Football kicker question?

A

Alec

New member
So I was watching the Falcons-Panthers game today and Jason Elam kicked a 40 yard field goal. Then he had to kick it off to the Panthers. He kicked it off and it was a bomb. It actually went through the field goal posts. So I was wondering why it was so easy for Elam to make that kick off through the posts, but kickers have a really hard time to make 50-yard field goals.
 
He is also co-holder of the NFL record for longest FG in history at 63 yards, so in his prime Elam was clutch. It's hard to kick something that far and get it within 30 feet of where you're aiming. 50 yards is 150 feet away.
 
On field goals, it is a lot harder to kick from someone holding the ball than a tee, and the kicks have to go through a space smaller than half the field. Kickoffs don't really have to be super accurate. On 50 yarders, you have to have distance and accuracy, so it is a lot harder.
 
When you kick the ball from a tee, it is much easier to make the ball go father than when someone holds the ball for you. Plus on kickoffs, the kicker will get much more of a running start than when kicking a field goal.
 
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