What is Butker's Problem?

[Animal02]

I really want Butker to succeed. I think everyone on here does.

The body of work for GT is 7 of 12 FGs this year and 10 of 14 FGs last year. Last year he was 53 of 54 in EP and this year he is 36 of 36. KOs are great this year with him being 3rd in the country in distance and 5th in TB %. Yes he has only had one OOB - in the GSU game out of 49 KOs. Last year he had 4 of 83 OOB.

So he is damn good and has gotten better in all areas except for FG accuracy. Last year to start the year, his extra points were more erratic and low. I think the one which was blocked was low. But he fixed that. Also his placement of the ball on KOs was a lot less consistent than this year. I have also gone and watched Butker warm up FG kicking and he is really good off the stand.

FGs are hard to make, but most other teams (like 107) have more accurate FG kickers this year. In the Pitt game, I think the wind grabbed the ball but that wasn't the case for the other 4 misses.

I have no idea what it will take for him to get better, but based on improving EPs and KOs it is likely to happen.

FWIW......the missed FG at Pitt was in the "open" end of the stadium that faces the river and there were wind gusts all afternoon. We were sitting right on the goal line there and the wind would come out of no where and then disappear just as quickly. On the rest of his misses.......I think you have to throw out the real long attempts and look at his misses in a normal range (just because you make a 50 yarder once does not mean you will make them consistently) If I recall, he seemed to have a problem with being on the right hash (in at least one game anyway) That is something you can work one, like a slice on golf......but it doesn't happen overnight.

 

[AE 87]

FWIW......the missed FG at Pitt was in the "open" end of the stadium that faces the river and there were wind gusts all afternoon. We were sitting right on the goal line there and the wind would come out of no where and then disappear just as quickly. On the rest of his misses.......I think you have to throw out the real long attempts and look at his misses in a normal range (just because you make a 50 yarder once does not mean you will make them consistently) If I recall, he seemed to have a problem with being on the right hash (in at least one game anyway) That is something you can work one, like a slice on golf......but it doesn't happen overnight.

fwiw, it seemed to me that he missed it the same way he missed the others -- kicking it pretty much straight when the ball was lined-up outside the goal post

He's perfect on PATs which is all that he's supposed to have to kick.

 

[Tech93]

I have watched him before games and at scrimmages as well and Butker has unreal talent and an amazing leg. I understand why CPJ says if he works hard at the game he can kick in the NFL one day. This entire thread is built not on his body of work but on one kick at possibly the hardest goal post to connect with in football that NFL kickers routinely miss on. But I would have just nuked this thread based on the title alone. I am not amused at a thread title that mentions one of our SA's by name in an a-hole question of "what's his problem?"

I have shared before my views on how or when to utilize Butker if it is kicking from the hashes and have no problem going for it on some 4th downs if we haven't gotten the ball into a position that plays to the current strengths of the place kicking team and Butker. But for all the talk of "gonna cost us a game" so far Butker actually did have a game winning field goal. So far e is 1-0 if we are keeping score of games he "wins" or "loses."

FatPat, Sounds like you can bring some insight into Butker and the kicking game so please do anytime.

Disagree with this also. The original poster was not trying to put Butker down. He is asking a reasonable question, only 1 out of 5 FGs made from 30-39 is below par. Hopefully, he will get it corrected. He is about to finish up his second year. No need for everyone to take it as a personal affront to the program if someone asks a reasonable question that is not always a complement to the program but a concern.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Did you notice original poster's defensive response when I treated him to the same approach he used for Butker by asking "what the original poster's problem was?" When I start a thread "What is Tech93's problem?" you would be correct to read the connotation and insinuation the way I did. And I am suggesting the offense was towards Butker not to me, I don't take it personally.

If he wanted to discuss Butker's issues in the short field goal kicking game he could have titled a thread that reflected that, or just was generic like "Field goal kicking." Then presented his critical comments in a mature manner. Instead he started the thread like he was in a huff or tizzy and was an a-hole in his approach. And so this whole thread has read as basically worthless. It needs to die and drop away so I have to stop allowing it to stay alive now. I can get too sucked in to being argumentative myself.

 

[bartoma]

Did you notice original poster's defensive response when I treated him to the same approach he used for Butker by asking "what the original poster's problem was?" When I start a thread "What is Tech93's problem?" you would be correct to read the connotation and insinuation the way I did. And I am suggesting the offense was towards Butker not to me, I don't take it personally.

If he wanted to discuss Butker's issues in the short field goal kicking game he could have titled a thread that reflected that, or just was generic like "Field goal kicking." Then presented his critical comments in a mature manner. Instead he started the thread like he was in a huff or tizzy and was an a-hole in his approach. And so this whole thread has read as basically worthless. It needs to die and drop away so I have to stop allowing it to stay alive now. I can get too sucked in to being argumentative myself.

Bruce: I am the original poster, and I am puzzled with your reaction to my original post... Perhaps it's the medium, but I intended no offense to Butker, nor to you... Here's my logic:

Butker is our kicker... His job is to make field goals when he has a reasonable opportunity to do so... In my opinion, his missed more that I would expect - based largely on the talent that he has for kicking field goals... So, therein lies the origin of the original thread title - what is problem that causing Butker's kicking to be erratic this season? I certainly didn't intend to offend anyone, and I don't think the way I posed the original question was personally insulting to anyone - I was just being simple and direct...

To anyone else who took offense to the tone of my original post: I didn't insult anyone, nor did I question Butker's abilities as a kicker in general or suggest he doesn't have all the potential in the world (I think he does, and I think he will kick on Sundays if he becomes more consistent and reliable)... I simply wanted to know if anyone had an opinion in regards to why he's not making more kicks that he is...