I emailed Steve Hoffman and got a response!

[Verdict]

:bang2: Never has such a insignifigant coach gotten so much attention

How is he insignificant? Are you referring to his job performance? Are you referring to the position he coaches? It seemed like he got decent performance out of undrafted free agents when he was here. I'm not bashing you, just trying to figure out your perspective.

 

[Concord]

I could, but I'd look like a complete idiot if I did.

You are what you are....Which at this point is overrated...don't get mad at the messenger.

 

[BigDFan5]

Of course you need a kicking coach, most teams have them...But heck, most teams have an OC too. Which we don't have.

actually no teams have a kicking coach

 

[marsbennett]

Every team out there manages just fine without a kicking coach, special team coach in the man in charge of the unit including the kicker. In the end the coach does not kick the ball the kicker does, bring in a kicker that can do the job. I don't think keeping Hoffman would have made any difference what so ever to the poor kicking we saw after all he had been working 1 on 1 with Cundiff before he resigned with the Cowboys and I don't see where any of that work paid off.

I see...everyone else does it.

I'm not going to stand up for Kotex or Cundiff, but since it doensn't count against any cap, I don't understand why not? Oh yeah, noone else does it. We used to and we've been better than we were this past season at the kicking position. A ST coach has to take care of all ST activity. I maintain that one person doesn't have the time to be a technique specialist or psychologist for the kicking position. Hell, all our Oline coaches and OC failed to see you center tipping off the snap count until captain TIVO made it public.

Ignore the highest scoring position on the team because everyone else does? I need more reason than that. We'd all still be riding horses with that mentality.

 

[Rockytop6]

I read it a little differently. Translation: When Parcells leaves then maybe the Cowboys will have a HC that will want me back.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Proper preparation prevents poor performance....

Knowing a little bit of training individuals (Drill Sergeant course) while people do perform differently under pressure most things if practiced correctly can be perfomed with effeciency under pressure..but first and for most is to build a convidence in the individual that he can do this (whatever the "this" is) then subject him to pressures building belief and trust in his own abilities to get the job done...this is proven to work...now Bill on the other hand seems to want to subject them to pressure in the belief that what don't kill you will make you stronger...this approach rarely works

seems alot of the players under BIll likes his no-nonsense, straightforward, tell it like it is, approach, even those who hated it, Phil Simms, Bledsoe, after awhile saw the advantages to their careers that spawned from it, so yeah, I kinda think Parcells' strategy for teaching players works...

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I agree and I don't see the need in getting a kicking coach I see the need to get a kicker. Other team manage just fine without a kicking coach and to say keeping Hoffman would have made a difference in the kicking game I highly doubt that.

case in point

we had Hoffman last year, Cundiff was below-average

 

[Bob Sacamano]

We started coming around before Parcells arrived here. We actuall spent good money on Jeff Robinson for his long snapping ability. Of course, Parcells, King of everything, decided he wasnt worth the dough. The rest is history.

lmao! really? 3 consecutive years of 5-11 is coming around?

 

[Bob Sacamano]

we also screwed up bigtime by cutting the longsnapper, this area is so critical in the NFL and yet it doesn't get the attention it deserves and it will and did jump up and bite you..

long-snapping had no effect on Cundiff and Cortez shanking kicks

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Ignore the highest scoring position on the team because everyone else does? I need more reason than that. We'd all still be riding horses with that mentality.

noone said ignore the kicking position, just said bring in a real kicker, and get over Hoffman

 

[wileedog]

We started coming around before Parcells arrived here.

What team were you watching?

We actuall spent good money on Jeff Robinson for his long snapping ability. Of course, Parcells, King of everything, decided he wasnt worth the dough. The rest is history.

The snapping was fine once we got the French guy, and now we are set at long snapper for years to come assuming he can maintain his performance.

Damn I hate when Parcells goes and plans for the future.

 

[NovaCowboy]

lmao! really? 3 consecutive years of 5-11 is coming around?

No, I meant in terms of kicking.

 

[MapleLeaf]

Every team out there manages just fine without a kicking coach, special team coach in the man in charge of the unit including the kicker. In the end the coach does not kick the ball the kicker does, bring in a kicker that can do the job. I don't think keeping Hoffman would have made any difference what so ever to the poor kicking we saw after all he had been working 1 on 1 with Cundiff before he resigned with the Cowboys and I don't see where any of that work paid off.

...Hoffman couldn't do anything about it - he's not on the damn team!!! Get it! He's not on the sidelines, he's not in practice, he's friggin nowhere except by phone to Cundiff!

A person's effort's cannot be graded by something that has occurred weeks before. It's seems Parcells is willing to acknowledge Cundiff's ability at the time of the tryout, but dismisses it in week 16 and cuts the guy.

What changed? Definitely not Hoffman. He may have been there a few days before the tryout, but he wasn't there in week 16.

If there's any coaching blame I would put some of it on DeHaven.

 

[Doomsday101]

...Hoffman couldn't do anything about it - he's not on the damn team!!! Get it! He's not on the sidelines, he's not in practice, he's friggin nowhere except by phone to Cundiff!

A person's effort's cannot be graded by something that has occurred weeks before. It's seems Parcells is willing to acknowledge Cundiff's ability at the time of the tryout, but dismisses it in week 16 and cuts the guy.

What changed? Definitely not Hoffman. He may have been there a few days before the tryout, but he wasn't there in week 16.

If there's any coaching blame I would put some of it on DeHaven.

I don't care if you blame DeHaven I blame Cundiff after all he missed the damn kicks and ones that are considered fairly easy when talking inside 40 yards. As far as Hoffman if he is that damn good make him a special teams coach or have him kick the damn FG but bottom line is the coaches did not miss easy FG Cundiff did you want to blame someone then blame the guy who could not hit the side of a fricken barn.

 

[MapleLeaf]

I don't care if you blame DeHaven I blame Cundiff after all he missed the damn kicks and ones that are considered fairly easy when talking inside 40 yards. As far as Hoffman if he is that damn good make him a special teams coach or have him kick the damn FG but bottom line is the coaches did not miss easy FG Cundiff did you want to blame someone then blame the guy who could not hit the side of a fricken barn.

...of smoking that 50+ yard barn in his first game back!

The issue that everyone misses is that premium kickers are not grown on trees - most assuredly trees in Dallas.

Having a person like Hoffman is insurance against your kicker going south on you which every kicker has had at some kick in his career. Including Vinatieri for 32 yards this year.

I noticed that Parcells brings in Wolf every camp and preseason to help him evaluate the state of the talent he has, what's wrong with a kicking coach?

I just don't understand posters who have no sense of building insurance and contingency plans. It's part of running an organization.

 

[Doomsday101]

1 kick sorry I look at the whole picture not 1 kick. Other kickers around this league manage just fine without having a kicking coach. Get a kicker who can handle the pressure and hit FG that should be made. I don't understand poster who try to push the blame on other. Cundiff is a big boy he was given the oppertunity and he blew it. Parcells did not miss the easy kicks that was Cundiff, the only mistake Bill made was to give Cundiff the chance to begin with.

 

[InmanRoshi]

No, I meant in terms of kicking.

The results of Steve Hoffman from 2000-2002, before Parcells got here, fluctuated midlly from below mediocre to poor.


2000 Tim Sedar - 75% completion rate

2001 Tim Sedar - 64.7% completion rate
John Hilbert - 68.7% completion rate

2002 Billy Cundiff - 63.8% completion rate

Over all, in 14 years tenure, he found exactly 1 very good kicker in Chris Boniol that kicked well his entire tenure with the Cowboys. He had a few kickers that had one good year, but fell apart and couldn't survive a slump the later in their tenure (Ritchie Cunningham, Lynn Elliot). Those that say he never had a proven commodity to with forget that twice we wiped the cobwebs off of Eddie Murray to replace a failed Hoffman experiment. They also don't seem to notice that most kickers in the NFL came from absolutely nowhere. Most teams don't spend any money on them unless they have a proven one they want to retain. Many kickers who do catch on have failed with at least 1 club before catching on. In the end, for 14 years of trial and error looking for kickers, Hoffman might know the mechanics of kicking inside out, but he had no more success discovering them than any other NFL team.

 

[joseephuss]

...of smoking that 50+ yard barn in his first game back!

The issue that everyone misses is that premium kickers are not grown on trees - most assuredly trees in Dallas.

Having a person like Hoffman is insurance against your kicker going south on you which every kicker has had at some kick in his career. Including Vinatieri for 32 yards this year.

I noticed that Parcells brings in Wolf every camp and preseason to help him evaluate the state of the talent he has, what's wrong with a kicking coach?

I just don't understand posters who have no sense of building insurance and contingency plans. It's part of running an organization.

Ask the Bengals to pick the Cowboys new kicker. Neil Rackers started his career in Cincy and they let him go for Graham. I believe they finished 1 and 2 on this seasons all-pro team.

 

[MapleLeaf]

1 kick sorry I look at the whole picture not 1 kick. Other kickers around this league manage just fine without having a kicking coach. Get a kicker who can handle the pressure and hit FG that should be made. I don't understand poster who try to push the blame on other. Cundiff is a big boy he was given the oppertunity and he blew it. Parcells did not miss the easy kicks that was Cundiff, the only mistake Bill made was to give Cundiff the chance to begin with.

...on you having to see the actual listed position of kicking coach on the team roster.

In fact, for the Pats and the Cardinals this year you can practically call both Seely and O'Dea "kicking gurus" because of the approach and the attention they give to the position and the players.

It would not be a far stretch to say that Hoffman has a very similar approach to kickers that these two gentlemen have and they have fared pretty well with kickers these past two years.

You really have to take a look at Vinny's and Rackers records prior to their association with these coaches tat can shed some light on what the coaches and their approach as brought to the kicking table.

As I posted earlier, DeHaven's approach is not the same. His approach infers that quality kickers are born,not made. Last time I crunched the numbers off of NFL.com for a thread between Nors and I, rookie kickers fare quite poorly until they adjust to the pro game - not unlike 90% of the oter rookies at other positions.

Let's not sit here an belittle the position. There's rationale for what's been happening in this league. If the Cowboys can't find an experienced, quality kicker they are going to have to spend more time with a second tier prospect and coach him to success. It's as simple as that.

That won't happen with a bunch of "homer" posters thinking that the Cowboys are going to sign the next Vinatieri.

 

[MapleLeaf]

The results of Steve Hoffman from 2000-2002, before Parcells got here, fluctuated midlly from below mediocre to poor.


2000 Tim Sedar - 75% completion rate

2001 Tim Sedar - 64.7% completion rate
John Hilbert - 68.7% completion rate

2002 Billy Cundiff - 63.8% completion rate

Over all, in 14 years tenure, he found exactly 1 very good kicker in Chris Boniol that kicked well his entire tenure with the Cowboys. He had a few kickers that had one good year, but fell apart and couldn't survive a slump the later in their tenure (Ritchie Cunningham, Lynn Elliot). Those that say he never had a proven commodity to with forget that twice we wiped the cobwebs off of Eddie Murray to replace a failed Hoffman experiment. They also don't seem to notice that most kickers in the NFL came from absolutely nowhere. Most teams don't spend any money on them unless they have a proven one they want to retain. Many kickers who do catch on have failed with at least 1 club before catching on. In the end, for 14 years of trial and error looking for kickers, Hoffman might know the mechanics of kicking inside out, but he had no more success discovering them than any other NFL team.

...why don't we put this list in perspective.

Seder - rookie who was on no one's radar. Not physically gifted, everyone knew that at the combine. He was teaching at the time.

2nd year Seder - he was injured, and not just a bit. Ended his career. Hibbert stop gap, end of story. That's why he was available.

Cundiff - rookie. Not unlike many rookies who enter the league as kickers. Difficult adjustment and kicks in a bigger arena, it's not a surprise he kicked a low percentage, but look at his next two years of completions high 70's.

What's really telling about Boniol, Seder, Lindell, Cunningham and Cundiff is the price Dallas paid for these guys in their first years.

Basically the price of a burger and two fries.

What's that? You get what you pay for?