{"id":8410,"date":"2024-12-07T06:59:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-07T06:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=8410"},"modified":"2024-12-07T06:59:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-07T06:59:00","slug":"longtime-special-teams-coach-assesses-ravens-justin-tucker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=8410","title":{"rendered":"Longtime Special Teams Coach Assesses Ravens’ Justin Tucker!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is in the worst season of his legendary career.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Dec<\/picture><\/figure>\n
Dec 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (9) watches his failed third quarter field goal attempt against the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images \/ Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The struggles of\u00a0Baltimore Ravens\u00a0kicker Justin Tucker have the football world perplexed, with everyone trying to figure out what’s gone wrong for the future Hall of Famer.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0veteran special teams coaches.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only are those holds exceptional, their operation is the envy of the league,”\u00a0Baxter said. “Their snap-hold-kick process is one that a lot of people try to emulate.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cTucker has always been a guy who hits the ball really hard,\u201d Baxter said. \u201cHe does what I call \u2018crossing up\u2019. When his right leg hits the ball, his left side crosses over, which tightens your follow through to stay on balance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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 \u2013 you can talk to a fade but a hook won\u2019t listen. He swings as hard as any player that\u2019s ever kicked. When you swing that hard, it\u2019s easy to pull one.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you start flirting with the left upright \u2026 if it\u2019s going left, it\u2019s not coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is in the worst season of his legendary career. Dec 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (9) watches… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nLongtime Special Teams Coach Assesses Ravens' Justin Tucker! - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=8410\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Longtime Special Teams Coach Assesses Ravens' Justin Tucker! - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is in the worst season of his legendary career. 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