CFZ What do you think is going on with the PAT misses?

[Reverend Conehead]

First, to be 100 percent clear, I'm not bashing Brandon Aubrey. He was a real find. He's hit every one of his field goals, including some long ones. That's why the three missed PATs surprise me. A PAT is the same length as a 33-yard field goal, which nowadays is considered a chip shot, or nearly a chip shot. I'm sure he's going to be busy working on whatever made him miss those PATs.
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Again, I'm not slamming Aubrey. I'm just wondering why you guys think he missed those PATs, which are closer, and thus considered easier, than most field goals. Maybe they're doing something different on the PATs? Sometimes you'll see a kicker who does great inside 45 yards, and after that his accuracy is the pits, but that makes sense. Plus 45, the field goals are longer and harder. But all of our guy's misses are these short PATs. I'm not mad. It hasn't changed the outcome of any of the games. However, I've seen enough games where a missed PAT comes back to haunt a team. It will be important to nail those things, especially in the playoffs. I suspect Aubrey has a theory on what went wrong on the PATs, and is working on whatever it is.
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Maybe someone here has actually been a kicker, and has an idea what might be going on. Of course, it's not as if he's missing all his PATs. Maybe it's just a flukey thing?

 

[Coogiguy03]

Typical Cowboys!!!!! Kicker does great for us, only for us to somehow start missing extra points, must be a curse! Maybe when Jimmy joins the ring, maybe something will change who knows lol

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Typical Cowboys!!!!! Kicker does great for us, only for us to somehow start missing extra points, must be a curse! Maybe when Jimmy joins the ring, maybe something will change who knows lol

Again, I'm not mad at him. There's no way on God's green earth that I would swap him for having Maher back. I'm just seeking to understand. Maybe from here on out he nails all PATs and it turns out to be just a flukey thing.

 

[Coogiguy03]

Again, I'm not mad at him. There's no way on God's green earth that I would swap him for having Maher back. I'm just seeking to understand. Maybe from here on out he nails all PATs and it turns out to be just a flukey thing.

Nobody can be mad I agree they shouldn't be, it's just that feeling of WE'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE! He's been awesome this year no doubt!

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Nobody can be mad I agree they shouldn't be, it's just that feeling of WE'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE! He's been awesome this year no doubt!

Yeah, it's definitely one of the weirder things I've seen happen. I just hope it stays as a weird thing, and a PAT miss doesn't cost us a chance to advance in the playoffs.

 

[Coogiguy03]

Yeah, it's definitely one of the weirder things I've seen happen. I just hope it stays as a weird thing, and a PAT miss doesn't cost us a chance to advance in the playoffs.

So true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NorthoftheRedRiver]

I've never kicked, but I'm betting that a PAT kick is different from a long FG kick. Sort of like a golf chip shot swing is a very different thing from a big driver swing. I guess I just sort of imagine that a PAT attempt is super easy and takes no real effort. But, we all have the tendency to imagine someone else's job to be easier than it really is. There must be something there that needs some specific coaching or technical change. Beats me.

 

[TexasBoys2288]

Correct me if I'm wrong. The PAT is kicked from the middle of the field and the field goals are kicked from the hash marks. Maybe throws his angle off.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

I've never kicked, but I'm betting that a PAT kick is different from a long FG kick. Sort of like a golf chip shot swing is a very different thing from a big driver swing. I guess I just sort of imagine that a PAT attempt is super easy and takes no real effort. But, we all have the tendency to imagine someone else's job to be easier than it really is. There must be something there that needs some specific coaching or technical change. Beats me.

With golf, every different club, distance, terrain, requires a different kind of skill to perfect. That’s why you have guys who have great short, mid, long range games in one but not the others. You do see some guys get the yips in the short game. It could be the yips with Audrey. If it is, it’s a bit concerning because the yips can come back to haunt him/us at the worst time (e.g. 40 yard FG to win the Super Bowl as time expires). The fact that he’s nailed the majority (95%+ of them) and every non-PAT from similar distance makes me think that PATs are not much different from regular FGs in terms of execution.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

It could be a problem with the hold or snap. People don't realize how perfect the operation has to be for the kicker.

 

[Scotman]

I've never kicked, but I'm betting that a PAT kick is different from a long FG kick. Sort of like a golf chip shot swing is a very different thing from a big driver swing. I guess I just sort of imagine that a PAT attempt is super easy and takes no real effort. But, we all have the tendency to imagine someone else's job to be easier than it really is. There must be something there that needs some specific coaching or technical change. Beats me.

This was my thought. Maybe he's not mentally putting as much force into it because he doesn't need to. And that's just enough to miss. I used to bowl and it's amazing what goes on mentally that can change a game.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

This was my thought. Maybe he's not mentally putting as much force into it because he doesn't need to. And that's just enough to miss. I used to bowl and it's amazing what goes on mentally that can change a game.

Now that you mention it, when I was playing basketball (informally), I got on a roll where I was nailing 3-pointer after 3-pointer, but I couldn't hit anything close. It was weird. I have no explanation for it. Maybe I missed one, and it just got in my head.

 

[Scotman]

Now that you mention it, when I was playing basketball (informally), I got on a roll where I was nailing 3-pointer after 3-pointer, but I couldn't hit anything close. It was weird. I have no explanation for it. Maybe I missed one, and it just got in my head.

When I was in my 20's, my wife and I bowled in a league. I was pretty good. I mean, I couldn't bowl overhand or anything, but I was pretty good. Anyway, one night, I just started rolling strikes. One after another, frame after frame. When I didn't get a strike, I picked up the spare. By far, the best game of my life. I get to the 10th frame and I have no open frames. I bowl a strike to start. Then, I leave the 7-10. And...I picked it up. Finished the game without a single open frame. The next game? I didn't break 150. Just a complete mental meltdown.

I can't imagine kicking in the NFL. It takes someone with an unbelievable mental consistency.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

First, to be 100 percent clear, I'm not bashing Brandon Aubrey. He was a real find. He's hit every one of his field goals, including some long ones. That's why the three missed PATs surprise me. A PAT is the same length as a 33-yard field goal, which nowadays is considered a chip shot, or nearly a chip shot. I'm sure he's going to be busy working on whatever made him miss those PATs.
...
Again, I'm not slamming Aubrey. I'm just wondering why you guys think he missed those PATs, which are closer, and thus considered easier, than most field goals. Maybe they're doing something different on the PATs? Sometimes you'll see a kicker who does great inside 45 yards, and after that his accuracy is the pits, but that makes sense. Plus 45, the field goals are longer and harder. But all of our guy's misses are these short PATs. I'm not mad. It hasn't changed the outcome of any of the games. However, I've seen enough games where a missed PAT comes back to haunt a team. It will be important to nail those things, especially in the playoffs. I suspect Aubrey has a theory on what went wrong on the PATs, and is working on whatever it is.
...
Maybe someone here has actually been a kicker, and has an idea what might be going on. Of course, it's not as if he's missing all his PATs. Maybe it's just a flukey thing?

focus and follow through. even kickers are not immune to taking something for granted and specially someone that young in the league.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Of the kickers in the league with 30+ XP attempts only 1 has been perfect (Moody). Of all those kickers they’re all perfect from FGs inside the 40, except for Elliott who has one miss.

I wouldn’t worry too much. A little odd to see a miss in back to back games but we are seeing that with enough kicks almost every kicker in the league is going to kiss an XP on occasion.

 

[Reality]

It could be a problem with the hold or snap. People don't realize how perfect the operation has to be for the kicker.

I did not see the miss when it happened but I saw another snap after it where the snap was high, so I was thinking the same thing.

However, when I re-watched the game later the snap was perfect and the hold and positioning of the ball was perfect.

It look liked Aubrey planted his left foot a hair too short and that caused him to kick the ball with a slight pull (spinning right-to-left).

My guess why he has had issues with extra points and not 3-point field goals is that on extra points there is no risk for first downs for defensive penalties since the kickoff will likely be a touchback anyway.

That allows the defense to go for the block every single time so the kicker's goal and mindset is probably on getting the ball out and up quickly.

This leads to a lot of kickers using a different mechanic on extra points than they do on 3-point field goals even if the distance is around the same as an extra point.

Fassel will likely work with Aubrey on that given it has happened in back-to-back games.

 

[blueblood70]

First, to be 100 percent clear, I'm not bashing Brandon Aubrey. He was a real find. He's hit every one of his field goals, including some long ones. That's why the three missed PATs surprise me. A PAT is the same length as a 33-yard field goal, which nowadays is considered a chip shot, or nearly a chip shot. I'm sure he's going to be busy working on whatever made him miss those PATs.
...
Again, I'm not slamming Aubrey. I'm just wondering why you guys think he missed those PATs, which are closer, and thus considered easier, than most field goals. Maybe they're doing something different on the PATs? Sometimes you'll see a kicker who does great inside 45 yards, and after that his accuracy is the pits, but that makes sense. Plus 45, the field goals are longer and harder. But all of our guy's misses are these short PATs. I'm not mad. It hasn't changed the outcome of any of the games. However, I've seen enough games where a missed PAT comes back to haunt a team. It will be important to nail those things, especially in the playoffs. I suspect Aubrey has a theory on what went wrong on the PATs, and is working on whatever it is.
...
Maybe someone here has actually been a kicker, and has an idea what might be going on. Of course, it's not as if he's missing all his PATs. Maybe it's just a flukey thing?

Here's the weird thing it also happens in college a lot some of the better kickers missed point after attempts more than they missed kicks.... Something that has to do with the timing and the snapping you know the what they call the mechanics of the snap hold and kick it's different than a field goals for some reason. Look around the league it happens to a lot of kickers

 

[SlammedZero]

I suppose that is the "fun" about them moving back the XP kick is that it's no longer automatic these days. Hopefully they were simply just misses and it doesn't become a long-term trend. Outside that, he's been really fantastic. A pleasant surprise.

 

[DUO_CORE]

Wide right or wide left would be my guess.

 

[Established1971]

Its so funny how people now have to keep mentioning "Im not bashing him" I would do the same if I was making this post. Dont blame you. God forbid we ask a question that can be interpreted as negative and you know what comes next. The "h" word, lol