Monday, September 10, 2007

Jacksonville's Freaky Kicking Injuries Continue

Getting injured during the course of the game is a constant possibility for NFL players, even kickers. However, getting injured during pregame warmups is not something you want to be a part of, especially if you're the kicker(or getting injured during a celebration, I'm looking at you Gramatica!). However, that's exactly what happened to Jacksonville's starting kicker Josh Scobee yesterday.

For once, pregame warmups were significant. They cost Jacksonville a key weapon and a serious piece of strategy for Sunday's season opener. K Josh Scobee pulled a quadriceps muscle before the game when his kicking foot struck the turf. He kicked one more field goal and felt another twinge. Then he slammed his helmet to the ground. "It just wasn't a good idea to kick off or doing anything long," Scobee said.

The worst part is that his injury probably cost the Jags three points, the margin of defeat against the Tennessee Titans.
He booted one extra point and a 22-yard field goal, surrendering long attempts and kickoffs to P Adam Podlesh. Scobee's injury might have cost the Jaguars three points. Early in the third period they were forced to go for a first down on fourth-and-10 from Tennessee's 19-yard line. A 36-yard field goal was too long for Scobee to attempt. He told Coach Jack Del Rio that anything beyond the 15-yard line was too long.

Scobee was 7-7 between 30-39 last year, so it's pretty safe to assume that he would have knocked that field goal through. Had he been able to do so, Jacksonville would have tied the score at 13-13, and who knows what the outcome would have been.

Eventhough it does seem like a freak injury, maybe it shouldn't be too surprising considering that Jacksonville did lose a punter once to an ax incident that took place in the locker room.

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