RonArtest15 Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 I am in NO way advocating that changes need to be made, but he needs to get right. I didn't even think of starting this thread until I read this on HH: Dustin Hopkins missed his league-high 7th field goal of the season, a 38-yard attempt after the offense moved 60 yards into Eagles territory, to keep the game at a 3-point deficit. Despite being a reliable stalwart to start the season, Hopkins converted just 13 of his last 19 field goal attempts in recent weeks. 7 misses...and there have been some huge ones going back to London. Maybe that's when it all started? Might be a mental thing going on with him? The kicking game here in DC has been uneven over the years with guys who are inconsistent, weak legs, etc. I thought Hopkins was nothing short of being a revelation after he was signed last year. I hope the Skins give him some time to get himself back on the right foot (no pun,) but if not....who know? What I don't want to see is the Skins jump the gun, cut ties with him, only for Hopkins to flourish elsewhere. Just gotta ride this one out, I guess....but with the stakes getting higher, he's got to be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 I was debating on making this thread myself. He has begun to miss. Another easy one lost today. I think he'll get it together. He was so good last year and even this year had several games where his made field goals won the day, but it's getting worrisome. C'mon Hopkins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petedaddy Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 definitely needs to be better, but i still support Hop our record would look a lot sweeter if he were perfect, but i'm sure many teams can say that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxBuddy21 Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 His kickoffs balance out his inconsistency this year imo. We never worry about a short field when we kickoff. He just needs to get his head on right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bantu Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 He's starting to suck. Anyone who thinks otherwise is in denial. The only thing we can say is that we've been impatient with kickers before and it has come back to bite us so we should give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSSkinz Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 The miss in London still makes me nauseous, that tie could cost us a playoff spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justice98 Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 His play definitely warrants some real competition this offseason, but I don't like when we pull the plug on kickers too soon. But it's definitely in his head. 11 minutes ago, petedaddy said: definitely needs to be better, but i still support Hop our record would look a lot sweeter if he were perfect, but i'm sure many teams can say that He doesn't even need to be perfect, just give me back the London kick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petedaddy Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 3 minutes ago, justice98 said: His play definitely warrants some real competition this offseason, but I don't like when we pull the plug on kickers too soon. But it's definitely in his head. He doesn't even need to be perfect, just give me back the London kick. agreed, the London kick is the worst, because that would EASILY mean we are 8-4 now, but you could also make the argument we could have won the lions game and cowboys game with perfect kicking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhead36 Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 I don't know what his deal is. Hopefully he can figure it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoCalMike Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 I am not sure if attempting to bring in a new kicker with 3 games left is the right way to go, but I would ask big picture. Do you take the stance that you let a guy work out his funk and hope he puts it behind in the offseason? The guy has a big leg and was very accurate for a long chunk of games before the woes started. Or, do you take the stance that there are so many NFL-ready kickers out there on the wire that it's too costly to stick with a guy missing what seems like at least 1 FG attempt per game now. Also, on his kickoffs. I have a feeling today he was kicking them short on purpose. Maybe some strategy to tempt Philly to run them back and then count on the coverage to tackle the guy short of the 25. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezcal14 Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 The last two kickers the Redskins let go of during some struggles (Gano, Suisham) have gone on to get right and get back to the mid-high 80s in terms of percentage. Kicking is a fickle thing. Like a bad run on blackjack, it'll all even out. The Hopkins we knew previously is still the Hopkins playing here now - he just needs some time. Plus, his kickoffs are a very underrated weapon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek1973 Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 15 minutes ago, petedaddy said: agreed, the London kick is the worst, because that would EASILY mean we are 8-4 now, but you could also make the argument we could have won the lions game and cowboys game with perfect kicking This. One other reason why the boys have this record is because their Kicker is money every time from almost everywhere. The Patriots, same thing, their kicker has been money for years. Hopkins has missed way too many EASY kicks. We probably have at least 2 additional wins if he kicks it like Bailey for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommanderDOOM Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 He's cost us at least a game this year. I used to think it was an automatic 3 but now I find myself doubtful of the attempt sometimes. Gotta bring in competition in training camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diehard Otis Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 25 minutes ago, jschuck12001 said: The miss in London still makes me nauseous, that tie could cost us a playoff spot. Honestly jschuck, I think the London miss is still making Dustin Hopkins nauseous!! Which is a shame. I believe in him, but the real problem seems to be in his head. And while I admire Gruden's proclivity to kick some ass when needed, the sword cuts both ways. It can adversely affect a Player having confidence issues with his play, since he thinks the next time he screws up, he's gone. Yes, sometimes that position is necessary. But just once, I wanna see Gruden put his arm around a dude that's struggling and reassure him things'll be alright. That would go a long way towards rejuvenating Hopkins's confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93 Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Yeah...um...he can stay this year but next year, wouldn't mind if we look elsewhere. He leads the league in misses and that is simply unacceptable. He's been responsible for a few losses this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddub52 Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Maybe there's an underlying injury we don't know about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flamzam Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 I do NOT want another Suisham fiasco on this franchise's hands. Dustin is too good a kicker to just shove out the door after he struggles a little. We know what this dude is capable of, and firing him would be super foolish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommanderDOOM Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 7 minutes ago, Diehard Otis said: Hopkins's confidence. He's a grown ass man. The first miss, u say it's ok. You need to get on a guy who keeps missing below 40. Kickers need to be strong mentally. If he needs a hug, he also needs to be kicked out the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HTTRDynasty Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Not every kicker can be Justin Tucker, but Hopkins is making me lose all confidence in him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diehard Otis Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 6 minutes ago, TheShredSkinz said: He's a grown ass man. The first miss, u say it's ok. You need to get on a guy who keeps missing below 40. Kickers need to be strong mentally. If he needs a hug, he also needs to be kicked out the league. Say what you will, but look what happened in Minnesota. When their kicker missed that Chip Shot to beat Seattle in The Playoffs, he never recovered from that. They cut him a week or 2 before we met them (I think). A Kicker losing his confidence IS a big deal, which I hope isn't the case with Hopkins here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade7 Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Glad someone made this thread before I did. Don't worry, I'll make a poll at the end of the year or if he costs us a game, its only fair to give him until then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonArtest15 Posted December 11, 2016 Author Share Posted December 11, 2016 41 minutes ago, NoCalMike said: I am not sure if attempting to bring in a new kicker with 3 games left is the right way to go, but I would ask big picture. Do you take the stance that you let a guy work out his funk and hope he puts it behind in the offseason? The guy has a big leg and was very accurate for a long chunk of games before the woes started. Or, do you take the stance that there are so many NFL-ready kickers out there on the wire that it's too costly to stick with a guy missing what seems like at least 1 FG attempt per game now. Also, on his kickoffs. I have a feeling today he was kicking them short on purpose. Maybe some strategy to tempt Philly to run them back and then count on the coverage to tackle the guy short of the 25. Yea...I don't think that the Skins will bring in any comp. for Hopkins right now. However, I don't think he can feel too safe going forward. He's got to be nothing short of perfect on FGAs from here on out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsGuy Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Eh, Hopkins is in a slump. He'll come out of it. The Redskins most famous kicker, Mark Moseley used to go through slumps himself, but pulled out of them. I think Hopkins will be alright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Hes got the talent, that's for sure. I think if there was a better option out there they'd have gone for it, or you would've started to hear rumblings out at Ashburn. I think the best they can do is try to pump him up and get his confidence back. Kickers are like relievers in baseball tho... At some point, you just start to get in your own head and sometimes there's no way out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoCalMike Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 I have a question more about technique, which maybe no one can answer or? Extra points are now 33 yards, yes? Well I noticed Hopkins on extra points kicks them pretty much straight on going forward. On his 37-38ish field goal attempt however, I noticed he ran up to the ball at more of an angle and it ended up going off the upright, where as his extra point when pretty right down the middle. I understand there will be a difference in how you approach a 50 yarder and 35 yarder, but it seems like 33-38 is such a small difference that you could setup to kick it the same way. Given weather conditions haven't changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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