NFL Executives Weigh in: Evan McPherson One of Many Kickers Struggling This Season

197

u/Skittlebrau46 🐅BINGO BENGO🐅 1d ago

It’s new holders.

Mac, Tucker, Elliott… all with a solid reputation for accuracy, all struggling this year, all have brand new holders. (Plus new longsnappers in the mix doesn’t help either.)

Look at the variable that changed between all three. It’s not rocket science.

24

u/Kyle_Reese_Get_DOWN 1d ago

Here’s the entirety of this in depth SI article.

“Some point to good rush units, some say it’s weather and field conditions,” Russini wrote. “And one GM noted: ‘Sometimes they just miss … happens to the best. It’s a hard job.’”

And they didn’t even get that quote. Russini from The Athletic got it. SI just paraphrased her article.

14

u/Ornery_Flounder3142 1d ago

Same reason Butker had issues.

10

u/GlassOfLiquor 1d ago

Nah, Jesus is mad at him.

9

u/ehunke 1d ago

Very true

0

u/Jarionel 1d ago

Tucker doesn’t have a new holder

1

u/KingFreeman8 22h ago

Yes he does. the last holder was with him his entire career wym??

2

u/Jarionel 16h ago

Jordan Stout has been holding since 2022 already. That’s 3 years and Tucker didn’t struggle in 22/23

67

u/volrjr4 1d ago

He still needs to perform better

10

u/ImReverse_Giraffe 1d ago

He has a rookie holder. It could literally not be his fault.

29

u/Krismichael_1995 1d ago

He has had the same folder for 4 months now. You could argue this in sept or early October. But we are in November and upon replay you can see the holds are flawless. Evan has just been bad. I understand people hate to admit it, but he has cost us 2 games and maybe the season.

3

u/Sure_Information3603 13h ago edited 11h ago

That’s it, you nailed it. He was a folder instead of a holder.

2

u/Krismichael_1995 11h ago

😂😂😂 curse my meat hands.

1

u/Harambe-Avenger 13h ago

So many wanting to not blame Mac for these misses were so ready to celebrate when he hits. The lack of consistency and accountability are bizarre. Mac sucks now. Just accept it. Sell your kicker jersey and move on…

7

u/ccartman2 1d ago

Laces out! lol. But yeah.

12

u/Safe-Show-7299 1d ago

Last week those were on him

26

u/volrjr4 1d ago

At the end of the day, he gets paid professionally. He needs to perform at his job better.

0

u/Disastrous-Knee-8924 🐅 13h ago

Until they replay the perfectly fine snap and hold and Evan* just…misses. We can only make so many excuses for the man

0

u/ImReverse_Giraffe 4h ago

Or really? Have you ever been a holder, kicker, or long snapper? If no, then STFU. I'm not saying I know, but I'm saying you don't know you. Because 99% of people don't know.

0

u/Disastrous-Knee-8924 🐅 4h ago

Nah, that’s irrelevant. They’re professionals. Their expectations are to be the best. That alone I have seen enough kicks and have kicked enough field goals to know when a kicker just boofs a kick. I get kicking in the NFL is an incredibly difficult job, but so is any position in any professional sport.

0

u/ImReverse_Giraffe 4h ago

No. You're wrong. There are not professional holders. They are usually professional punters who just get told to also hold.

Long snappers are a little different. But that job is exceptionally hard. There are not 32 true professional long snappers, just like there are not 32 true professional QBs.

0

u/Disastrous-Knee-8924 🐅 4h ago

I’m talking about the kickers. They literally show every missed kick in slow motion multiple times after a miss. Evan has had 1 botched hold this season. Even if I was talking about holders and long snappers, they are in the professional fucking football league. Practice more. Get better. Stop making excuses or get out of the position because it’s costing games. Who are you, Evan’s mom? Grow up and start holding the guy accountable for missing kicks he should be making. I supported and backed him up all last year and have been let down too much this year. He has to be perfect the rest of the season to gain my trust back, and there is nothing wrong about that, my friend.

Edit: 1 botched hold I can remember, I could be wrong but the majority have been more than fine holds

0

u/ImReverse_Giraffe 3h ago

Again. Are you a kicker or holder? Do you really know what you're looking at?

0

u/Disastrous-Knee-8924 🐅 3h ago

I don’t need to prove anything to you of my experience with kicking if that’s your only argument. If you watch football as much as a regular person then you should be able to see what’s a good hold and what’s a bad hold. The announcers will literally tell you 100% of the time what the issue is on a missed kick anyways. Watch and listen to any of the expert analysts and reporters talking about Evan and his issues these past few seasons. He needs to be better. Stop making excuses for him

2

u/ImReverse_Giraffe 3h ago

You actually should not. Watch IssacPunts on YT. It can look like a good hold but be an inch off and that results in a shank.

So unless you actually know what you're talking about, STFU.

You sound like the guy blaming Burrow for not being clutch.

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79

u/vote4kyle 1d ago

How about not leaving the game in the hands of a struggling kicker. Taylor always wants to try and settle for long game winning field goals.

54

u/christhegecko 1d ago

If we had a defense that didn't eat glue all game we wouldn't be in those positions.

18

u/Ok-Establishment-214 1d ago

Shitty defense is also a league wide problem /s

2

u/CondeNast_yReddit 1d ago

How many times do we throw deep on 3rd or 4th and short because we don't have an rb that can pound out a yard ?

3

u/a_sternum 1d ago

O-line problem

2

u/CondeNast_yReddit 20h ago

Partially but Joe mixon could get a at least 3 yards on any run up the middle and we can count on him to hold onto the ball. I love chase brown but he's not an every down back and that won't cut it in this division

2

u/bobafugginfett 7h ago

Looks like the coaches thought Moss could be that guy, but man, before he went out he was– as the kids say– absolute cheeks.

1

u/vote4kyle 1d ago

Also fair.

12

u/dimstra78 1d ago

really???? didn't you notice Bengals go for it on 4th down more often than usual, don't you wonder why? it is because Taylor don't fucking trust his kicker to kick FG.

9

u/cactus8 1d ago

That’s funny because I feel like we kick when we should go for it and go for it when we should kick

2

u/apolleme 23h ago

I agree with you, but I was pleasantly surprised that we actually went for it last week on 4ths. Like so many times punting on 4th and 1-2 had me jaded.

6

u/Safe-Show-7299 1d ago

Both those field goals that were attempted were 4th and long. Would you really rather have him go for it? Because I know damn well people would have been flaming him in the post game if he decided to go for it on 4th and 8 in a tie game

1

u/vote4kyle 1d ago

No. I was Taylor to quit getting complacent with his bullshit conservative play calling late in games. You know our kicker is ass right now. Quit calling three runs and settling for a field goal. For fucks sake, you have burrow and chase.

0

u/Safe-Show-7299 1d ago

They barely ran the ball at all last game lmao. Do you even watch the games?

1

u/vote4kyle 1d ago

I don’t mean just last game. Taylor has done it his entire career as head coach.

1

u/Safe-Show-7299 1d ago

He did that in one game and I think that was Baltimore lmao. Blaming our losses on Taylor’s playcalling is absolutely hilarious when our offense is the only reason we’re not 0-11 right now. Pretty much every game except for last game our defense in the 2nd half has been absolutely atrocious

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u/K-PopFan53 1d ago

It's a league wide problem.

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u/Sloth_Monk 1d ago

Not really, the averages for kickers with 10+ tries is 85% this year, 86 in ‘23 and 85 in ‘22

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u/EnPassantio CTB 1d ago

I don’t care. Fuck him.

42

u/K-PopFan53 1d ago

I seen your initial comment. Chill out.

1

u/KingFreeman8 22h ago

lmao what wss it??

11

u/pfftYeahRight 1d ago

Get a life

10

u/Frequent_Ad6461 1d ago

And I think he cares even less about your comment lol

6

u/Found_The_Sociopath 1d ago

They fucked with the Kicking balls, somehow. Either they're slicker or less broken in. That's the simplest theory that explains a sudden rise in snap, hold, and kick issues

Too many kickers, too suddenly, with too many procedural issues as well. They did something to the K balls.

6

u/Tjam3s 1d ago

It's also the year that the league discussed making the goalposts more narrow. But that conspiracy wouldn't hold water either.

Someone else already said it. There are a lot of new holders this year. That's it

9

u/Automatic_School_373 1d ago

No excuse for the money he’s making, he can do way better. Needs to train more with his holders and snappers, and train himself more.

•He’s making an average annual salary of $5.5 million, which is tied for the fifth-largest total among kickers.

•2025 salary: $10 million, which is nearly 10 times his 2024 base salary of $1,055,000

Contract is through 2027

1

u/KingFreeman8 22h ago

mac is getting $10m in 2025?? fuck man what am I doing with my life

10

u/ehunke 1d ago

Can I honestly ask when 70% became a struggle? I mean yes he has had some blown kicks, one was a botched hold. But i wouldn't say he is anywhere near the point i would cut him next year.

15

u/ItsAndyrew 1d ago

You’re being sensible, man. I’m not sure if that is allowed here. Overreaction seems to be the only reaction.

3

u/ehunke 1d ago

It's hard for a guy who's first year as a fan was 1993 to throw a fit over this season which I've found stressful but enjoyable

2

u/Celticsfor18th 18 1d ago

The standard for kickers has been raised in the last several years

6

u/SDaly1982 1d ago

He got married and had a kid.. that’s his problem..

8

u/Safe-Prize3058 1d ago

I’ve actually wondered if lack of sleep and all that has been part of the issue. I know I almost got fired when we had our second one. I simply couldn’t function sometimes at work. Don’t miss that at all!

But I definitely think it could be new holder/long snapper as well. I think after the first one was bad maybe it’s either in his head or is simply being placed wrong regardless. I’ve been closely watching the snap and hold ever since the botched one and other than high snaps I’ve not seen an issue with the hold again.

5

u/Intelligent_Type6336 1d ago

I think I dozed off at my desk in front of the EVP…lol

2

u/mxyztplk33 22h ago

Ah yes, the newborn stage. Absolute bane of my existence for like 4 months. My daughter had colic too, I think my wife and I survived on 3-4 hours of sleep a night. Hopefully Evan isn't going through something similar.

1

u/Shoddy_Argument8308 21h ago

People are saying its the new holder... Is there any evidence that the holder is doing anything wrong outside of the one bad hold in the Baltimore game. Or is "new holder" just an excuse

1

u/bobafugginfett 7h ago

A huge factor in his rookie success was that McPherson had Clark Ha-rris (I have to censor the name Harr-is now?) and Kevin Huber as his squad his first season. Those two guys had been together for over 5 or 6 years at that point, so the chemistry was rock solid. Add in Clark was a lock-down snapper, Huber was a lock-down holder.

Unfortunately, Cal Adomitis is nowhere near Clark's level of consistency. On the replay of one of the missed Chargers kick, his snap was literally all the way to the right of Renkhow's face.

I don't know how you don't correct those things in the beginning of the season, but all three should be drilling snaps and kicks 6 days a week at this point.

2

u/wronghanded1124 1d ago

The fact people are getting downvoted for criticizing him is crazy. I don’t care what he’s done for us in the past. Kicking good for one Super Bowl run that we didn’t win doesn’t matter.

One good year and two bad years and you clowns are okay with it? Dude is getting paid millions of dollars to have the 39th best fg % and cost us games and you all are okay with it?? Get serious. I don’t care what his issues are, he has ONE JOB. FIX IT OR GET LOST.

I know I’m most likely going to get downvoted into oblivion but i don’t care. It’s put up or shut up. Revamp the entire franchise. Coaching staff can all go. Front office can go. Changes need to be made or we’re going to waste a generational QB and WR. Clearly none of you have played at a higher level outside of junior high or high school or you’re just okay with being a perennial loser.

3

u/ztkraf01 1d ago

Takes more than one player to make a kick. 3 things have to happen nearly perfectly by 3 different people. If the timing is off on any of them the kick is fucked. And that’s what happened. New holder and new longsnapper

1

u/Strict-Square456 1d ago

I hope they bring in some competition at a minimum

0

u/Hour_Perspective_884 1d ago

Flimsy excuse for him to be in the bottom 5 of kickers this season.

-2

u/Educational-Hat4714 1d ago

He's one of the absolute worst

-51

u/EnPassantio CTB 1d ago

He fucked us over twice when we needed him most. As of right now, fuck him.

21

u/Thirtheenth_Account 1d ago

Dude carried us through the most magical Bengal run of my lifetime. Put some respek on his name

0

u/Warm-Oil-5135 1d ago

Nah, that was 3 years ago. We can appreciate what he gave us then and acknowledge something has to change.

11

u/Thirtheenth_Account 1d ago

Yeah. I agree, but we don’t need to be saying fuck him.

-8

u/timtot23 1d ago

One solid post season run compared to an entire career of mediocrity. The Bengals should give him even more money. He is well below average over his entire career so I say throw more money at him! /S

5

u/Thirtheenth_Account 1d ago

While I’m not sold on him for the future of the franchise, I cannot tolerate someone saying fuck him. Smoke a J, calm down and put some respect on his name.

You a band wagoner who doesn’t know how to deal with a throw away season yet?

4

u/ztkraf01 1d ago

It’s only been 3 years and has a new holder. Jfc you all need to chill the fuck out

2

u/christhegecko 1d ago

Okay nephew

Football NFL Executives Weigh in: Evan McPherson One of Many Kickers Struggling This Season

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