Could crowds affect kicking accuracy in the NFL this year?
After watching the NFL Hall of Fame Game, one thing became abundantly clear: having the crowds back is quite something.
The stadium was packed with fans and there was no need for any artificial noise to pack the room. The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers went at it amidst a chorus of cheers and jeers. You only miss the sun when it starts to snow, and that definitely holds true for crowds in NFL stadiums.
Going into the season, one of the primary topics of speculation was how crowds would affect players. After watching the HoF Game, though, the biggest question is how the crowds could affect the kickers going into 2021.
Will crowds psych out NFL kickers in 2021?
After a year of radio silence, players across the NFL went through the stages to adjust to the change. At first, it was odd and surreal. By the end of the NFL season, with months to adjust, the players were far from distracted by the lack of distractions. This created a sense of comfort in silence.
This season, the distractions and roars of the crowds are back. While most positions will quickly get used to the hooting and hollering, kickers may take a little longer. Here's why.
Kicking in the NFL is like a golf swing. It requires perfect concentration and near-perfect execution. Take either of these out of the equation and the golfer's in trouble.
A kicker in the NFL also needs perfect concentration and execution. Adding a full crowd to the mix after a year of radio silence is sure to have an impact.
It also appeared to show up in the Hall of Fame Game when both Sam Sloman and Hunter Niswander missed two kicks. Could the shock of the crowd noise have affected both kickers equally?
It will take until the rest of the NFL starts their preseason next week to know for certain. However, if there are kicking issues throughout next week, it will raise questions about whether the kickers' struggles will carry into the regular season. Odds are, even if the kicking issues show up next week, they will be ironed out by the start of the regular season.
That said, what if the kicking issues persist across the NFL and carry into the regular season? This could set the stage for some interesting choices about teams choosing to go for two more often or whether to go for a conversion on fourth down. Looking even further ahead, the kicker struggles could be a future argument for bringing a fourth preseason game back to the NFL.
Of course, this is likely making a mountain out of a molehill. The kickers will likely be acclimated to crowds by the end of September, at the very latest. Until that happens, though, the questions will persist. The kickers appear to have their work cut out for them this year.