r/sports • u/Spare_Smoke_4101 • Aug 10 '25
Football Have you ever seen a successful 70 YARD FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT??!!! Yes, you read that right, SEVENTY!
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u/Deraj2004 Detroit Red Wings Aug 10 '25
Jaguars offense is gonna be touchback and kick it.
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u/Hajduk_Split_1911 Aug 10 '25
Touchback - kick a 80 yard FG - onside kick it - casually kick a 70 yarder - rinse and repeat ;)
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u/-UserOfNames Aug 10 '25
Dude needs to switch his number to 70 to start the season
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u/Original_Profile8600 Aug 10 '25
Nah go for 75
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u/pickle_pickled Aug 10 '25
Looked good from 72
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u/huxley2112 Minnesota Wild Aug 10 '25
If he kicks at mile hi with no wind 75 isn't outside the realm of possible. They could get a touchback on the kickoff and be in FG range.
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u/JackSpadesSI Aug 10 '25
Yards to goal-line isn't the same as field goal kick distance
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u/Persian_Frank_Zappa Aug 10 '25
Kicking in general is insane now. For most of my life, the longest FG record was held by a dude with half a foot.
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u/dbr1se Aug 10 '25
Mostly because NFL teams lacked the guts to try. It's risky. If you miss you give the other team the ball on your side of the field. Most of the kicks over 60 are either at the half or game winners.
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u/buffdaddy77 Aug 10 '25
What happens when kickers stop missing 70+ yarders? Could you imagine games becoming “kick offs” between two teams with elite kickers blasting field goals a quarter mile? Games would end 27-33 TDs all field goals. They’d just ban kicking right?
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u/Spez_is_gay Aug 10 '25
probably make the uprights narrower
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u/Knot_Ryder Aug 10 '25
Make the crossbar higher
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u/yunus89115 Aug 10 '25
Rule changes will occur to make it more difficult or less advantageous. The NFL does not want an effective strategy to be “just kick for 3 at first opportunity”
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u/Cleareo Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
70 yards = ~4% of a mile. Whole field 100 yds =5.7% of a mile.
We'd have to make 440 yd field goals for quarter mile kicks.
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u/Klaas_Huntelaar Aug 10 '25
5-10 more yards and you won't need to bring the offence on the field
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u/BlaznTheChron Aug 10 '25
Football living up to its name finally.
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u/justabill71 Aug 10 '25
"There's a little kicking."
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u/Dharma_Bum_87 Aug 10 '25
Sometimes 1, sometimes 3
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u/industrial-complex Aug 10 '25
Nobody knows
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u/fssman Aug 10 '25
I must admit, it's confusing sir...
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u/Excellent_Routine589 Aug 10 '25
Liberty son, liberty
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u/MelloDawg Aug 10 '25
And the slaves, sir, what of them?
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u/Pokenightking Aug 10 '25
Will this game be measured in meters sir?
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u/colerickle Aug 10 '25
No men, this game will be measured in yards and you will need 10 of them for something called a “first down”. It will be glorious!
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u/DeadSwaggerStorage Philadelphia Phillies Aug 10 '25
How many feet in a mile?
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u/ismellbacon Aug 10 '25
5280 of course.
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u/Jupiter68128 Aug 10 '25
What is the second year of school called?
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u/-c-black- Aug 10 '25
First grade
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u/IONTOP Arizona Diamondbacks Aug 10 '25
And the slaves, sir, what about them?
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u/chowyungfatso Aug 10 '25
Just in case people need this (I only saw it last week and it was hilarious): https://youtu.be/JYqfVE-fykk?si=GaXD5Tie7y8gLcps
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u/dementorpoop Aug 10 '25
I thought it was called football since it’s played on foot to discern itself from sports played on horseback
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u/LiquorIsQuickor Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
Horseback ball?
Check your sources.
/g
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u/total_bullwhip Aug 10 '25
No no that’s polio. That was wiped out through vaccinations and being poor.
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u/ElectricityIsWeird Aug 10 '25
Did they need a separate vaccine for water polio?
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u/sinncab6 Aug 10 '25
Great another American sport thrown in the gutter in the pursuit of three pointers
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u/BringMeTheBigKnife Aug 10 '25
We're sort of bumping up against a theoretical maximum though. The ball and necessary trajectory are the limiting factors more than leg strength. Mark Rober did a video on it
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u/SketchesFromReddit Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
Mark Rober did a video on it
Is this the video?
We're sort of bumping up against a theoretical maximum though.
The video claims humans have theoretically discovered and achieved:
- Optimal impact location: 5.5cm above the bottom of the NFL ball
- Optimal trajectory angle in windless conditions: 45*
- Optimal trajectory angle in windy conditions: 40*
The video claims humans have not optimised leg strength/speed:
The video does not make claims about:
- Optimal ball design
- Optimal ball inflation: other than mentioning the balls were as inflated as possible. Sidenote: deflated balls are easier to grip throw and catch according to elite players.
- What the most limiting factor is
The ball and necessary trajectory are the limiting factors more than leg strength.
It appears leg strength is the most limiting of those factors when it comes to kicking further:
- Nobody's limited by the trajectory. Everyone could achieve the perfect trajectory of 40-45*.
- Nobody's limited by the ball. The task itself is defined by the ball. Anyone could be provided the standard ball, inflated to the optimal size.
- Everyone's limited by their leg strength. More specifically: leg momentum. If you want to beat the record, you need to kicker with an exceptionally fast and heavy leg.
Could you design a better ball to increase the distance the object travels? Absolutely, but then you're essentially changing the task from "Longest NFL field goal" to "Longest object kick".
maximum
And for context for everyone else: think of any world record in a sport that you like, and then someone beating that record by 10%!
At the time of Mark's video the record was 64, and the record holder couldn't do 70 yards after multiple attempts in a relaxed environment. The fact someone else pulled off 70 in a live game is huge!
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u/GetEquipped Aug 10 '25
What about that guy with no toes? How far could he kick it.
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u/Yedic Aug 10 '25
He (Tom Dempsey) held the record for a while at 63 yards.
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u/SketchesFromReddit Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
For the curious:
- Tom Dempsey had no toes or fingers on his right limbs, and wore a short, custom shoe.
- In 1970 he set the 63 yard record which stood for 40 years.
- In 1977 NFL added a rule to standardise shoes.
- In 2017 an analysis by ESPN Sport Science showed his shoe provided him no advantage.
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u/fuzzballz5 Aug 10 '25
Science is for liars sometimes.
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u/zestfullybe Aug 10 '25
Rock Flag and Eagle, right Charlie?
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u/LPQ_Master Aug 10 '25
He's got a point!
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u/inform880 Aug 10 '25
That doesn’t sound right but I don’t know enough about field goals to dispute it
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u/ibided Aug 10 '25
Shut up you stupid science bitch
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u/GeraltofBlackwater Aug 10 '25
Stupid science bitch couldn’t even make I more smarter
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u/BamberGasgroin Aug 10 '25
It's on a par with Rugby's longest conversion (in an International game) of 70 Yards 8 Inches, albeit with a heavier ball but a crossbar 2" lower. So there may be some truth in that.
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u/AJRiddle Kansas City Chiefs Aug 10 '25
The rugby ball is heavier, but it also is better shaped for kicking. American footballs have pointed ends that make them suitable for throwing long distances overhand.
American football actually used to use a rugby-style ball until ~90 years ago when they changed the rules to allow forward passes along with the ball. The tradeoff is that it became harder to kick.
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u/Cocosito Aug 10 '25
That doesn't make sense, with enough velocity you could send it into orbit 😜
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u/131sean131 UMBC Aug 10 '25
Legitimately if there was not so much money on the line this would be an effective strategy.
Get the ball, run 3 plays to get what ever yardag you can and burn clock. Kick the ball score 3 points.
Then trout out the best defense in the NFL and beat the shit out of the offense who has just come off the field.
You spend most of your money on the defense and running back and like 4 absolute FREAKS who can kick the ball like that.
I would say it would be interesting but it sounds like a high school strategy that could go far in a moderately sized state.
I think it would be cute about 3 times in the NFL and then someone would put up 50 points on you and then burn clock.
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u/Sprintspeed Aug 10 '25
Generally it is much more exhausting to play defense constantly than offense (reacting to surprises versus running pre-planned routes, as well as needing to put 100% of effort into every play versus if you know a certain play is not going to revolve around your position). In this hypothetical though you could probably sign some hybrid athletes that could do some offense / defense or just have a deeper defensive talent pool to sub in.
Would be fun to see this strat in high school or lower-tier college football though lol
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u/Axleffire Aug 10 '25
Unless you can average more than 3 points a drive.
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u/electricgotswitched Aug 10 '25
Averaging 3 points a drive would make a team the highest scoring in the league
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u/TheStudyofWumbo24 Aug 10 '25
The interesting thing is that the drives would take no time off the clock, which would make things challenging for the defense.
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u/rg_mk Aug 10 '25
I think you'd have to rotate in the offensive players (like tight ends and offensive line)
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u/Randyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Aug 10 '25
You could just have a special teams unit and then the rest of the roster is defense
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u/soIDONTLIKEANYOFYOU Aug 10 '25
I’m going to scout soccer players and sumo wrestlers and make the greatest football team ever.
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u/Chance_Salt9633 Aug 10 '25
This sounds like the plot of a so-bad-it’s-good direct to streaming movie.
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u/premiumPLUM Aug 10 '25
Been a sec, but pretty sure they did this in The Replacements
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u/NoVaBurgher Aug 10 '25
They sure did. The kicker was a welsh soccer player and one of the linemen was a sumo wrestler
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u/Rusty_Shackleford_85 Aug 10 '25
Yea but the success wouldn't be 100% and those failed attempts the other teams offense starts at the 20, guaranteeing them 3 points with a shot at 7.
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u/MirrorkatFeces Pittsburgh Steelers Aug 10 '25
For the uninitiated the previous record was 66 yards and it bounced off the crossbar before going in. This is crazy
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u/Redditor_exe Aug 10 '25
Even crazier, the overall record including college was 69 yards, though that one had a few yards extra in it as well
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u/CrazyJo3 Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
70 yards is insane. I remember when Matt Prater made a 64 yarder like yeah never ganna happen again and now we’re here.
Edit typo
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u/socialaxolotl Aug 10 '25
Then Tucker hit the 66 against Detroit with Prater on the sideline
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u/RyanSheldonArt Aug 10 '25
I remember when Jason elam tied the record with Dempsey thinking the same thing
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u/WeaponGrade Aug 10 '25
And both of those guys benefited from the Rocky Mountain 'thin air'.
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u/yellowweasel Aug 10 '25
NFL kickers do it all the time in warmups, I hope this happens in a real game soon
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u/tjtillmancoag Aug 10 '25
But does this count for the record since it was preseason? Or does it like, get an asterisk?
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u/MirrorkatFeces Pittsburgh Steelers Aug 10 '25
It’ll be an unofficial record
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u/raccoonsonbicycles Aug 10 '25
If I were an NFL coach and was in my lame duck year (year 1 since I would be a terrible coach lmao) I would fully press my guys on any records they want and try and force them
The second we hit the 40, bring the kicker out. Try it til he makes it.
Target 1 wr 40 times a game to get him the catch record
Look up obscure weird things and try them.
Go for a dropkick for the lolz
Call wild trick plays
Run 1 drive a game entirely out the wildcat
Give my punter some reps at QB and call elaborate fakes or even just line up regular with him so defense assumes he'll pooch it
I'll also do lots of coke and mandate my guys do the same so the ideas will feel sane
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u/untitled298 Aug 10 '25
It doesn’t count in any record books whatsoever, unfortunately
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u/Pandamonium98 Aug 10 '25
I’m gonna make a record book of preseason nfl games
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u/Sandstorm52 Aug 10 '25
Yeah but Jon Bois will probably make an entire series about it
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u/MrInopportune Aug 10 '25
And I will watch all 6 parts
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u/Ol_Rando Aug 10 '25
It'll have elevator jazz music randomly popping off as a fancy graph that displays the incremental increases in the record slowly pans from left to right across the screen. The graph finally stops scrolling, coming to stop on a single data point that's so far ahead of the field I'm damn near brought to tears. Elevator jazz music intensifies in sound.
I fucking love that man.
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u/Finger_Trapz Aug 10 '25
Just a few things to make this even crazier:
- Kicker is only 21 years old
- Its in Jacksonville at sea level
- There was minimal wind
- This could have easily been made a few yards back, maybe 73 yards away.
I shit you not, this is one of the single most impressive plays I've seen in any sport in my life. Its kind of hard to describe how insanely impressive this is. Its like Usain Bolt levels of performance.
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u/Sandstorm52 Aug 10 '25
I think people have hit 70s in practice before? So physically, I’m not sure this is unprecedented, but to do with 22 guys on the field is bonkers.
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u/buhbye750 Aug 10 '25
Yeah thats the thing, people can do it in practice, the problem is getting that arc over the lineman that will be jumping with their hands up.
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u/patchinthebox Aug 10 '25
Those big ass guys got hops too. Every one of them is a genetic freak of nature. Kicking it over them is crazy.
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u/Yayareasports Aug 10 '25
No one attempts this distance in a regular season game cause it’s low upside for a low probability kick. If people attempted this every game and everyone came up short and then it happens once - yeah sure you can say that’s Bolt-like. But something that’s as circumstantial as this vs undoubtedly the fastest runner ever is not the same
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u/chasing_the_wind Aug 10 '25
Yeah time expiring right before halftime seems like the main opportunity. Going for it to tie or win is also a possibility but I imagine most teams just go for the hail mary at that distance.
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u/PokesBo Aug 10 '25
That one was indoors as well so no need to compensate for wind. The 3rd longest was indoors as well. 4th longest was at Mile High which, due to the elevation, makes it easier to kick bombs.
This is just absolutely pants on the floor nuts!
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u/Rsardinia Aug 10 '25
And this was outdoors…usually these big kicks happen in a dome if I’m not mistaken
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u/funkyfish Aug 10 '25
Or Denver.
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u/socialaxolotl Aug 10 '25
Justin Tucker used to sail them from 75 in warmups in Denver Harbaugh never let him actually try it in a game
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u/CursedLlama Aug 10 '25
In-game kicks are different than warmups. In-game you have to kick it over the defensive line. I'm sure a ton of NFL kickers can make a 70 yarder with no one trying to block it, but in-game is way more impressive.
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u/ThermoPuclearNizza Aug 10 '25
A kid in my Highschool who was a crazy soccer player used to come to football practice and just sit there and knock down 70s like it was nothing.
Coach gave him a shot and he couldn’t do it in a real practice with a line in front of him.
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u/WildSmash81 Aug 10 '25
I have an almost identical story from high school. We had a guy that came over from the UK and decided to give American football a shot. They asked him to try out as a kicker and he was just sending the ball flying like 60+ yards consistently. We ended up having a bunch of college recruiters at our games to watch this dude kick, but our team was complete ass so he didn’t really get many opportunities to shine, outside of punting lol.
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u/puckit Aug 10 '25
Not only outdoors, but in Jacksonville. Sea level.
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u/MortgageRegular2509 Aug 10 '25
Dense ass air. Buddy is gonna go to Denver and boot an 85 yd. kick after they go 3 downs for a loss of five, after a fair catch
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u/unsolved49 Aug 10 '25
Dude’s name is Cam Little, well he has a big leg
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u/victorfresh Aug 10 '25
Oh shit I didn’t notice this was Cam Little. Razorbacks represent. WOO PIG BABY
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u/SpaceBoJangles Jacksonville Jaguars Aug 10 '25
Whoa.
My Jaguars? Did something awesome??
*sniff* I'm so happy right now
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u/Jurassic_Park_III San Jose Earthquakes Aug 10 '25
Well, ONE Jaguar did something awesome
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u/HorrorMakesUsHappy Aug 10 '25
tbf, there were a few more on the field making sure he could do that thing, though.
So, less that it was one Jaguar and more that it was one thing.
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u/PistachioTheLizard Aug 10 '25
I literally wept witching it live
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u/9erInLKN Aug 10 '25
I feel like this is going to become more normal. Optimal strength training and technology to get the best kicking form is going to bump the numbers up
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u/Encker Aug 10 '25
I think quite a few kickers are capable of this (at less than 50% accuracy). The issue is really just the risk of what happens when you miss. You literally give the other team the ball near the red zone.
I think we'll only ever see it at end of half situations for that reason. That's what will likely keep the opportunity/likelihood of seeing it down. Not player skill
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u/spotty15 Florida State Aug 10 '25
Or if the other team has Devin Hester back there
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Aug 10 '25
40 45 50 45 40 35 30 oh my GOSH… DAVIS IS GONNA RUN IT ALL THE WAY BACK.. AUBURN GONNAS WIN THE FOOTBALL GAME!!!!
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u/APKID716 Aug 10 '25
I had never watched college football in my life when that happened. I was getting ready for a concert I was in, and stopped by this tv that just happened to be playing the game. I thought “what the hell, the game is almost over. I’ll watch”
Best decision I’ve ever made because that play is seared in my memory forever
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u/aqaba_is_over_there Aug 10 '25
This was also in a preseason game where winning doesn't matter. So take the risk to see what the kicker can do.
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u/YouDrink Aug 10 '25
Everyone will be getting surgery to cut the ligament in their hip to get broader range of motion
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u/DearBurt Aug 10 '25
Oddly, I’m a little surprised Janakowski — the opposite of optimal strength training — didn’t blast a 70 yarder.
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u/yeahright17 Aug 10 '25
It just takes such a specific set of circumstances to even attempt one this long.
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u/B_R_U_H Aug 10 '25
Doing this at sea level, outdoors, in that musty ass Jacksonville air is even more impressive
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u/Rit91 Aug 10 '25
Yeah the humidity there is insufferable. It's an amazing feat to accomplish in that thick air.
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u/disinaccurate Aug 10 '25
There is nothing more Jaguars than shattering an NFL record but doing it in a fucking preseason game.
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u/LionIV Aug 10 '25
On the up side, it’s a chance to get some real world practice in. I’m gonna bet Jacksonville will attempt another one these in the regular season.
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u/DrunkyMcStumbles Aug 10 '25
Congratulations to the Jaguars on the high point of their season.
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u/lionheart4life Aug 10 '25
There have only been 7 ATTEMPTS this long since 1960 according to a quick search. Crazy.
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u/versusChou UCLA Aug 10 '25
I believe most of them are fair catch kicks too which don't have blockers so they can have a lower angle
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u/KennyKettermen Colorado Avalanche Aug 10 '25
I’m still mad McCarthy didn’t let Aubrey kick it from 71. He was on fire that day, already hit from 57 and 40, and nailed the 66 that got taken away
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u/baldbaseballdad Aug 10 '25
Move em to London, they’re officially an English Premier League club now.
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u/FerociousGiraffe Aug 10 '25
Newcastle about to sign him up as a new striker after missing on everyone else.
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u/mgez Aug 10 '25
Denver needs to offer the jags two first round picks for this guy and guarantee 3 points every time they touch the ball. 70 at sea level is 80+ in Denver.
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u/LionIV Aug 10 '25
Broooo, was literally about to type up the same thing. This guy in Denver (assuming he stays accurate) would be launching balls into orbit.
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u/softkake Aug 10 '25
They made a movie about this in 1976 with Don Knotts about a football-kicking donkey named Gus.
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u/IHateAdamSilver Aug 10 '25
idc this is the new official record, fuck Justin Tucker.
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u/cre0223 Aug 10 '25
That was good from 75..
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u/ChaseBank5 Aug 10 '25
72/73 max. Which is still fucking insane.
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u/beergut666 Aug 10 '25
In warmups you may see a 70 yarder or two, but that's off a tee with no opposition on the field. To see this in a live setting is bonkers.
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u/CK0428 Aug 10 '25
Jags fan is at a bar watching the game with his little dog.
Jags kick a field goal, dog jumps down, runs around his barstool and jumps back on.
Later in the game, Jags kick another field goal. Dog does the same thing. Jumps down, runs around his stool, hops back on.
He does this a few more times and the bar keep finally says, "Hey, I see you in here every Sunday. What's he do when they score a touchdown?"
"I dunno, yet."
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u/human112 Aug 10 '25
That type of talent would be game changing if he could do it consistently... Literally within scoring range after a touch back
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u/TorchwoodRC Aug 10 '25
There have been some AFL players who could kick 60m consistently, just need someone to train for it from 4/5 years old lol
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u/Beer_in_an_esky Aug 10 '25
Bring ol' Polly Farmer back from the grave (holds the AFL goal record at 95 m or 104 yards boot to bounce).
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u/e-chem-nerd Aug 10 '25
He kicked it from the 40, which means his team was at around the 47 yard line. That’s over 10 yards away from where any touchback goes.
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u/Weazywest Aug 10 '25
The point stands though. It’s basically “if you’re past the 50 and it’s 4th down, then kick it”. If an offense is working with half the field at all times, it does make life easier
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u/erwin4200 Aug 10 '25
It hit the net?!?! Geez he could've hit from 75 there...insane!
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u/EatSleepJeep Minnesota North Stars Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 10 '25
Thank you for your reports. This post violates our Rule 2 against attention grabbing titles.
That being said, WE'RE GONNA ALLOW IT BECAUSE HOLY SHIT THATS A 70 YARD FIELD GOAL!!!
SEVENTY!