punted the ball last night 77 yards. It ended up in the end zone so it was a net of 57.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Janikowski is a good kicker, but he's nowhere near HOF caliber. Let me compare him to another kicker who is deemed good but who rarely gets much attention - Ryan Longwell.

Janikowski: Active 12 years (including this year), 262/333 (78.7&#37
Longwell: Active 15 years (including this year), 340/407 (83.5%)

Janikowski: 88/144 (61.1%) at 40+ yards
Longwell: 103/147 (70.1%) at 40+ yards

Janikowski tied the NFL record for the longest field goal made and he has the most touchbacks. And he holds (and will probably hold forever) the record for the longest field goal attempted at 76 yards and is one of the very few kickers to be drafted in the first round. But those are just trivia pieces that don't say anything about him as a player.

He's not really outstanding. Not the most accurate kicker - he's all about power. Longwell is a lot more accurate, but he rarely gets touchbacks.

The only dedicated kicker in the hall of fame (Jan Stenerud) got there because he basically reinvented the position, being one of the first guys who only kicked and didn't do anything else. So even having a long, reliable career probably isn't enough.

EDIT: Hell, Nate Kaeding is the most accurate field goal kicker ever and you won't see him in the HOF thanks to his ability to choke in the playoffs and take himself out for an entire season on the first play (lol).

 

[DayLaPaul]

Color me confused.

Oh, well.

MotionMan

Maybe he thinks it's like the Heisman where only one finalist wins the award. As for you question, hell no. Has Seabass ever kicked a meaningful kick? What's your greatest Seabass memory? Is it even football related?

 

[Kanalua]

No love for Jason Elam?

 

[classy]

Good kicker, really good. But he won't get in though. Kickers and Punters don't get in the HOF usually.

 

[darkewaffle]

I've never even heard of these guys D:

 

[preslove]

A statistic for kickers should be kept on how many games the kicker won/lost. Tally how many games were won by field goals for games won, then look at misses and see how many of their games would have been won if all the field goals attempted had been made, but misses prevented the win.

 

[kranky]

Shane lechler should get in as a punter. He punted the ball last night 77 yards in Denver. It ended up in the end zone so it was a net of 57.

I think you need the bolded part I added so there is some context to what happened.

 

[AstroManLuca]

A statistic for kickers should be kept on how many games the kicker won/lost. Tally how many games were won by field goals for games won, then look at misses and see how many of their games would have been won if all the field goals attempted had been made, but misses prevented the win.

Interesting article sort of related to that:

http://www.advancednflstats.com/2009/10/does-fg-accuracy-decline-in-clutch.html

It doesn't analyze individual performances, but it does look at kickers on the whole. The conclusion is that, overall, kickers aren't any less likely to make clutch kicks as they are to make kicks in non-clutch situations. It also points out that any individual kicker doesn't usually make enough clutch attempts for there to be useful data.

Personally, I think the clutch factor is overrated. It makes for interesting journalism, to some at least, and an easy way to explain things that aren't really explainable. When a player performs much better or worse than expected in a playoff or overtime situation, sports writers just claim that the player was "cool under pressure" or, conversely, that the "pressure got to him." I mean, they have to talk about something, and using the tension of the situation is way more interesting than claiming that it was simply random chance.

 

[eplebnista]

Adam Vinatieri
Morten Andersen
Eddie Murray
Mark Moseley

These are kickers who should make the HOF.

MotionMan

Gary Anderson should also be on that list, IMO