The Most Underappreciated Player in Football: Why Great NFL Teams Never Ignore the Kicker
Three points may not seem like much—until they decide championships, careers, and legacies.
Many people dismiss NFL kickers as “a dime a dozen.” But just how important is the kicker to an NFL team?
We have already examined the offensive line and the offensive skill positions and the fundamental building blocks required for them to succeed.
Now it is time to turn our attention to one of the most overlooked positions in football: the kicker.
Most fans look at a missed field goal and immediately blame the kicker. But field goal kicking is not a one-man operation.
A field goal is not just about the kicker’s leg—it is about the infrastructure surrounding the kick.
There are four critical parts to every field goal attempt:
1. The long snapper
2. The holder
3. The kicker
4. The blocking unit up front
If any one of those four components breaks down, the entire play can fail.
Fans often focus only on whether the kicker pushed the ball left or hooked it right. But what caused the miss in the first place?
Was the snap too high or off target?
Was the holder forced to adjust the placement?
Was the tilt of the football incorrect?
Did pressure force the kicker to rush his approach?
Did the blocking unit collapse before the timing sequence was completed?
If the offensive line cannot hold its blocks, the kicker may never have the opportunity to properly plant, align, and follow through. At that point, the play has already failed before the foot even strikes the football.
The Four Pillars of the Kicking Game
Football is a game of details, and nowhere are those details more important than in the brief moment between the snap and the kick. From the time the football is snapped until the moment the kicker’s foot strikes the ball, the entire sequence must happen in roughly 1.2 to 1.3 seconds. Within that tiny window, the long snapper must deliver an accurate snap, the holder must catch and rotate the football while placing the laces and seams correctly, the blocking unit must hold off the rush, and the kicker must approach, plant, and make clean contact. If even one part of the sequence is slightly off, the trajectory of the kick can change dramatically.
At every level of football, games and championships are often decided by inches, fractions of a second, and the smallest of details. One such detail that many fans never notice is the placement of the football itself—specifically, the location of the laces and seams. Ideally, the holder wants the laces facing forward, away from the kicker, and not turned toward the side. Why? Because even a slight disruption in the kicking surface can affect the trajectory and rotation of the football. If the kicker’s foot strikes the raised laces instead of a smooth surface, it can alter contact and affect both accuracy and ball flight. At the same time, the holder also wants to avoid having the kicker strike directly across the back seam of the football, because the seam itself can also influence the trajectory and spin of the kick. At every level of football, where games are often decided by inches, those tiny details matter.
This once again illustrates how precision and timing are critical throughout the entire play. The snap must arrive cleanly, the holder must rotate and position the ball properly in a fraction of a second, the blocking unit must hold its protection, and the kicker must make clean contact—all while defenders are charging forward attempting to block the kick.
Football is a game of details, and nowhere are those details more important than in the 1.2 to 1.3 seconds between the snap and the kick.
Timing, synchronization, trust, and protection all matter. Just like a quarterback cannot operate behind a collapsing offensive line, a kicker cannot consistently succeed when the protection unit fails in front of him. That is why great organizations do not evaluate kicking in isolation. They evaluate the entire play. The best football teams understand that kicking success depends on synchronization, protection, timing, and execution between all four parts of the unit. Once again, it all points back to infrastructure.
A Kicker’s Perspective
To better understand the precision and pressure involved in the kicking game, I recently spoke with Vincent Roncone, kicker for the Strongsville Mustangs football program. Our conversation reinforced just how much coordination is required for every successful field goal attempt. Roncone discussed the importance of timing, trust, repetition, and the placing details involved between the long snapper, holder, blocking unit, and kicker. He emphasized that when fans see a missed kick, they often focus only on the kicker, when in reality the breakdown can begin anywhere within the play.
From the placing of the laces and seams on the football to the protection provided up front, every detail matters. Roncone explained why holders work to keep the laces facing forward and away from the kicker rather than turned to the side. If the kicker’s foot strikes the raised laces instead of a smooth surface, it can affect the contact point, trajectory, and rotation of the football.
His perspective reinforced an important football truth: successful kicking is not an individual act—it is the result of an entire unit executing together under pressure, with almost no margin for error.
Three Points Can Change Everything
A field goal is worth only three points. But in football, those three points can mean:
Winning the division
Securing home-field advantage
Reaching the playoffs
Advancing to the Super Bowl
Saving a coach’s job
Preserving a quarterback’s legacy
Miss one kick, and an entire season can disappear.
Make one kick, and your team may be remembered forever.
Pressure Unlike Any Other Position
Quarterbacks touch the ball on every offensive snap. Kickers may stand on the sideline for most of the game, then suddenly be asked to decide the outcome with millions watching.
There is no rhythm.
No second chance.
No hiding.
One swing of the leg.
One result.
That level of pressure is unique in sports.
The Hidden Value of Elite Kickers
Great kickers provide more than points. They provide confidence.
When a coach knows his kicker is reliable from 55 yards, the entire strategy changes.
Drives do not need to reach the 20-yard line
Conservative play-calling becomes viable
Fourth-down decisions become easier
Players remain calm late in games
An elite kicker expands the effective scoring zone and gives the team a psychological edge.
Final Thoughts
Fans celebrate quarterbacks.
Analysts debate pass rushers.
General managers obsess over left tackles.
But when the clock is winding down and the score is tied, all eyes turn to one player.
The kicker.
In that instant, he becomes the most important player in football.
Dynasties are built in the trenches—but championships are often decided by the foot.