Who is the best Giants kicker of all-time

ranking on? number of FGs? percentage? BBI popularity?

Leg strength and distance is all well and good, but to me, you kind of judge kickers similarly to the way you judge QBs. You want a guy who comes through in the clutch when the game is on the line. Bahr didn't have a lot of leg left when he became a Giant, but he was automatic once you got in his range. Parcells knew and used that.

Tynes was terrific. Kicked them to two SBs with VERY clutch kicks.

Shiek was great too, but I don't recall him being their kicker for very long. I could be mistaken.

Everyone says Gogolak, but the Giants sucked when he was their kicker. Kind of like being the Archie Manning of kickers.

he was a clutch kicker. Although Tynes kicked the Giants into the Superbowl, in 2007 it took him three tries.

Bahr was money

I believe Pete was the first soccer style kicker in the NFL. He also had a very good run on some awful Giants teams.

Look him up.

.......Matt Stover. We drafted him in the 12th round. After the 1991 Superbowl we should have thought of the future and kept him on the roster. He went to the Browns. 5 years later he was available again and we should have grabbed him. I may be mistaken but I believe Dan Reeves chose Treadwell due to his familiarity with the guy in Denver... not sure

Anyway, I can remember telling myself back then that I liked Stover better. The guy ended up having one of the longest and most successful careers of any kicker.

Gogolak.

who can forget that gigantic nose sticking out from his single bar facemask...!

that covered every player who drop kicked or place kicked for New York from 1925 through Gogolak, and I learned a lot of things I never knew before.

there is not a lot of information about kickers in books or magazine articles, so I spent three solid months reading game summaries in Newspaper archives. My biggest take away is that you can not judge these players across eras, you rate them with their peers. Ward cuff's statistics pale in comparison to Pat Summerrall's, whose statistics pale in comparison to Gogolak's, whose statistics pale in comparison to Brad Daluiso's, etc... It's a progression becasue the bar is always going higher.

It wasn't that long ago that any FG attempt over 45 yards was tenuous, today kickers are regularly making FGs over 50, its not even a big deal.

Steve Owen was the first coach to strategically implement FGs into game strategy. Prior to that, most teams would eschew a FG attempt for a 4th down play. Having kickers like Ken Strong and Ward Cuff on the giants was a huge bonus. Most teams would've been happy to have one guy like them.

Ben Agajanian is the most influential kicker on pro football history and designed most of the techniques modern kickers use (I went into a lot of this in my article).

Pat Summerall was the first kicker to receive recognition for late game heroics, and was the first guy to be labeled as "clutch". He won a lot of games for the Giants in 1958 and 1959.

Don Chandler was a great punter who taught himself to place kick, and he was very good, if somewhat unorthodox in his methods. His double-duty save the Giants a roster spot when they carried less players.

Each player was unique is his own way and own their place in history.
Link - ( New Window )

contributions...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNRe45lr9D0 - ( New Window )

he changed the way kickers do it.

like Matt Stover was.

Chandler was better for Green Bay but if he stayed in NY, the merger may have never occurred.

Matt Bryant has been very good for many years.

McManus may turn out to be another one.

much more difficult to kick back then. Rounder ball, poor field conditions, more strict blocking rules.

then Bahr and then Tynes, imv..Arrange them anyway you want, I'b be comfortable with any order

Great read.

In comment 13123042 Marty in Albany said:

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Look him up.

He was missing 3 toes(?) on his kicking foot..I was so proud as a kid that I could spell his name..It was a great football name

Didn't he also play defensive tackle?

It really is hard to compare since circumstances change so much through time and even from game to game.

Larry - thank you for reposting the link to your article. I missed that article at the time. I can't read it now but have printed it and look forward to reading it later.

JCN - thanks for posting the link. Not only was it a fun play to rewatch, it reminds me how much I miss the Madden-Summerall broadcast team. No other team, IMV, even comes close to them.

Those clutch kicks in the 90-91 season have lived in my memory. Tynes have as well, however that 90-91 season is when I first started to watch and understand football. The kick at Candlestick to go to the Superbowl gives me chills just thinking about it. I think it was Leonard Marshall in the camera shot on the sideline jumping with his hands up. Man I'll never forget that.

Also, Tynes running down Lambeau with his finger in the air.

for the 1990 NFL season.

He gets my begrudging vote.

In comment 13123097 Ivan15 said:

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Didn't he also play defensive tackle?

No, Groza did

Imgrates!

Good call on Bahr
EricJ : 7:32 am : link : reply
he was a clutch kicker. Although Tynes kicked the Giants into the Superbowl, in 2007 it took him three tries.

First, it was the NFC Championship, in overtime, no less.....Second, the weather conditions.....Third, one of those misses was because of a bad snap, that threw off his timing....he missed from 36 and 43 yards.....I believe, no one, had ever kicked a fg in GB, in the playoffs, over 40 yards, up to that point in time.....

So, in overtime, after missing two fg's, he goes out there to try a 47 yarder? At the time, I thought TC was nuts....if he missed, GB had great field position to get a game winning fg....That was clutch....

In comment 13123174 Doomster said:

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Good call on Bahr EricJ : 7:32 am : link : reply he was a clutch kicker. Although Tynes kicked the Giants into the Superbowl, in 2007 it took him three tries. First, it was the NFC Championship, in overtime, no less.....Second, the weather conditions.....Third, one of those misses was because of a bad snap, that threw off his timing....he missed from 36 and 43 yards.....I believe, no one, had ever kicked a fg in GB, in the playoffs, over 40 yards, up to that point in time..... So, in overtime, after missing two fg's, he goes out there to try a 47 yarder? At the time, I thought TC was nuts....if he missed, GB had great field position to get a game winning fg....That was clutch....

It takes some BBIers a long time to eschew their stubborn stances/beliefs in lieu of reality.

It was -23 degrees out. Second or third coldest game in NFL history..As the game wore on, it became even colder.

Tynes could not feel his foot. Let me repeat, Tynes could not feel his foot. The Football was as hard as a rock..

In the locker room his teammates could not believe how black and blue his foot was..

Yet, he ran out on the field WITHOUT TC's prompting and nailed, in weather that probably had reached 35-40 degrees below zero by then, with a black and blue foot he could not feel and a football possibly harder than a rock, the longest EVER playoff FG in Lambeau stadium history..

But HE MISSED 3 FGs!

he only missed TWO, and one was because of a bad snap....

In comment 13123251 Doomster said:

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he only missed TWO, and one was because of a bad snap....

I happily sit corrected

The great Andy Stynchula or Bob Timberlake. Those were some dark days for Giant fans.

In comment 13123072 Ivan15 said:

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like Matt Stover was. Chandler was better for Green Bay but if he stayed in NY, the merger may have never occurred. Matt Bryant has been very good for many years. McManus may turn out to be another one.

i have only bad memories of matt bryant as a giant

Tynes kicks the Giants to the SUPERBOWL!

Carney. Too bad we just had him for one season at the end of his career.

.

I go Bahr with Tynes right behind him. Bahr was ice

In comment 13123305 Les in TO said:

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Carney. Too bad we just had him for one season at the end of his career.

He was automatic all season, under Week 17. Suddenly he couldn't hit anything.

he had such a big leg and could send kickoffs into or out of the EZ every time? Now, with the "K" balls, yardline changes, etc., if a kickoff doesn't go into or out of the EZ, it's because the kicker did so intentionally. They can all kick touchbacks when called upon to do it. Daluiso would be nothing special nowadays.

In comment 13123198 Big Blue '56 said:

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In comment 13123174 Doomster said: Quote: It takes some BBIers a long time to eschew their stubborn stances/beliefs in lieu of reality. It was -23 degrees out. Second or third coldest game in NFL history..As the game wore on, it became even colder. Tynes could not feel his foot. Let me repeat, Tynes could not feel his foot. The Football was as hard as a rock.. In the locker room his teammates could not believe how black and blue his foot was.. Yet, he ran out on the field WITHOUT TC's prompting and nailed, in weather that probably had reached 35-40 degrees below zero by then, with a black and blue foot he could not feel and a football possibly harder than a rock, the longest EVER playoff FG in Lambeau stadium history.. But HE MISSED 3 FGs!

Great point about the kciking in the cold.

In the 1934 NFLCG against the Bears, Ken Strong broke his big toe kicking off to start the second half. Yet, he played almost the full 30 minutes of the second half - both offense and defense - and had the game changing 50-yard TD run to turn the tide of the game.

Kicking a frozen football is lick kicking a cinder-block.

In comment 13123174 Doomster said:

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Good call on Bahr EricJ : 7:32 am : link : reply he was a clutch kicker. Although Tynes kicked the Giants into the Superbowl, in 2007 it took him three tries. First, it was the NFC Championship, in overtime, no less.....Second, the weather conditions.....Third, one of those misses was because of a bad snap, that threw off his timing....he missed from 36 and 43 yards.....I believe, no one, had ever kicked a fg in GB, in the playoffs, over 40 yards, up to that point in time..... So, in overtime, after missing two fg's, he goes out there to try a 47 yarder? At the time, I thought TC was nuts....if he missed, GB had great field position to get a game winning fg....That was clutch....

not saying it was not a clutch or impressive kick. It is not a knock on Tynes really based upon the other points about the extreme cold. Just when ranking it up against the all time NY greats I had to mention the three misses. Nothing wrong with entering into the discussion. My vote was Bahr because he also did it consistently. Maybe some people here were not old enough to have watched through that era.

In comment 13123288 jjgmrg901 said:

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The great Andy Stynchula or Bob Timberlake. Those were some dark days for Giant fans.

Timberlake was actually drafted as a QB. Wasn't good at that either.

Morten Andersen

Bob Timberlake

In comment 13123327 FranknWeezer said:

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he had such a big leg and could send kickoffs into or out of the EZ every time? Now, with the "K" balls, yardline changes, etc., if a kickoff doesn't go into or out of the EZ, it's because the kicker did so intentionally. They can all kick touchbacks when called upon to do it. Daluiso would be nothing special nowadays.

yup, also we had two kickers on our roster one year, daluiso for kickoffs and long field goal attempts, Treadwell for most field goals and XPs.

In comment 13123042 Marty in Albany said:

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Look him up.

Hah! I actually saw him kick.

In comment 13123085 Big Blue '56 said:

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then Bahr and then Tynes, imv..Arrange them anyway you want, I'b be comfortable with any order

Summerall, imo, made the greatest hick in Giants history -- the FG in the snow that won the 1958 playoff game with the Browns.

It has to be Don Chandler, what the hell are you guys thinking.

All the way

The old Giants stadium made wind a factor. Being able to deliver in that wind in critical moments would be a major plus.

Because barefoot kickers were awesome

While forgetting that Bahr missed a kick earlier in that NFC championship game that would have made the finale a lot less stressful.

I would be comfortable with either Tynes or Bahr Ina big game.

In comment 13123779 DieHard said:

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While forgetting that Bahr missed a kick earlier in that NFC championship game that would have made the finale a lot less stressful. I would be comfortable with either Tynes or Bahr Ina big game.

So would have the dropped TD by Mo Carthon.

when I was a kid. That long ass FG to beat the Cardinals, I believe? I know he's nowhere on this list, but still, just wanted to give him a shoutout.

The play worked beautifully and Meggett threw a strike. I know Carthon didn't have great hands, but man, that was as easy a TD catch as there is.

In comment 13123792 Greg from LI said:

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The play worked beautifully and Meggett threw a strike. I know Carthon didn't have great hands, but man, that was as easy a TD catch as there is.

yep. nobody within a mile of him.

Bill pulled out every trick in his bag that day. Still my favorite win.

"There will be NO three-peat". CLASSIC!

In comment 13123461 clatterbuck said:

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In comment 13123085 Big Blue '56 said: Quote: then Bahr and then Tynes, imv..Arrange them anyway you want, I'b be comfortable with any order Summerall, imo, made the greatest hick in Giants history -- the FG in the snow that won the 1958 playoff game with the Browns.

Actually that kick allowed us to TIE the Browns for first place and win the conference the next week, 10-0 which in turn sent us to the Sudden Death game a week after that..

Interesting stuff. Thanks.

other than sentimental reasons? His FG percentage was barely over 50%. He wouldn't have lasted through pre-season in today's NFL.

Most kickers are in the 80-90% range these days. The kickers of long ago were lousy in comparison.

and 51 yards through the snow (real snow), Pat Summerall.

If I recall, he was a Giants draft pick and had a great leg... kicked it a mile. Can't recall what happened to him but as someone mentioned, he didn't last long. Probably pissed Parcells off one day and he was gone.

But for some reason I think of him as the Dave Jennings of kickers. I intentionally haven't looked him up - why ruin good memories with reality...