By request, a chart showing field goal accuracy inside the 50. It does not support the theory that Morten Andersen should be enshrined into the Hall of Fame.
There was a question posted on the site. Eric Goetz wanted to know if playing in a dome actually worked against Morten Andersen. Because he played in a dome, the theory go, he had to attempt more kicks from 50-plus yards. And with more long-range attempts, that naturally caused him to have more misses.
But it doesn’t seem to have a strong impact.
I took the numbers for the ‘90s. Took every kicker’s total field goals, then subtracted out the kicks from 50-plus. So total field goals inside the 50. There are 34 guys who attempted at least 100 in those 10 seasons.
Jason Hanson, at almost 88 percent, is the leader. He’s also a dome guy. Next is Nick Lowery at 86 percent. Lowery spent his entire career kicking outdoors (Kansas City, Jets), and I think he’s really underrated in the big picture of things. I don’t think he was as good on kickoffs as Andersen and his career wasn’t as long, but he was definitely more accurate on field goals.
Three other kickers made it over 85 percent – Gary Anderson, Norm Johnson and Todd Peterson. Johnson and Peterson were mostly dome kickers in the ‘90s. Anderson played all 10 years of the decade, and he was in less desirable conditions for seven of them (Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Francisco).
Andersen’s down at 9th, at an 83.5 percent rate.
The careers of Andersen/Anderson are closely intertwined. They both entered the league in 1982, and they both played for years and years. They rank first and second in games played and points scored.
Andersen (I think) had a slightly stronger leg. I believe he was a little better on kickoffs. Anderson (I know) was more accurate on field goals. So if I had to pick one to go into the Hall of Fame, I would go Anderson over Andersen.
Just wish he hadn’t missed that 38-yard field goal that would have put Minnesota in the Super Bowl.
Anderson’s fans can argue that the one kicker in the Hall of Fame, Jan Stenerud, had a similar kind of miss. Stenerud missed a 32-yarder that would have beaten Miami in the 27-24 double-OT loss in 1971. Kansas City probably would have gone on to play in the Super Bowl that year.
Andersen’s signature miss was in the final week of the 1996 season. He missed a 30-yard chip shot that put Jacksonville in the playoffs. The Jaguars went on to upset 13-3 Denver in the postseason, probably altering another Super Bowl matchup (might have been Green Bay and Denver in the Super Bowl in New Orleans that year, rather than the Patriots and Packers – that was the Desmond Howard kick return game).
| FIELD GOALS INSIDE 50 YARDS (1990-99) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Kicker | FG | FGA | Pct |
| Jason Hanson | 179 | 204 | 87.7 |
| Nick Lowery | 154 | 179 | 86.0 |
| Gary Anderson | 248 | 291 | 85.2 |
| Norm Johnson | 219 | 257 | 85.2 |
| Todd Peterson | 121 | 142 | 85.2 |
| Al Del Greco | 220 | 260 | 84.6 |
| John Carney | 230 | 273 | 84.2 |
| John Kasay | 189 | 225 | 84.0 |
| Morten Andersen | 223 | 267 | 83.5 |
| Pete Stoyanovich | 230 | 276 | 83.3 |
| Matt Stover | 195 | 235 | 83.0 |
| Mike Hollis | 126 | 153 | 82.4 |
| Steve Christie | 231 | 282 | 81.9 |
| Doug Brien | 108 | 132 | 81.8 |
| Jason Elam | 164 | 201 | 81.6 |
| Fuad Reveiz | 127 | 156 | 81.4 |
| Adam Vinatieri | 104 | 129 | 80.6 |
| Chris Boniol | 126 | 157 | 80.3 |
| Jeff Wilkins | 101 | 126 | 80.2 |
| Doug Pelfrey | 145 | 181 | 80.1 |
| Brad Daluiso | 102 | 128 | 79.7 |
| Cary Blanchard | 141 | 177 | 79.7 |
| Matt Bahr | 115 | 146 | 78.8 |
| Chris Jacke | 163 | 209 | 78.0 |
| Eddie Murray | 125 | 161 | 77.6 |
| Jeff Jaeger | 177 | 228 | 77.6 |
| David Treadwell | 108 | 142 | 76.1 |
| Chip Lohmiller | 146 | 192 | 76.0 |
| Kevin Butler | 144 | 190 | 75.8 |
| John Hall | 75 | 100 | 75.0 |
| Michael Husted | 128 | 171 | 74.9 |
| Greg Davis | 167 | 225 | 74.2 |
| Dean Biasucci | 91 | 128 | 71.1 |
| Mike Cofer | 71 | 112 | 63.4 |
--Ian Allan