Getty Jake Elliott of the Philadelphia Eagles
Things aren’t going well this year for Jake Elliott. The Philadelphia Eagles kicker looked visibly frustrated after missing an easy 22-yard field-goal attempt in Week 14, the shortest miss of his NFL career.
He knows he has to do better. Elliott inked a $20 million contract last year to make him the NFL’s 10th highest-paid place-kicker, so pardon everyone for raising their expectations. He has connected on just 13-of-18 field-goal attempts in 2020, including going 1-for-3 on lay-up kicks under 30 yards.
“It’s just me coming out of my follow-through too soon,” Elliott told reporters on Wednesday. “I’ve just really got to hone in on making good contact and finishing my swing.”
More alarming, the 25-year-old whiffed on extra points in back-to-back weeks. It’s been a strange regression for the guy who booted that legendary 61-yarder that launched the Super Bowl run.
“It’s frustrating. I would say from the other day, it’s embarrassing,” Elliott said. “In my profession, if you’re not perfect it’s a bad day so it was a bad day. Unfortunately, I missed that one and I’ve had a couple now. I just have to get back to work.”
Jake Elliott in 2020:
– 1/3 on 20-29 yard FGs
– 2/5 on 50+ yard FGs
– 2nd worst graded kicker in NFL
He carries 8 mil dead cap in 2020, 5.3 mil in 2021…
#Eagles
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Missing Short Kicks ‘Unacceptable’
Eagles special-teams coordinator Dave Fipp has been Elliott’s strongest supporter all year, sometimes even blaming himself for the kicker’s foibles. He did it again during his media availability on Tuesday, although the coach did call Elliott’s recent spate of misses “unacceptable.”
“Obviously, the last three weeks he’s had some short misses there. It’s unacceptable for us. He knows that, I know that,” Fipp told reporters. “I have to do a better job with him just working our fundamentals, our techniques, our drills. We had a good snap, a good hold. I think the operation has been really good for him. He’s obviously made a bunch of longer kicks, so some of it is hard to fathom.”
Jake Elliott has a 1-minute rule to either celebrate a made kick or bemoan a missed one. Then he’s focused on upcoming kick. #Eagles.
The fact Elliott is swishing longer kicks adds another confusing piece to the puzzle. He’s a perfect 10-for-10 on kicks between 30 and 50 yards, with a season-long of 54 yards. He hit a 44-yarder last week in the second quarter to put the Eagles up 10-0.
“I work my tail off. It’s really, really important to me,” Elliott said. “I’m going to go out there and work and get this thing right.”
Bad Year for NFL Kickers, Accuracy Issues
It’s been an odd year for NFL kickers across the board. Can we blame the pandemic for that, too?
The average accuracy rate on field goals in 2020 has been hovering at 84.3%, with several normally reliable kickers taking dips. Dan Bailey is 12-for-18 (66.7%). Stephen Gostkowski is 17-for-25 (68%). Greg Zuerlein is 25-for-31 (80.6%). And Elliott is 13-for-18 (72.2%).
“I think any player in that position in this league or most players in that position in this league have had to fight through something,” Fipp said of Elliott. “This will be a good opportunity for him to fight through a little adversity here.”
Remember, the Eagles did bring in a few different kickers for workouts but wound up letting them leave without contracts.
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