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WT: Novak tackles NFL just fine

spanishomelette

By spanishomelette
in 2005 Archives Forum

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spanishomelette

spanishomelette

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Novak tackles NFL just fine

http://www.washingtontimes.com/sports/20050924-120730-9136r.htm

http://www.washingtontimes.com/sports/20050924-120730-9136r_page2.htm

By Jon Siegel

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

September 24, 2005

In what might have been his first and last game with the Washington Redskins, Nick Novak made the go-ahead extra point in an unlikely comeback victory at Dallas. However, it was what he did after giving Washington the lead that many will remember.

Novak, a former Maryland star and the ACC's all-time leading scorer, is a stand-in while John Hall recovers from a strained quadriceps. He made his NFL debut on "Monday Night Football," kicking two extra points as the Redskins took a 14-13 lead on the Cowboys with two touchdowns in the last 3:46.

Novak's final kickoff went to return man Tyson Thompson, who found a seam and headed up the sideline toward a possible game-winning touchdown. That's when the 6-foot, 190-pound kicker made a game-saving tackle in the Redskins' biggest win since coach Joe Gibbs returned to the team last season.

"He was gone as far as I could tell before Nick made the play," Gibbs said. "My heart went right up to my throat on that one."

Novak knocked Thompson out of bounds at Washington's 49 with 2:28 left, and the defense preserved Washington's first win in Texas Stadium in a decade.

"I saw him coming up the hole," the kicker said matter-of-factly. "I just tried to cut the angle off and use the sidelines. I was just watching his hips. I always heard DBs talk about watching the receiver's hips. I was trying to stay low and watch his hips. He took it outside and I just dove at him and pushed him out. I don't think it was too difficult. If it was open field, it might have been a little harder."

It was not surprising that Novak -- who never shied away from tackles at Maryland, although the results could be comical -- would be in position to make the play. It is more surprising that he is here in Washington at all after three prior attempts to make the NFL this season.

"I don't take [getting cut] as a negative," said Novak, a two-time All-ACC kicker. "I feel like all this is a journey. The experience is what is going to make me better as a person and a kicker. I really got a good sense of what the business is like in Chicago. It is really a performance-based business. You have to get into that mentality every day. Every kick is important."

The introspective and soft-spoken Novak spent training camp with the Chicago Bears as one of four kickers brought in to compete with 12-year veteran Doug Brien, and he was the last challenger sent home. Novak was picked up by Dallas and kicked in the final preseason game, making a 49-yard field goal. But the Cowboys kept incumbent Jose Cortez.

The Baltimore Ravens quickly called. Novak was among four players invited to a one-day tryout, but he returned home unemployed to West Lafayette, Ind., where both his parents are professors at Purdue.

"He never really looks back," said his father, Bob Novak, an audiology professor. Nick's mother, Julie, heads the nursing department. "I think that is one of his major strengths. If he misses a kick, he doesn't think about it, he doesn't talk about it. It is just on to the next kick. I think that is good. Some athletes dwell on what might have been."

A week after Novak was home, the Redskins called and asked him to compete for the role as Hall's replacement.

Novak shined in the four-man competition, which included 10 field goal attempts from various lengths and eight kickoffs. He was the only one to make all 10 of his kicks. Tyler Jones, a rookie from Boise State, nailed nine. Before Novak experienced "Monday Night Football," there was Tuesday afternoon angst as the four were sent to a locker room while the coaches picked a winner.

"You just sit and wait," Novak said of the 20 minutes of uncertainty. "I was more nervous for that than I was for 'Monday Night Football.' "

Novak signed and has been staying at a nearby motel. He plans to move in with relatives in Loudoun County this weekend to save money and avoid the risk of signing a lease. Once Hall is ready to return, Novak may be back in search of a job.

If that is the case, Novak will move on to his next stop feeling better for the experience with a professional resume.

"The funny thing in the NFL is ... they all want experience," said Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, who was a San Diego Chargers assistant from 1992 to 1996, the final three as offensive coordinator. "They don't want to take a rookie kicker unless he can prove he can kick for the next 15 years.

"The thing he did is he kicked off very well. That is a concern in the NFL, how well you kick off. That, I guess, has been the knock on Nick. I talked to [Redskins special teams coach] Danny Smith and he told me he really kicked off very, very well. He helped himself, because he is on tape with what he can do."

Novak credits much of his success to Friedgen's drills after Monday night practices in College Park, where the kicker, holder and long snapper must launch a made field goal in 1.2 seconds. If the kick is good, the three move back 5 yards. A miss or too much time results in the punishment of immediate running. The drill, which goes out to the 35-yard line, is repeated until the coach is satisfied.

"Four years of Friedgen standing right behind me, that is good practice," Novak said. "It really comes down to performance and how you are doing when everybody is watching. He was good to me. He really cared about special teams."

Novak won the job at Maryland as a redshirt freshman by beating out a senior. Although he struggled early in his first season, he etched himself in Terps' lore with a 46-yard strike to force overtime at Georgia Tech (he later kicked the game-winner). He quickly became dependable as Maryland won the ACC and went to the Orange Bowl.

"Georgia Tech was kind of the beginning of the maturation process," said Novak, whose 393 points make him fifth on the NCAA all-time scoring list. "[Maryland special teams] Coach Ray [Rychleski] told me it's a short walk from the outhouse to the penthouse. I kind of realized that when I made that kick. I think I needed to go through that adversity early in my career to be as mentally tough as I think I am."

Novak shined off the field as well and was named the ACC's top student-athlete his senior year, graduating with nearly a 3.5 GPA in kinesiology, the study of motion. He plans to take prerequisite courses to get into a physical therapy school perhaps as soon as this offseason.

"He didn't have much of a social life," Bob Novak said. "Between academics and all that took and football, there wasn't much time left. He amazes me by how he keeps it in perspective."

And how he just enjoys the moment.

"We talked to him before the game," said Bob Novak, whose family was at the game Monday in Dallas. "He stayed at the Four Seasons. He thought that was great. He had a massage before the game. He was just taking it all in. After the game, he had the same nonplussed kind of attitude he always has and was telling me not to get so excited, 'Hold it down, dad.'?"

Nick ran down a catalog of big kicks in his mind to keep his confidence high while running through his in-game drills to stay loose.

"I have a very good warm-up," said Novak, who even had a brief on-field chat with ABC's Al Michaels before the game. "I just felt very confident. When I got on the field, I just wanted to stay calm and act like I had been there before. And not get the big eyes and start looking around. Just try to be a professional. At this level, you have to perform every time you are on the field."

And if or when he gets the bad news that his time in Washington is over, he will be a professional and thank the team for the opportunity. He is in kicking for the long haul.

But for now, he is relishing playing for Washington and its Hall of Fame coach.

"I just love where I am at right now, and am taking it one day at a time," he said.

"Obviously you want it to work out as quickly as possible. Sometimes you have to really work for it. That's just the way life is. It makes it that much sweeter when you actually accomplish your goal."

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jwebst1

jwebst1

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Novak had an okay game. That touchdown save was pretty good, but he didn't have one field goal attempt so his game didn't really show anything. Don't go replacing Hall just yet.

Agreed... his kickoffs also sailed to the 5 or 10, which isn't bad, but man do I wish the Skins had a guy who could bang them into the endzone.

Just look back at the kickoff return at the end of the game.

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Dead Money

Dead Money

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Nice read but Tyson didn't find a seam... Our coverage was pathetic and people got blocked liek they were in highschool...

I know, I know... Injuries have people in on ST that aren't the norm... :bsflag:

Danny Smith needs to man up and get these guys playing better. We give up way too many yards in the KO and Punt coverage to say he's doing a good job. We're getting better field position these days, but thats only half of the equation.

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GhostofAlvinWalton

GhostofAlvinWalton

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Nice read but Tyson didn't find a seam... Our coverage was pathetic and people got blocked liek they were in highschool...

I know, I know... Injuries have people in on ST that aren't the norm... :bsflag:

Danny Smith needs to man up and get these guys playing better. We give up way too many yards in the KO and Punt coverage to say he's doing a good job. We're getting better field position these days, but thats only half of the equation.

How true. When Danny Smith was with the Bills, they were terrible on special teams. I watched every game the Bills played with G.Wlliams/D.Smith coaching (my buddy had NFL Ticket and was from Buffalo). The Special Teams were anything but special. The only reason this guy still has a job in the NFL is because of G. Williams. I hope he gets his act together but I'm afraid that we will have to be happy with mediocre ST while he's here. :2cents:

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RedskinsMarchingBand

RedskinsMarchingBand

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He is accurate and good on direction, but Hall can make a 55 yarder better then Novak being hall has more strength. Plus Hall is bigger, and on NFL network they did this thing on kickers makign tackles, and Hall had some pretty nice clips of him making tackles in the open field. I am a huge Novak fan and I want him to suceed, but I think Hall is the better choice.

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d0ublestr0ker0ll

d0ublestr0ker0ll

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Agreed... his kickoffs also sailed to the 5 or 10, which isn't bad, but man do I wish the Skins had a guy who could bang them into the endzone.

Just look back at the kickoff return at the end of the game.

Any professional kicker can kick a ball out of the endzone. But they don't. And that's because in pro football, coverages are able to tackle someone before they reach the 20.

On the average, special team's coverages in college football are slower to the ball...therefore you see a lot of kickers booting it out of the endzone.

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jwebst1

jwebst1

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Any professional kicker can kick a ball out of the endzone. But they don't. And that's because in pro football, coverages are able to tackle someone before they reach the 20.

On the average, special team's coverages in college football are slower to the ball...therefore you see a lot of kickers booting it out of the endzone.

No offense, but I do not agree with this at all. Kickers are always trying to kick balls out of the endzone. Why do you think they have a stat for it?

So are you telling me that after the Skins went up 14-13, they kicked off to the 5-10 yard line on purpose? If I'm the coach I want that touchback to make sure the kick isn't returned to the 50, which is exactly what happened...

can someone back me up here?

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d0ublestr0ker0ll

d0ublestr0ker0ll

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No offense, but I do not agree with this at all. Kickers are always trying to kick balls out of the endzone. Why do you think they have a stat for it?

So are you telling me that after the Skins went up 14-13, they kicked off to the 5-10 yard line on purpose? If I'm the coach I want that touchback to make sure the kick isn't returned to the 50, which is exactly what happened...

can someone back me up here?

Well, if you watch enough college football you'll see a lot of kids booting it out of the endzone, even through the uprights on occasion. How were the 'Skins supposed to know the dude was going to go through a seam? You're supposed to have confidence in your special teams. Kicking it out of the endzone tells them you'd rather just let them have the ball without any time going off the clock. At the end of the game, wasting 5 seconds off the clock and them on the 25 is better than on the 20 with no time wasted.

The simple fact is that Jason Elam, John Hall, most any professional kicker could put it out of the endzone any time. But they try to kick it on the 1 yard line to force a return. Forces turnovers and returners to be tackled before they hit the 20. Pro kickers are great at kicking high, so your speedsters can get down there and make a huge play. College coverage isn't as fast, therefore a lot of kickers with bad special teams around them will just boot it out of the endzone.

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jwebst1

jwebst1

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Well, if you watch enough college football you'll see a lot of kids booting it out of the endzone, even through the uprights on occasion. How were the 'Skins supposed to know the dude was going to go through a seam? You're supposed to have confidence in your special teams. Kicking it out of the endzone tells them you'd rather just let them have the ball without any time going off the clock. At the end of the game, wasting 5 seconds off the clock and them on the 25 is better than on the 20 with no time wasted.

The simple fact is that Jason Elam, John Hall, most any professional kicker could put it out of the endzone any time. But they try to kick it on the 1 yard line to force a return. Forces turnovers and returners to be tackled before they hit the 20. Pro kickers are great at kicking high, so your speedsters can get down there and make a huge play. College coverage isn't as fast, therefore a lot of kickers with bad special teams around them will just boot it out of the endzone.

you honestly have no clue what you're talking about.......

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jwebst1

jwebst1

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This is killing me, can everyone please vote:

Would you rather have:

A. your kicker boot the ball out of the endzone every single kick, eliminating the chance of a kick return beyond the 20

or

B. your kicker boot it to the 5 or 10 so you can try to pin them inside the 20 and get 5 seconds off the clock, where you also have a chance of them taking it to the house or to the 50 yard line like happened last Monday night

My vote is obviously A, A, A, every single day of the week, A.... 120% A

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d0ublestr0ker0ll

d0ublestr0ker0ll

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Ha. So everything I said is clueless, eh?

First of all, this is nothing to get mad about. Calm down.

Secondly, you ignored my points about making big plays ie. tackling them before the 20, causing a fumble, and most of all - taking away the confidence of your defensive Special Teams.

Show me a team that has kicks it out of the endzone every time. Are you trying to tell me no kicker can consistantly do that every time he kicks it?

At the end of a very tight game especially, you want to waste as much time as possible. Kicking it inside the 5 was better than giving them the ball without paying any time. It is debateable, but if it was so wrong to do that - why wasn't there such an uproar?

Relax man, we're all Redskins fans. :whew:

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d0ublestr0ker0ll

d0ublestr0ker0ll

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College Kickers are closer and use a higher tee

the reason the ball rarely goes in the end zone is because the NFL moved the los back twice to limit kick backs

Well there ya go. I still think the elite kickers could knock it back there if they wanted to. Otherwise, I would have loved to see him return it to the 19 only to waste 5 seconds of their already-diminishing time.

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