Eagles position battle briefs: An edge in the kicking competition

Share

Not too long ago, Cody Parkey was coming off of a Pro Bowl season, and Caleb Sturgis was struggling to replace him. To anybody who's following the kicking competition closely at Eagles training camp, on the other hand, that might seem like ages ago.

For starters, Sturgis has been surprisingly accurate on field goal tries throughout camp. Perhaps it shouldn't come as too much of a shock considering he was already showing signs of improvement last season, but the fourth-year veteran's body of work in the NFL hasn't exactly been one of consistency.

Yet as much as Sturgis may be proving he deserves to win the job permanently, even going as far back as OTAs, Parkey has probably done more to lose his spot. He simply is not putting the ball between the uprights at nearly the same rate as his opponent.

It's not unusual to see Sturigs nail five straight kicks in a period, whereas Parkey often will miss at least one. And sometimes that one miss is particularly ugly, like the kick that sailed so far left of the goalposts, it missed the net and flew right into the seats at Lincoln Financial Field during an open practice.

In discussing the comeback attempt with Parkey last week, he seemed to believe it was all a matter of repetitions. After missing almost the entirety of the 2015 season due to a torn groin and blood clots in his leg, it's certainly understandable how it might take some time to get back in the full swing of things.

That being said, the longer camp drags on, the less patient the Eagles can afford to be with his recovery.

Which might be a shame, because Parkey arguably has the higher ceiling of the two. Sturgis set a new personal best with his 81.8 field-goal percentage last season, but that's still significantly less than Parkey's mark of 87.5 percent in the NFL — nine full points higher than his opponent's career mark. Kickers can be fickle, but prior to the injury, there wouldn't have even been a debate.

Although at this point in time, Strugis looks like by far the more solid of the two. Credit to the former fifth-round draft pick for exorcising whatever demons haunted him his first two seasons with the Dolphins, if that is indeed the case, but he's clearly built a lead here.

For what it's worth, Sturgis has a bit of a stronger leg as well, although the NFL may have mitigated that attribute somewhat with its new kickoff rules. Since a touchback now brings the ball out to the 25-yard line, there's less incentive for returners to bring the ball out of the end zone, while a kicker who only gets it to the goal line may even become the preference around the league.

With that in mind, it seems like the decision will come down to field goals, and so far, it's not even close. Parkey has a lot of catching up to do.

Obviously, preseason games could have a major impact on the outcome of this battle. There's a massive difference between a field goal try when it's just the long snapper, the holder and the kicker on the field or during 11-on-11 practice compared to the pressure of putting the ball through the uprights in a live situation — even an exhibition — in front of tens of thousands of fans.

In the past, Parkey has been by far the more successful of the two in those moments. Given Sturgis' improvement in that area last year however, he may have to suffer a meltdown in the heat of the moment to make this a competition again.

Contact Us