What's The Longest Field Goal Justin Tucker Can Hit? Answer Is Jaw Dropping
After nailing a 69-yard field goal in practice last week that even made Head Coach John Harbaugh celebrate, everyone wants to know what Justin Tu
If he doesn't have the *strongest leg in the league, it's *one of the strongest. I mean, just ask EA Sports, who rated Tucker as the most powerful with a near-perfect 98 rating. Madden 17 is undisputable scripture, right?
So maybe he can hit a field goal from beyond 70? Or maybe even 75?
Uh-uh, go farther.
"[I]f the situation is just prime, maybe 84.5 yards," Tucker told NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" Thursday.
My favorite part is the show hosts' reaction:
cker's limit is.
That's a jaw-dropping distance. And* *Tucker isn't just throwing out an arbitrary number.
He said that while he was in Denver last season, when the weather was nice and where balls sail because of the altitude, he hit the crossbar from 85 yards during pregame warmups. He figures if he would have taken a half-yard step forward, he could've nailed it.
To put 84.5 yards in perspective, that would be 20.5 yards farther than Broncos kicker Matt Prater's NFL record of 64 yards set in 2013. Prater did it in December, when the football is rock solid.
It's one thing to do it in pregame warmups, and it's another for the coaches to actually send a kicker out and attempt one from beyond 64. But if anyone could break the record, it's Tucker. And Harbaugh has never been shy about sending him out from long distances.
Tucker holds Ravens franchise records for the longest field goal (61 yards), most in a game (six), most in a season (38) and most points scored in a season (140).
"We think about these things really specifically. If [the Ravens] send me out there, they've got a reason to do it, because they think I can make the kick," Tucker said. "To me, it doesn't matter where, I've just got to hit a good ball."
Love the confidence, Tuck. General Manager Ozzie Newsome obviously knew what he was doing when he made you the richest kicker (in guaranteed money) in the NFL.
Bronson Kaufusi's Injury Is Tough, But Not Devastating
Remember when the Ravens wouldn't trade their third-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys to move up and draft Jalen Ramsey in the first round?
Well, that third-round pick turned out to be used on Bronson Kaufusi, who will now likely miss the entire season after breaking his ankle when a defender fell on his leg Thursday.
You have to feel for Kaufusi. No rookie wants to start his NFL career this way. Sure, there's at least one major camp injury every year, but the frequency doesn't make it any easier.
Harbaugh talked about how these things happen for a reason and, on a personal level, Kaufusi will have to look at it that way to keep his head up. Harbaugh said Kaufusi can focus on working on his lower body, both strength- and flexibility-wise, to become a better player.
"He was playing well, but he's only going to be better next year," Harbaugh said.
While this is a tough injury for Kaufusi, the good news is the Ravens have the depth to absorb his loss.
"This isn't a devastating injury for the Ravens because Kaufusi was running third on the depth chart behind Lawrence Guy and Brent Urban," wrote Hensley. "With 26.5 sacks at BYU, Kaufusi could've contributed as a pass rusher as a rookie."
In addition to Guy and Urban, the Ravens also have Carl Davis and Kapron Lewis-Moore. So the depth is there, but we've seen a deep group depleted quickly in past years.
"The Ravens came into camp with a lot of depth along the defensive line, with Guy, Urban, Brandon Williams, Timmy Jernigan, Carl Davis, Kapron Lewis-Moore and rookies Kaufusi and Willie Henry all in the mix," wrote CSNMidAtlantic.com's Clifton Brown.
"Now Kaufusi is out for the season, Jernigan is battling a rib injury, and Urban and Lewis-Moore have already missed extensive time in their young careers. Depth is important but it can change in a hurry."
Training Camp Observations
- "Running back Kenneth Dixon and cornerback Will Davis both returned to the field. Dixon, who injured his knee last Thursday and hadn't played since then, stayed off to the sideline and did agility drills during practice. Davis had Monday and Wednesday off after feeling discomfort in his knee — he tore his ACL last year for the second time in as many seasons — but returned Thursday and made a nice tackle for loss in the backfield." -- Jake Lourim, The Baltimore Sun
- "One of the last drills of practice was a punt return drill, and rookie Keenan Reynolds (Navy) had a rough time. He dropped three punts fired by a machine from the opposite end of the field, and Harbaugh approached Reynolds after the third. Kaelin Clay and Stephen Houston also took reps in the punt return drill. Clay caught every ball, and Houston dropped one." -- Lourim
- "Something I’m very happy to report, Elam looking good in practice. During full scrimmage Elam made a great interception while being glued to the hip on his receiver. At no point was he open, and when the throw went his way Matt outstretched for the interception. Eric Weddle was screaming and shouting his praise, and charged across the scrimmage field to celebrate with Matt. With Webb receiving a day off Matt made his extra snaps worth it." -- Kyle P Barber, Baltimore Beatdown
- "Rookie cornerback is cruising at the NFL level, at least against the second- and third-team offenses. Young treated onlookers to a solid display on defense particularly when breaking up passes. On special teams, he excelled, too, blocking a Will Lutz field goal. The true test will come in the preseason, but don't be surprised if the rookie gets reps with the first team defense before then at the slot corner position." – Brian Bower, Russell Street Report
- "Overheard: 'Tavon, look at all the laundry! The guy just had an 80-yard return for a touchdown and it's called back because of you! – Special Teams Coordinator Jerry Rosburg to Tavon Young after Young committed a penalty on a kick return." – Lourim
- "While Terrance West has looked explosive this camp, second-year running back Buck Allen has had a quiet start. On Thursday, he dropped a pass while wide-open, and on a third-and-short play, he was stuffed short of the first-down marker by Terrence Brooks along the sideline. Allen is still probably the No. 2 back, but he has been outplayed by West thus far." – Brown
Chances These Six Ravens Become Hall Of Famers
There are typically 45-50 Hall of Famers playing at one time in the NFL, according to ESPN's* *Bill Barnwell.
So, Barnwell took on the task of identifying the handful of potential Hall of Famers of the thousands of players on all 32 teams' rosters today.
Here are his projections for Baltimore:
Joe Flacco: 1-10 percent chance
"Flacco put together one of the most incredible postseason runs ever in leading Baltimore to a Super Bowl victory, but he has been stagnant as a passer since. Now, if he did that again ..."
Elvis Dumervil: 1-10 percent chance"Dumervil's career includes two 17-sack seasons, but with 96 sacks by the age of 32, it's hard to see him getting into the 130-or-so range, at which point his candidacy would be a lot stronger."
Marshal Yanda: 1-10 percent chance"Yanda might be the best guard in football and has made five straight Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pro appearances, but Alan Faneca had nine Pro Bowls and six first-team All-Pro appearances and just missed out on Canton. Even if Faneca eventually gets in, you can see how high the bar is for guards."
Eric Weddle: 1-10 percent chance"Weddle suffers from playing in a conference with Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu for most of his career (he only has three Pro Bowl nods through age 30)."
Terrell Suggs: 30 percent chance"Suggs is an interesting case. … He doesn't have the sort of steady double-digit sack totals you might look for from a star edge rusher, but Suggs' best year (2011) came while J.J. Watt had just emerged from his alien womb and earned Suggs a Defensive Player of the Year nod, which looks great on a Hall of Fame résumé. Being part of a historically famous defense helps. Suggs has 106.5 sacks, which is 24th all time, but he probably needs to get to the 130 range to guarantee his enshrinement. That will be tough on two torn Achilles."
Steve Smith Sr.: 60 percent chance"Smith Sr. is one of the more fascinating Hall of Fame arguments out there. He gets bonuses for being a skill-position player and a force of nature as a personality; that stuff does matter in Hall of Fame voting. He has five Pro Bowl appearances and two first-team All-Pro nods, one of which was for his return work in 2001. That itself isn't a Hall of Fame résumé. What works in Smith's favor is that he has been around forever and accrued numbers despite playing with Jake Delhomme at quarterback for most of his career. Smith's 11th in career receiving yards (13,932) and 15th in career receptions (961). Terrell Owens and Isaac Bruce had more catches and haven't yet been elected to Canton, but once Smith gets to 1K, his chances of eventually making it in should be favorable."
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