AdamJT13
Salary Cap Analyst
- Messages
- 16,583
- Reaction score
- 4,529
So we've all heard how Dan Bailey is now the most accurate kicker in NFL history. What I hadn't heard and did not realize until looking up the numbers today is that he has been BY FAR the most accurate kicker in history.
Of the 40 most accurate kickers in history, the other 39 are all between 80.0 percent and 86.5 percent. The five closest guys to Bailey are at 86.1, 86.2, 86.3, 86.5 and 86.5 percent. Bailey's career percentage is 91.2 percent (103 of 113) -- which is a whopping 4.7 percentage points higher than the next-best guy. The gap between first and second is as big as the gap between second and 23rd.
Also, the perception in Bailey's first few years was that he was accurate but didn't have a big leg. So, some people might think that he's "the most accurate" simply because he hasn't attempted as many long field goals. Nope -- Bailey is 14-for-20 in his career on kicks of 50 yards or more. The second-most accurate kicker in history, Steven Hauschka, who has attempted 13 more field goals overall, has tried only 13 from 50-plus (he's 7 of 13). Mike Vanderjagt, who retired as the most accurate kicker and tried a total of 266 field goals in his career (153 more attempts than Bailey has so far), tried only 22 from 50-plus (15 of 22) in his entire career. And No. 3 on the list, Stephen Gostkowski, has tried only 17 of his 262 career attempts from 50-plus (13 of 17). So not only is Bailey the most accurate, he's the most accurate while also attempting a much higher percentage of long kicks than the guys who are closest to him for accuracy.
Of the 40 most accurate kickers in history, the other 39 are all between 80.0 percent and 86.5 percent. The five closest guys to Bailey are at 86.1, 86.2, 86.3, 86.5 and 86.5 percent. Bailey's career percentage is 91.2 percent (103 of 113) -- which is a whopping 4.7 percentage points higher than the next-best guy. The gap between first and second is as big as the gap between second and 23rd.
Also, the perception in Bailey's first few years was that he was accurate but didn't have a big leg. So, some people might think that he's "the most accurate" simply because he hasn't attempted as many long field goals. Nope -- Bailey is 14-for-20 in his career on kicks of 50 yards or more. The second-most accurate kicker in history, Steven Hauschka, who has attempted 13 more field goals overall, has tried only 13 from 50-plus (he's 7 of 13). Mike Vanderjagt, who retired as the most accurate kicker and tried a total of 266 field goals in his career (153 more attempts than Bailey has so far), tried only 22 from 50-plus (15 of 22) in his entire career. And No. 3 on the list, Stephen Gostkowski, has tried only 17 of his 262 career attempts from 50-plus (13 of 17). So not only is Bailey the most accurate, he's the most accurate while also attempting a much higher percentage of long kicks than the guys who are closest to him for accuracy.
