Feel so bad for Cody Parkey

[AUght2win 6,815]

2 hours ago, Brad_ATX said:

I can't blame them.  If he played for Denver and missed that kick, I'd be beyond furious right now.

I can. Kicking isn't an effort or decision making craft. It's basically flipping a coin. What are they booing, exactly? It just didn't go his way. He didn't do anything wrong. 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

18 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

I can. Kicking isn't an effort or decision making craft. It's basically flipping a coin. What are they booing, exactly? It just didn't go his way. He didn't do anything wrong. 

These aren't kids.  He's a professional and his only job is to kick when called upon.  Hell man, he has a 4 year, $15M contract with $9M guaranteed.  You get paid that kind of cash as kicker to make clutch kicks.

This isn't his first transgression this year either with regards to misses and this one literally ended their season.  Fans have a right to be angry.

Also, its not "flipping a coin".  That would imply kicking is no better than a 50/50 proposition.  As mentioned earlier, NFL kickers make at a rate of 84%, and this is despite the average length per FG attempt being among the all time highs in league history.  This wasn't some abnormally long FG attempt either.  It's a near certainty in the NFL that the kick is a make.

[WFE12 9,191]

Here's something y'all should see

 

[AUght2win 6,815]

39 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

These aren't kids.  He's a professional and his only job is to kick when called upon.  Hell man, he has a 4 year, $15M contract with $9M guaranteed.  You get paid that kind of cash as kicker to make clutch kicks.

This isn't his first transgression this year either with regards to misses and this one literally ended their season.  Fans have a right to be angry.

Also, its not "flipping a coin".  That would imply kicking is no better than a 50/50 proposition.  As mentioned earlier, NFL kickers make at a rate of 84%, and this is despite the average length per FG attempt being among the all time highs in league history.  This wasn't some abnormally long FG attempt either.  It's a near certainty in the NFL that the kick is a make.

What I am saying has nothing to do with age. It has to do with what kicking is.

If a baseball player swings at garbage out of the strike zone or a QB throws into triple coverage, that's a bad decision and boo-worthy. If a basketball player isn't hustling in transition defense or a guy half asses a tackle or short arms a pass. That's boo worthy. In those scenarios the player is making a stupid or selfish decision. I get booing them.

What exactly are you booing with Parkey? Think he should've kicked the ball a quarter inch to the left? Should have ran up to the ball quicker? He made the first attempt before being iced. I'm sure his approach to the 2nd was identical. It's just like a golfer hitting a bad shot. It happens and there isn't much you can do. 

He didn't do anything obviously stupid or lazy or selfish. Why boo? 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

38 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

What I am saying has nothing to do with age. It has to do with what kicking is.

If a baseball player swings at garbage out of the strike zone or a QB throws into triple coverage, that's a bad decision and boo-worthy. If a basketball player isn't hustling in transition defense or a guy half asses a tackle or short arms a pass. That's boo worthy. In those scenarios the player is making a stupid or selfish decision. I get booing them.

What exactly are you booing with Parkey? Think he should've kicked the ball a quarter inch to the left? Should have ran up to the ball quicker? He made the first attempt before being iced. I'm sure his approach to the 2nd was identical. It's just like a golfer hitting a bad shot. It happens and there isn't much you can do. 

He didn't do anything obviously stupid or lazy or selfish. Why boo? 

Actually the post game comments from Philly's coaches made note that his approach was different on the 2nd attempt.  If you notice, the "make" barely crossed the bar.  Philly coaches thought he would try to put more distance on the 2nd one and potentially screw up by doing so, which is exactly what he did.

But why boo?  BECAUSE THAT MISS KNOCKED THEM OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS!  That was the Bears best team in nearly a decade and they're out because the kicker didn't do his job.  The offense put him in position to make a winning kick.  He's got to make it.

And don't forget, the NFL is our country's most popular sport by a mile.  This is the equivalent of a soccer playing costing his team a playoff run because of a missed penalty kick.  Think fans in Europe wouldn't boo the hell out of that?

I'm not sure if you have ever been to a game in a serious pro sports city like Chicago or even care about the NFL.  It's a different animal.  I have actually been to Soldier Field and it can put an SEC experience to shame.  Same goes for Denver, Seattle, and others.  Man, I was at Super Bowl 49 where Russell Wilson threw the interception to lose the game.  Thought Seattle fans were going to burn his house down as I was leaving the stadium.

The NFL is a bottom line business.  Win and you're cheered.  Suck or choke and you get boo'd.  Sorry for Cody, but that's exactly what he signed up for.

[GwillMac6 20,600]

Parkeys best season was his rookie season. He went 32 of 36 for philly and made the pro bowl. Not been the same since besides the Dolphins season where I think he was there partially for that year.

[GwillMac6 20,600]

Parkey and Daniel Carlson have had a lot more NFL success than them but give me Damon Duval and Wes Byrum any day over them when it comes to making clutch kicks in college. Those dudes just had IT. They were all ICE in the big moments. 

[Southwest 186]

34 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

Actually the post game comments from Philly's coaches made note that his approach was different on the 2nd attempt.  If you notice, the "make" barely crossed the bar.  Philly coaches thought he would try to put more distance on the 2nd one and potentially screw up by doing so, which is exactly what he did.

But why boo?  BECAUSE THAT MISS KNOCKED THEM OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS!  That was the Bears best team in nearly a decade and they're out because the kicker didn't do his job.  The offense put him in position to make a winning kick.  He's got to make it.

And don't forget, the NFL is our country's most popular sport by a mile.  This is the equivalent of a soccer playing costing his team a playoff run because of a missed penalty kick.  Think fans in Europe wouldn't boo the hell out of that?

I'm not sure if you have ever been to a game in a serious pro sports city like Chicago or even care about the NFL.  It's a different animal.  I have actually been to Soldier Field and it can put an SEC experience to shame.  Same goes for Denver, Seattle, and others.  Man, I was at Super Bowl 49 where Russell Wilson threw the interception to lose the game.  Thought Seattle fans were going to burn his house down as I was leaving the stadium.

The NFL is a bottom line business.  Win and you're cheered.  Suck or choke and you get boo'd.  Sorry for Cody, but that's exactly what he signed up for.

To piggyback on this sentiment,the year Matt Schaub set the record for pick 6s a couple fans had actually showed up to his house or was at his yard if I remember correctly. Punters and kickers are a different animal by NFL standards also.

[AUght2win 6,815]

46 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

Actually the post game comments from Philly's coaches made note that his approach was different on the 2nd attempt.  If you notice, the "make" barely crossed the bar.  Philly coaches thought he would try to put more distance on the 2nd one and potentially screw up by doing so, which is exactly what he did.

But why boo?  BECAUSE THAT MISS KNOCKED THEM OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS!  That was the Bears best team in nearly a decade and they're out because the kicker didn't do his job.  The offense put him in position to make a winning kick.  He's got to make it.

And don't forget, the NFL is our country's most popular sport by a mile.  This is the equivalent of a soccer playing costing his team a playoff run because of a missed penalty kick.  Think fans in Europe wouldn't boo the hell out of that?

I'm not sure if you have ever been to a game in a serious pro sports city like Chicago or even care about the NFL.  It's a different animal.  I have actually been to Soldier Field and it can put an SEC experience to shame.  Same goes for Denver, Seattle, and others.  Man, I was at Super Bowl 49 where Russell Wilson threw the interception to lose the game.  Thought Seattle fans were going to burn his house down as I was leaving the stadium.

The NFL is a bottom line business.  Win and you're cheered.  Suck or choke and you get boo'd.  Sorry for Cody, but that's exactly what he signed up for.

Yeah. You're still not hearing me. Hardcore NFL fans are some of the biggest, vicarious-life losers on the planet. Not exactly rocket scientists either. I'm not surprised they booed Cody at all. I am trying to break down how idiotic it is to boo a chance-play. Again, it's like booing a golfer when he hits a bad drive. On a chance play, you do your best and hope for the best. Way different than Pete Caroll making a selfish/idiotic slant route call at the 1 so Wilson could win a SB MVP.

Also, Cody didn't a use different approach after his first make. That's silly. The ball got partially tipped and didn't go in. It's just plain stupid to boo something like that, especially when the guy was 3/3 prior. NEVER. PUT. A. GAME. ON. A. KICKER. 

[AUght2win 6,815]

I also hate Chicago fans. Remember how they blamed Bartman for the Cubs' collapse? Hope that city never wins another title.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

19 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

Yeah. You're still not hearing me. Hardcore NFL fans are some of the biggest, vicarious-life losers on the planet. Not exactly rocket scientists either. I'm not surprised they booed Cody at all. I am trying to break down how idiotic it is to boo a chance-play. Again, it's like booing a golfer when he hits a bad drive. On a chance play, you do your best and hope for the best. Way different than Pete Caroll making a selfish/idiotic slant route call at the 1 so Wilson could win a SB MVP.

Also, Cody didn't a use different approach after his first make. That's silly. The ball got partially tipped and didn't go in. It's just plain stupid to boo something like that, especially when the guy was 3/3 prior. NEVER. PUT. A. GAME. ON. A. KICKER. 

I'm hearing you.  I'm saying you aren't living in the reality of the world NFL football is played and observed in.  $9M guaranteed contracts to kickers aren't the norm and fans have every right to expect a make there for that kind of cash.  If it was 50+ yards or a super windy day, then I'd be less critical.  You keep acting like this was a low chance or 50/50 play happening.  As has been demonstrated, it wasn't at all.

And you specifically asked if there was something different that Cody did.  I'm telling you what Philly saw and said in the post-game.  Disagree with their assesment all you want, but it's plainly evident he hit that second ball harder than the first one.  The first one barely cleared the crossbar (the mascot actually caught it about 2 yards behind the goalposts).  Second one hit at least halfway up the upright.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

52 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

Parkey and Daniel Carlson have had a lot more NFL success than them but give me Damon Duval and Wes Byrum any day over them when it comes to making clutch kicks in college. Those dudes just had IT. They were all ICE in the big moments. 

I can't remember Carlson ever needing to hit a really clutch kick at AU.  Only thing that comes remotely to mind is 2016 LSU where he hit 6 FGs.

[GwillMac6 20,600]

8 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

I can't remember Carlson ever needing to hit a really clutch kick at AU.  Only thing that comes remotely to mind is 2016 LSU where he hit 6 FGs.

I do not remember him or Parkey needing one at AU besides the looooong kick Carlson nailed to get us in to OT vs Arky in 2015. John Vaughn on the other hand........... OOF that LSU game will always haunt me. At least he made the gimme vs Georgia.

[cole256 17,039]

Man bad year for au kickers.....gotta pay the cost to be the boss

[AUght2win 6,815]

8 minutes ago, cole256 said:

Man bad year for au kickers.....gotta pay the cost to be the boss

Carlson turned it around. Hoping Cody will too.

[AUght2win 6,815]

45 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

I'm hearing you.  I'm saying you aren't living in the reality of the world NFL football is played and observed in.  $9M guaranteed contracts to kickers aren't the norm and fans have every right to expect a make there for that kind of cash.  If it was 50+ yards or a super windy day, then I'd be less critical.  You keep acting like this was a low chance or 50/50 play happening.  As has been demonstrated, it wasn't at all.

And you specifically asked if there was something different that Cody did.  I'm telling you what Philly saw and said in the post-game.  Disagree with their assesment all you want, but it's plainly evident he hit that second ball harder than the first one.  The first one barely cleared the crossbar (the mascot actually caught it about 2 yards behind the goalposts).  Second one hit at least halfway up the upright.

I didn't realize Parkey was paid that highly. Sidenote: I would bet the farm Philly doesn't know squat. If Codu did make drastic adjustments he deserves the boos. In reality, I think the tip was just enough to push it. Man, a game of millimeters. 

It's wild to think, but Al Michaels correctly pointed out that if the ball had just rotated differently after the FIRST doink, it still would have gone through. It had to hit both uprights in the exact wrong way.

[WFE12 9,191]

3 hours ago, AUght2win said:

I also hate Chicago fans. Remember how they blamed Bartman for the Cubs' collapse? Hope that city never wins another title.

And it wasn't his fault. The ball was tipped!

[WFE12 9,191]

 

[auskip07 930]

7 hours ago, WFE12 said:

Here's something y'all should see

 

If thats the case (hard to see in the film) but it shouldnt be blamed on cody

 

[aujeff11 6,243]

7 hours ago, AUght2win said:

What exactly are you booing with Parkey? Think he should've kicked the ball a quarter inch to the left? Should have ran up to the ball quicker? 

After Parkey’s first made FG the game after he doinked his kick off the upright 4 times, the Bears fans sarcastically cheered Parkey on. The Bears don’t trust him and the tensions have been high whenever he has rob come into tbe game. With that said, they are booing because Parkey directly led the Bears to a loss instead of making the FG. 

6 hours ago, AUght2win said:

Hardcore NFL fans are some of the biggest, vicarious-life losers on the planet. Not exactly rocket scientists either. 

We all know you have an ass, you don’t bave to show it.

6 hours ago, AUght2win said:

I am trying to break down how idiotic it is to boo a chance-play. Again,

It should be an automatic play. He makes millions and millions of dollars to do nothing but make that kick. 

[aujeff11 6,243]

28 minutes ago, auskip07 said:

If thats the case (hard to see in the film) but it shouldnt be blamed on cody

 

Cody killed the ball and that probably rendered a lower trajectory.

[auskip07 930]

32 minutes ago, aujeff11 said:

Cody killed the ball and that probably rendered a lower trajectory.

Given his Xpoint misses i can understand why he would want to kick for the fences.  maybe his short ball isnt as accurate? 

[abw0004 10,104]

Encouraging Article

 

Bears fans booed Cody Parkey after heartbreaking FG miss. His teammates were more humane.

 Dan Wetzel, Yahoo Sports 9 hours ago 

CHICAGO – The field goal straight out of his worst nightmare had sailed crooked through the night. Defensive lineman Treyvon Hester had tipped it ever so slightly, and perhaps that was enough to cause the horror show to happen, the ball eventually banging off an upright at Soldier Field, then bouncing off the crossbar before heading back toward where Cody Parkey had launched it, 43 yards away.

Chicago’s failed game-winning field goal caused the Philadelphia Eagles to race around the field in celebration, a 16-15 playoff victory now in hand, and caused Parkey to put his hands on his knees, bend over and look like he was about to vomit.

Bears fans no doubt felt the same way as Parkey was loudly booed while walking off the field and through the tunnel after the game. That rage, anger, frustration and every other emotion that will be hurled Parkey’s way on social media and radio call-ins over the ensuing days, weeks, months, and let’s face it, years.

Parkey was essentially dead inside, a rough season, temporarily redeemed by a good playoff game (three made field goals), finally capped in the worst possible manner.

He thought he’d hit it well. He tried to play into the wind that was cutting left to right toward Lake Michigan. He hit three successfully in that direction already, plus another one just moments prior that was nullified by an Eagles timeout.

He didn’t, then or even postgame, know that Hester had gotten a finger on it, perhaps just enough in a game of millimeters and angles. When it got past the Eagles line, he thought it would work, thought he and his teammates would be onto Los Angeles, onto to one more game of this magical season.

“I thought I hit a good ball,” Parkey said.

He thought wrong. Then he thought it couldn’t feel much worse than this.

“You can’t make this up,” Parkey said. “ … I feel terrible. I let the team down … Hit the crossbar and the upright … That’s one of the worst feelings in the world to let your team down. I feel terrible.”

It was about then, as professional hell rained down upon him, that the meaty right hand of offensive lineman Bobby Massie grabbed him by the shoulder pad and lifted him up, literally and emotionally. Massie soon pulled Parkey into a hug. Massie goes 6-foot-6, 317 pounds. Parkey is 6-0, 190. Maybe. The kicker’s head barely reached the middle of the big man’s chest, but that didn’t matter, the gesture was as gentle and as supportive as possible.

As Parkey trudged off the field, still stunned that his kick didn’t carom in, still sick that he’d blown the entire thing, he found that Bobby Massie wasn’t the exception. He was the rule.

Up and down the Bears’ sideline, players and coaches came to pull on his shoulder, or get their face in front of his, or even shout through his earhole. Pats on the back. Words of encouragement.

The Bears had brought Parkey in from Miami, signing him to a four-year, $15 million deal. He was supposed to solve the kicking game. He didn’t. He tied for second most missed kicks in the NFL this season. In a November game, he hit the uprights four times.

And now their shaky kicker had just kicked away a playoff win, just ended the season prematurely, but for whatever it was worth, and it very well one day may be worth a lot, no one was leaving him out on an island of anguish.

The team was going to still be the team. The Bears were going to be the Bears.

Khalil Mack told him, “keep your head up,” in an effort to keep Parkey from slinking into a dark place.

“That’s a teammate,” Mack said. “That’s your brother.”

Kyle Long came by and told him, “dude, you accounted for half our points … We could have done more as an offense.” He meant it, too. “If I had made a few blocks the Eagles would have had less time to make it down the field [for their final minute, go-ahead touchdown]. I look at it that way. If the four-minute offense had been better.”

Eric Kush told him that everyone could have done more. “I just didn’t want him to think it was his fault,” Kush said.

Afterward Parkey sat at his locker and answered for the miss. There was no denying the pain in his face or the awareness that this would haunt him for a long time. Supportive words are supportive words, but he kept taking the blame for the defeat. He’s the kicker. The kick failed.

“That’s on me. I have to own it. I have to be a man.”

He said he’d find a way to cope, first by talking with his wife on the ride home and eventually his dog once he got there because, “he’s not going to care if I make it or miss it.”

It was gallows humor. It didn’t cheer him up.

“This is a terrible feeling,” Parkey said. “I can’t hide that.”

Cody Parkey says he doesn’t expect to hear criticism from his dog. (AP)

And yet there were the rest of the Bears, still consoling him. And so no matter what public scorn was coming, that whatever clanking that final kick might mean to his future with the club, there was still support here with the guys who mattered most.

“Every single one of them said they’ve got my back, they love me and to not let this affect me,” Parkey marveled.

“That’s our guy,” Akiem Hicks said. “I’m going to ride with my guy. If you have that ‘C’ on your helmet I don’t care what happens on the field. We are together. So that’s it.”

There is an old adage that teams learn more in defeat than in victory and it’s probably true, although there is no lesson, even one about the value of team lifting the individual, worth the price of a playoff loss.

Really though, the Bears didn’t as much learn about themselves as reaffirm what they are about, that this isn’t just a collection of talent primed for more 12-4 seasons to come, but a brotherhood that can separate the good from the great. Slogans about being a team are one thing. Proving it is another.

“This group is a special group,” Long said. “I’ve never been a part of a group like that.”

And it’s not a group that is going anywhere.

“Things happen for a reason,” Mack said.

The kicker still looked shell-shocked and uncertain about the difficult nights ahead. Nothing was going to change that. Across the room though there were just words of understanding and determination.

“We can’t see it right now,” coach Matt Nagy said. “But I guarantee you that feeling we just had in the locker room is going to help us in the future.”

Maybe, just maybe, in a very big way.

[aujeff11 6,243]

41 minutes ago, auskip07 said:

Given his Xpoint misses i can understand why he would want to kick for the fences.  maybe his short ball isnt as accurate? 

He’s usually a pretty consistent kicker. Even his 11 misses weren’t horrible. 6 of them doinked off tbe upright. I think there are probably some mechanical issues that he can fix: my favorite quote from tbe movie The Patriot, “aim small miss small.”  He has no issue with missing small but he may want to aim a little smaller. 😂 

 

I think his issue may be the bright lights on tbe big stage throws him off. Playoff teams like the Vikings, the Bears, the Seahawks, and the Chargers aren’t interested in near misses and are less likely to be patient with their kickers. The Chargers have already addressed their woes while the Bears, Steelers, *Seahawks, and Vikings need to address theirs. 

*I know the Seahawks had Janikowski but he is too old and Pete Carroll shouldn’t be asking him to kick 57 yard FGs. 

[aujeff11 6,243]

Anybody want to take this tool to the woodshed?