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First let me qualify what I am about to type...I like Sean Ellis as a kicker, he's a marked improvement over what we saw last year out of the kicking game, and I think he has a bright future with the Falcons.

However, I am trying to figure out if the blocked FGs are his fault or the protection?

He has attempted 7 FGs this year and made 4. The three he has missed were all blocked. The blocks came during the Buffalo (23), Ohio State (50) and Central Michigan (24) games. He has made FGs from 23, 25, 31 and 38 yards.

I can excuse the 50-attempt block somewhat because your kick trajectory has to be lower to get it that far. But what about the 23 and 24 yard blocks? Those are no more than an extra point. All you have to do is pop the ball in the air quickly and get some air underneath it. How can those get blocked?

If the blocks are coming off the edge of the line (OSU), I have to blame the protection. If the blocks are comng from up the middle, I think Sean has to do a better job of getting the ball in the air more quickly. I know he has a long stride which causes him to take a little longer than a shorter player...like Shiusam for example.

Do wehave a kicking coach or is that part of DJ's "special teams" duties?

That block wasn't on Ellis. If you get your hands on some game film, you'll see that the CMU's were through our line before the holder had the ball on the ground. That was a world-class breakdown.

I think it's a both Ellis needing to get the ball up in the air quicker and lack of protection. I'm also concerned about Ellis' kickoffs. I mean he has the leg to kick the ball thru the end zone...why isn't he? Just a thought as he is just a Frosh.

Bleeding Orange wrote:That block wasn't on Ellis. If you get your hands on some game film, you'll see that the CMU's were through our line before the holder had the ball on the ground. That was a world-class breakdown.

Funny you say that because sideline reporter Jason Aldridge made up some crap about the snap being good, the protection being good and the kick being good, but sometimes the other team just makes a ggod play. I was in the chat room last night when he said that and called 'bullsh!t' immediately. You have to have a breakdown somewhere to get a 24 yard FG blocked.

And if you check back to the pics of the blocked FG from the OSU game, I believe you will see both the C and the RG getting knocked back on their butts/backs. Gonna get a lot of kicks blocked when that happens. (And yes I know the guy that blocked that FG came from the outside. Just pointing out that I have seen our line get knocked back on FG attempts before, so I wouldn't doubt that is what happened last night as well.)

Warthog wrote: Funny you say that because sideline reporter Jason Aldridge made up some crap about the snap being good, the protection being good and the kick being good, but sometimes the other team just makes a ggod play. I was in the chat room last night when he said that and called 'bullsh!t' immediately. You have to have a breakdown somewhere to get a 24 yard FG blocked.

Its funny that they said that, because the block wasn't made by a defender getting up in the air - it was made in the backfield by an overload at the center of the line.

Warthog wrote:And if you check back to the pics of the blocked FG from the OSU game, I believe you will see both the C and the RG getting knocked back on their butts/backs. Gonna get a lot of kicks blocked when that happens. (And yes I know the guy that blocked that FG came from the outside. Just pointing out that I have seen our line get knocked back on FG attempts before, so I wouldn't doubt that is what happened last night as well.)

Based on just that picture:

The guy blocking it is coming from the far right side (their left) based on his leaping across that way. If it weren't for him, it looks like the other two guys surely would have had a chance.

For blocking, try submarining them. It prevents penetration, although they can leap as high as they want at the line of scrimmage. But if its blocked at the line then you have kicking height issues. One other thing is ...there is no rule that you HAVE to place the ball 7 yards from center. Have the holder line up 9 yards back to buy yet a few more fractions of a second...that's all it takes. If they miss a 45+ for want of an extra 2 yards, well then sue me!

For kicking height issues, stand two yards back from the goal posts and practice kicking over the cross bar. You will learn very quickly to get leverage way under the ball or it will hit the bar and rebound off the bridge of your nose. For you golfers out there, it is akin to "chipping" using a "wedge from the fringe". From a distance of less than a 30 yarder (13 yd line on in) leg strength should be enough at this level to carry any Pop Up one would hope.

The blocking was bad, but whats new with our special teams? On the other hand, if you watch Ellis in warm ups or if you have ever made it out to a practice, you will notice that every once in awhile he kicks a line drive barely 10 feet off the ground...I feel he does need to work on being more consistent and getting the ball up, but thats just something that will come with practice and experience...He will be a great kicker for us!

50 yarders are often blocked, as mentioned. But, there is no reason for a short FG being blocked. I think Ellis will be a fine kicker for us, and our special teams are improving.

quick Q? what keeps the holder from being considered down when he gets the ball and his knee is down? If it is a fake does his knee have to be up, he is a runner/passer when he gets the ball and is down? In the NFL they have to down by contact, but college, no such thing. Is there anything in the rules about this?

turtle wrote:quick Q? what keeps the holder from being considered down when he gets the ball and his knee is down? If it is a fake does his knee have to be up, he is a runner/passer when he gets the ball and is down? In the NFL they have to down by contact, but college, no such thing. Is there anything in the rules about this?

Hmmm...excellent question. I don't know.

turtle wrote:Is there anything in the rules about this?

Yep, special exception for the holder on kicks.