Haven't been on the site much in the last couple days and haven't read thru all the threads, so I'm sure this has been touched on a bit. Still, the kicker needs a thread of his own for a little pat on the back. Obviously, there were the kick and re-kicks from 54/55-yards where Sturgis got iced and then showed Chuck Pagano what "ice" really is. Looked like he could have hit the second one from 67 yards, and both were straight thru the uprights. Sweet. Is anyone missing Dan Carpenter at this point? Less noteworthy but more important were what the actual three points did/what they ended up doing. Aside from tying the score at that point and giving the Dolphins some momentum heading into the locker room, they sort of forced Indy into playing for TDs instead of FGs in the fourth quarter. Andrew Luck mentioned how on the Grimes INT play that there were guys underneath that were open but he made the mistake with the throw to covered guy in the end zone that ended up being an INT. If they just kick the FG there, all they need in the final drive was a FG. At the very least, that forces us to drive down from behind, on the road, and kick a game-winning FG of our own. I may be reading too much into those extra three points to say that the four-point lead had something to do with the forced pass, but who knows? Once they didn't score any points on the first of the two late fourth quarter drives, however, they were forced to go for a TD on the final drive instead of running out time, running thru our time outs, and kicking a late game FG. Instead of that, the four-point lead allowed our defense to stiffen, and voila, we win. The 55-yard FG by Sturgis -- and the drive from Tannehill and the offense at the end of the first half for points -- was crucial in how those final minutes played out. Of course, even if the Colts had kicked a FG, it's comforting to know that we have a kicker that can out-kick Gus, the Disney donkey, who kicked 100-yard field goals for the California Atoms back in the 70s, springing them to the lone NFL championship. Yes, it's nice having Caleb Sturgis on the Miami Dolphins!
Actually I was half expecting the Colts to score towards the end and that Sturgis would win the game for us with a last second FG. It didnt happen that way but I am sure it will happen at least a couple of times during the season.His contributions may even get us into the playoffs.
Sturgis kickoffs and FG range/accuracy, and Fields Punts.....both are simply a huge "often overlooked" advantage for us no doubt....pinning them at the 20 or inside the 20; never really thinking about even the attempt at a return is great luxury.
I despise the ice the kicker call, to have our kicker line up and kick it strait down your freakin gut was priceless and very important to the outcome of the game...it was a real pressure situation, lot of things can enter the mind, but the kid was iceman on the play and Pagano was his little ***** puppet.
The miss in the beginning of the game form Vinatieri was huge. I had the feeling it was going to haunt them. If it came down to Sturgis kicking the game winner, I have no doubt he would have made it. Kid has ice water in the veins, you can just tell by his demeanor.
Kind of wanted/thought we would try for the FG when 17 got stopped on 4th down. We will see a 60 plus attempt this year I believe.
Yes - because realistically, in some situations when we cross the 50, we enter his range.(Indoors and wind favorable outdoors) In all situations when near the opponents 40, we are definately in his range. Huge weapon - He extends the range where points are possible by 10 yards, and his kicks are like arrows.
He has already produced more than a majority our second round picks over the past 15 years. Well worth a 5th round pick already. We don't need three years to justify a late round pick. He is contributing and will continue to contribute which is all you could ask for.
…if he continues to play this well for just this season alone… he will have easily been worth a 5th round pick. 1 seasons worth of production is more than what the majority of 5th round picks give you in terms of ROI…
Someone on another thread named him "Never Nurvis Sturgis", but the "Shaken, not Sturgis" is my fave...
Carp lost it a few seasons back. I am glad that they replaced him and so far so good with this guy. Hope he continues to kick the snot out of the ball.
Carp may prove to help this team more than ever, kicking for the Bills. When Fagano called that time-out, I was like, "whatever dude...you can't stop this kid!" And BAM! Loved it.
I was really impressed how straight and true both 54yd attempts went(the re-kick) He may have been good from 60, both kicks were down the middle and hit the catch net! I do not miss Carpenter, we would have been 2 games better last year if we had a better kicker.
I have taken to calling the Sturgeon. Like a good doctor, he slices everything straight down the middle.
Yo, check it.. Just listening to Sturgie on the radio, he's like, "anything 60 and under I feel confident in." Lol
His value on kickoffs can't be overstated. I know the Colts didn't start beyond their 20 on any possessions after we scored, and i don't think the Browns did either.
He sure did... You think the forty yard line is now an automatic attempt? With no regard to field position?
Think of it with Carpenter lining up to try a 54 yarder, and getting iced to boot? Now think of this kid lining up for a 54 yarder as a rookie and kicking two straight 54 yarders including the timeout to try to ice him. I think he is worth every cent of that 5th round draft pick. I loved him making a fool out of Pagano. Of course we could have kept Carpenter and used the 5th round pick to draft someone else.