The struggles of Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker have the football world perplexed, with everyone trying to figure out what’s gone wrong for the future Hall of Famer.
Formerly the most accurate kicker in NFL history, Tucker has struggled tremendously this season with 10 missed kicks (eight field goals and two extra points) in 13 games. He hit rock bottom with two missed field goals and a missed extra point in Sunday’s 24-19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, leaving seven points on the board in a five-point defeat.
In the blink of an eye, Tucker has gone from the Ravens’ most reliable weapon to an outright liability. Everyone’s analyzing the veteran kicker’s slump, and no one is more qualified to do so than veteran special teams coaches.
Fresno State special teams coordinator John Baxter, who has nearly 40 years of experience at the collegiate level, shared some fascinating insight on Tucker’s predicament in an interview with SB Nation’s Alex Kaston. First and foremost, Baxter disputed the notion that long snapper Nick Moore and/or holder Jordan Stout are at fault.
“Not only are those holds exceptional, their operation is the envy of the league,” Baxter said. “Their snap-hold-kick process is one that a lot of people try to emulate.”
Another notable tidbit about Tucker’s misses is that they’ve all been wide left, save for the latest on Sunday which went wide right. Baxter also offered an explanation for why they’ve hooked left so consistently.
“Tucker has always been a guy who hits the ball really hard,” Baxter said. “He does what I call ‘crossing up’. When his right leg hits the ball, his left side crosses over, which tightens your follow through to stay on balance.
“The harder you swing, the more active your left side has to be. If your left side is late, the ball is going to track left. When you pull it as hard as he pulls it – you can talk to a fade but a hook won’t listen. He swings as hard as any player that’s ever kicked. When you swing that hard, it’s easy to pull one.”
Tucker still has the power that served him so well in the past, but with his accuracy off, it’s now more of a hinderance than a benefit.
“When you start flirting with the left upright … if it’s going left, it’s not coming back.”
No matter what the cause of Tucker’s issues is, it’s up to him to fix it. The Ravens have made their commitment to him very clear, but he simply has to be better to give his team a chance.
