For N.F.L. Kickers, Showing Too Much Leg Could Hurt Their Pockets (Published 2022) (2024)

FAQs

Why are NFL players not allowed to show their legs? ›

1945: Commissioner Elmer Layden, apparently with way too much time on his hands, decides that NFL players have unsightly legs and decrees that all players must wear long stockings. This rule, still on the books, is why NFL players wear high socks while so many NCAA teams still play bare-legged.

Kickers have made 85.8 percent of field goal attempts this season, the second-highest leaguewide rate behind 2013, which would make the composite 2023 NFL kicker the 15th-most-accurate ever.

The NFL requires every player to wear league-approved shoulder, thigh and knee pads under his uniform. Punters and placekickers may omit thigh and knee pads.

Justin Tucker is the best kicker to draft in fantasy football in 2023. The Baltimore Ravens offense is expected to be one of the best in the NFL and Tucker is the most accurate kicker in NFL history with the strongest leg, too.

That doesn't mean some skin doesn't peek through from time to time; it happens semi-frequently as the result of strenuous play, and it's mostly tolerated. But failure to wear the appropriate leg coverings can — and has — resulted in fines.

All players must tuck in their jerseys. They cannot wear bandannas. Stockings must be white from the top of the shoe to midcalf and an approved team color from midcalf to the bottom of the pant leg, which must be pulled down below the knee.

One of the NFL leaders in field goals made through Week 7 is no longer on a roster after the Los Angeles Rams released kicker Brett Maher on Tuesday, the team announced. Maher's release comes after he missed two field goals and an extra point in Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Under the new rules, the kicking team's kicker will continue to kick from the 35-yard line. But rather than be flanked by his teammates, the rest of the kicking team will line up at their opponent's 40-yard line, eliminating the traditional running head start.

He played college football at the University of Texas and was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Regarded as one of the greatest placekickers of all time, Tucker is the most accurate kicker in NFL history at 90.2 percent and holds the record for the longest successful NFL field goal at 66 yards.

Placekickers today are predominantly "soccer-style" kickers, approaching the ball from several steps to the left of it [for a right-footed kicker, or vice versa] and several steps behind, striking the ball with the instep of the foot; all current National Football League kickers use this style.

Do kickers wear mouthguards? ›

However, many players with higher risk of contact and hard hits will usually opt for the mouth protection over those who see less contact like punters and kickers. Quarterbacks are up in the air – sometimes they see a lot of contact through sacks, and other times they're fiercely protected and come out clean.

Tommy Davis has the lowest career field-goal percentage by a kicker, hitting 47.1 percent.

There was just one little hitch: Kicker Brett Maher. Maher had a nightmare game, tying the NFL record for the most missed PATs in a single game by halftime before missing a record fourth in the second half. Over on ESPN's Manningcast, Peyton was speechless.

“Skin exposure of the lower leg and ankle area due to improper wear of game socks and/or leg coverings is prohibited at all times throughout the game,” the rulebook states. The only exception is for kickers who prefer to go barefoot, though there hasn't been one of those in years.

The official rule from the NFL states that players must wear pants that cover the entire knee area.

"Players believe that knee pads make them slower and less agile, affecting their ability to run and move laterally quickly." Moreover, the aesthetics of football gear have also played a role in the decreased usage of knee pads.

The NFL banned tear-away jerseys in 1979, and college football banned them permanently in 1982. As with many sudden changes in life and football, part of the reason behind the rule change seems to have been a way for schools to save a few dollars on extra jerseys.