Old Kickers Rule
I had a piece in the sports section of Sunday’s New York Times about how older kickers are doing especially well this season:
NFL kickers are having their best season. And the oldest among them have been the best of all.
Defying time and logic, kickers 35 and older have converted 90 percent of their field-goal attempts — 6 percentage points better than their younger counterparts. That is a statistically significant margin, considering that in the N.F.L., every kick can be the difference between one more game and forced retirement.
Some of the aging kickers have been perfect or close to it. The Giants’ John Carney — the oldest player in the N.F.L. at 44 — has made 18 of 19 field-goal attempts, and his miss was a block. Carolina’s John Kasay, who has spent 18 of his 39 years in the league, is 16 for 16. Detroit’s Jason Hanson, 38 and in his 17th season, is 10 for 10, including a league-leading five field goals of 50 yards or longer.
Tags: New York Times, Old kickers