Nah. Add a rule where if a kicker can get it through the uprights on the kickoff their team gets an extra point. Otherwise move touchbacks up to the 40. Tired of the pansy touchbacks constantly. Kickers aren't how you make the game interesting to watch.
@@newagain9964 Nothing more anti-climatic than a tight back-and-forth game with both teams trading punches, only to have it end with a 30-yard, 5-play drive to the 40 yard line, for a game winning FG. FGs are boring to watch, and so incongruous with the rest of the sport. Make the teams make the plays to get to the end zone. Or, forbid substitutions when going to attempt a FG? That way they have to have the kicker in the previous play, and it makes puny kickers much more of a liability.
Yep. The technique is the exact same you would use on a long pass in soccer, to make sure the ball doesn’t curl inwards and stays on a more straight path
I dont even watch football i could tell right away that he was a former soccer player based on how he kicked the ball. Honestly you could pick up 3 random soccer players from the park and they would be just as effective as Aubrey.
@alexsalazar5161 Maybee. But Aubrey also worked with a kick coach to get his mechanics in order for American Football lol. A lot of soccer players have ingrained muscle memory for soccer, so a lot of low-trajectory kicks. Branden Aubrey clears most soccer players by a mile, perhaps due to his years of training for NFL before being signed by Dallas.
I've been waiting for a kicker to try and game the new kickoff. Seeing the best in the world trying new things to figure out an advantage is a fun process to watch.
honestly respect to the NFL on this for making a change that took a brainless component of the game and creates opportunities for mroe interesting play
@@saleplainsespecially because it also reduces injuries. I was skeptical at first because of how complicated the rule was, but looks like the complexity is helping make it more interesting
Hey, good video; I just have one suggestion. RUclips compression makes it hard to see the ball at times, so it might help to put a subtle highlight or halo around the ball on some of the kicks.
@@chargles. ngl I think within the next 20-30 years a lot of the mainstream broadcasting roles will be filled with these gem-grade independent content creators
@@xhappybunnyx I once saw a rugby match from Australia or New Zealand (or was it an English soccer match? It was a long time ago, back when I was in college) where there was an online feed of the game they called "Fan Zone" or something like that, and it was basically two guys they dragged out of the pub, each a supporter of one of the sides in the match, "calling" the game. They weren't exactly Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller calling an NBA game, I'll tell you that much, but it was weirdly entertaining. That memory plus your comment got me thinking that maybe RUclips should get the rights to some sports league and give selected content creators a chance to call the game. Couldn't be any worse than listening to Tom Brady...or early-aughts Dennis Miller...
You can tell Aubrey was a well trained soccer Center Back, his repertoire of long kicks from range to just all sorts of swerves and curves with the ball tell you how good of a vision, ball placement and technique he has. Isaac I would suggest maybe for some original content to study good passing soccer central defenders for kickoff ideas cuz legit this is what Aubrey is doing with all the time in the world. Sport translation at its finest
This video alone shows how much neutral game and tactical decision added to the kickoff which not only is more fun to watch but adds a big layer of kicking talent and scouting to special teams
Thanks, I appreciate the breakdown of these kickoffs. On the big screen they almost all look identical. I wish the commentators would discuss these fine points that make football strategy so much fun (as well as show off the skill some of these players have).
Love your videos. So entertaining as a specialist to just watch and engage with, especially when somebody knows what they are talking about in terms of kicking and punting.
@@bradleyalthausAubrey has something no one else on the cowboys can say, he’s the best at his position in the league and it’s not particularly close. Tucker is clearly not the same, his age has taken a big toll on his abilities
Watching at 4:34, the baseball term for this is "tunneling" - where an offspeed pitch overlays exactly with the fastball until it just breaks away. Maintaining the same armslot for both pitches is critical to sell it. Looks like some pitching theory is going to start applying to kickoffs.
Nah its soccer technique, nothing about baseball here. The best free kickers do this consistently. Dont know how ud equate throwing a ball when kicking a ball is so much harder and so different
Great compilation. I’ve often wondered why kickers weren’t more creative at creating defensive plays on kick-offs, rather than just routinely booting into or past the end zone. This definitely makes the game more interesting. 👍😎
Brandon Aubrey is awesome and your breakdowns of the kicking and punting game is a strange but very interesting niche that you have found. Congrats. I picked up Aubrey off the waiver last year and drafted him this year because he did so well last year. Glad to be able to play Aubrey on my team through this tear he has been on hitting 50 and 60 yarders like nothing. You mentioned it on the video too and I am a Rams fan so I kind of know but John Fassel is a great Special teams coach and has to help as well. Miss having on him on the Rams
A brief explanation of the new kickoff rules might have helped your point. Without that understanding, a lot of this feels like it only makes a small difference, if any.
It's amazing what and how you affect the ball by the kick. Loved doing this, and then, especially in soccer, that's where you really learn (I know the balls are different).
When you compare playing soccer to kicking field goals and kickoffs, it’s no surprise he’s doing so well. In the NFL, the most intense pressure for a kicker is mental. The defense rarely touches you, and with the new kickoff format, the chances of having to make a tackle are slim to none. Go Aubrey!
I still tend to agree with Jon Bois' take that "kickoffs are stupid and bad" and would rather just see every drive start at the 30, with the Schiano 4th-and-15 rule for onsides, but you're absolutely right that this is a whole new world of uncharted territory for the strategic mind (or, as the other guy pointed out, for teams to just play it safe and boot it a mile to remove all variability from the equation.)
I think you understand this better you need to use golf term for other than baseball terms. So let’s just call it a “Draw”. I think this will help you make sense of it better.
I love how deep you get in to these analyses! May I make a request, though? As a guy with pretty crappy eyesight, is there any way in a video like this where the focus is on how much the ball is unpredictable where you can put a circle or something around the ball, or maybe draw its flight path on the screen? I was unfortunately not able to track the ball myself, even on my desktop with 1080p "premium". Keep up the great work regardless!
The one where the ball goes right then goes left is almost like a knuckle ball in soccer. He kicks like a soccer player, does he kick differently then other kickers
Been loving your channel, I feel like football "analysis" especially on the broadcast is so dumbed down and they don't talk about anything actually interesting, a huge turnoff. But this is super refreshing and interesting. Keep it up!
If you're not crazy about football you don't get it, but kickers and punters are so damn important and Aubrey is an absolute monster. Probably the best player in Dallas right now. 😂
Someone needs to put on the the old flat tip kicking shoe kickers used to use and hit the ball dead center, like a floater in volleyball. Ball will drift back and forth randomly & almost impossible to field.
As a fellow kicker I love your videos but when we see the returner part of the kick can you highlight the ball in a circle or something I have trouble keeping track of it unless it’s a hard editing thing to do
I only became a football fan in the 2022 season so I am still trying to learn as much as I can. I enjoy your videos so much but I can't really catch everything you say, the volume fluctuates a lot and you speak quickly, and I have partial hearing loss in one ear. If you use football terms that would be useful for beginners to know, would it be possible for you to put them on the screen when you say them? Also ty for this video, Aubrey is something else!
Aubrey's just kicking it like a soccer player. Kick it with more of a sweep in to out (non traditional football kick) and you'll get some spin on the ball which gets the curve. Big guy here, who played soccer, and kicked a few footballs here an there - My foot's too big to get the sweet spot on the ball with the power section of my foot. I'd lean and angle the crap out of my foot to get under it, but this would result in the ball curving like crazy. I could hit 40 yard kicks, but would have to aim outside the pylon to have it curve back in.
It's only a 5 yard penalty if a covering team moves before the ball is caught or touches the ground. With a head start of right when the ball is kicked, cover teams can probably make up that penalty easily.
Is the ball imaginary now? Because I just see a lot of little dots running around on the screen, kinda like those old 1980s coleco handheld electronic football games
The receiving team should get the ball at the 10 if the kicker lands it in the landing zone and the ball goes out of the endzone. With the current rules, kick off returns have become so rare; why would teams ever return it if they’re going to get it at the 30 or 20 anyhow
Aubrey deserves credit, but let’s be honest, John “Bones” Fassel deserves a lot of credit for the special teams. It’s been the best for years now because of him.
Right that's what I got from this vid he just kicks it at 2 yard line or a touch back same outcome and less stats for the offense completely pointless 😂
im not super familiar with whats going on here. havent payed much attention to football in the past few years. cant he just kick it out the back of the endzone every time? or is that not possible?
The "default" is you kick the ball through the end zone and they start at the 30. Anything that puts them short of the 30 on the return is net positive
For the returning team, a touchdown is the ideal outcome. Reaching the thirty yard line is “break even”, since a kickoff into the end zone for a touchback puts the ball at the thirty; this break even mark applies to the kicking team as well. For the returning team, getting the ball beyond the thirty yard line is a net positive; not reaching the thirty yard line is a net negative for the returning team. Of course, for the kicking team you reverse those outcomes.
The Cowboys are not scoring enough for this to be a factor. And limiting your opponent to 25 yards to start instead of 30 is hardly breaking anything. It takes the opponent one play to gain 5 yards back on a run that the Cowboys can't stop anyway,
THIS is how you innovate football, Aubrey is the kicker of the future
Nah bruh. Get rid of kickoffs…and the FG,XP. If a team does want to attempt thru the goal posts for pts must be a drop kick.
Steph curry of kickers
Nah. Add a rule where if a kicker can get it through the uprights on the kickoff their team gets an extra point. Otherwise move touchbacks up to the 40. Tired of the pansy touchbacks constantly. Kickers aren't how you make the game interesting to watch.
@@newagain9964 Nothing more anti-climatic than a tight back-and-forth game with both teams trading punches, only to have it end with a 30-yard, 5-play drive to the 40 yard line, for a game winning FG. FGs are boring to watch, and so incongruous with the rest of the sport. Make the teams make the plays to get to the end zone. Or, forbid substitutions when going to attempt a FG? That way they have to have the kicker in the previous play, and it makes puny kickers much more of a liability.
Definitely adds a new dimension to the game.
I think this goes back to his soccer days. He hits the football like a soccer ball. Super fun to watch!
Yep. The technique is the exact same you would use on a long pass in soccer, to make sure the ball doesn’t curl inwards and stays on a more straight path
100% using different techniques to move the ball as soccer players would. his form is quite beautiful
I dont even watch football i could tell right away that he was a former soccer player based on how he kicked the ball. Honestly you could pick up 3 random soccer players from the park and they would be just as effective as Aubrey.
@alexsalazar5161 Maybee. But Aubrey also worked with a kick coach to get his mechanics in order for American Football lol. A lot of soccer players have ingrained muscle memory for soccer, so a lot of low-trajectory kicks. Branden Aubrey clears most soccer players by a mile, perhaps due to his years of training for NFL before being signed by Dallas.
@@amoistgrandmother941 A top goalkeeper could do what he's doing without issue. Great to see innovation in sports regardless.
I've been waiting for a kicker to try and game the new kickoff. Seeing the best in the world trying new things to figure out an advantage is a fun process to watch.
honestly respect to the NFL on this for making a change that took a brainless component of the game and creates opportunities for mroe interesting play
@@saleplainsespecially because it also reduces injuries. I was skeptical at first because of how complicated the rule was, but looks like the complexity is helping make it more interesting
Hey, good video; I just have one suggestion. RUclips compression makes it hard to see the ball at times, so it might help to put a subtle highlight or halo around the ball on some of the kicks.
Best comment
Agreed
Someday, I hope you’re hired on as a video coordinator for an NFL team as you are great at breaking down special teams.
I feel like he could do well as a analyst for a broadcaster
@@chargles. ngl I think within the next 20-30 years a lot of the mainstream broadcasting roles will be filled with these gem-grade independent content creators
@@xhappybunnyx I once saw a rugby match from Australia or New Zealand (or was it an English soccer match? It was a long time ago, back when I was in college) where there was an online feed of the game they called "Fan Zone" or something like that, and it was basically two guys they dragged out of the pub, each a supporter of one of the sides in the match, "calling" the game. They weren't exactly Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller calling an NBA game, I'll tell you that much, but it was weirdly entertaining.
That memory plus your comment got me thinking that maybe RUclips should get the rights to some sports league and give selected content creators a chance to call the game. Couldn't be any worse than listening to Tom Brady...or early-aughts Dennis Miller...
You can tell Aubrey was a well trained soccer Center Back, his repertoire of long kicks from range to just all sorts of swerves and curves with the ball tell you how good of a vision, ball placement and technique he has. Isaac I would suggest maybe for some original content to study good passing soccer central defenders for kickoff ideas cuz legit this is what Aubrey is doing with all the time in the world. Sport translation at its finest
This video alone shows how much neutral game and tactical decision added to the kickoff which not only is more fun to watch but adds a big layer of kicking talent and scouting to special teams
Was hoping you'd analyze Aubrey's kickoffs at some point, legit nasty plays. You'd never think you could throw "curveballs" in football!
You should watch a video on Knuckleballs in soccer, incredibly difficult but if it is executed properly the goalie has no chance to save it.
Thanks, I appreciate the breakdown of these kickoffs. On the big screen they almost all look identical. I wish the commentators would discuss these fine points that make football strategy so much fun (as well as show off the skill some of these players have).
We got pitch tunneling in football before GTA 6
Love your videos. So entertaining as a specialist to just watch and engage with, especially when somebody knows what they are talking about in terms of kicking and punting.
Brandon Aubrey is the best player on the cowboys
Best kicker since Mark Moseley won MVP (the only kicker to do so) in the strike-shortened 1982 season.
well lamb and tyler smith still exist but its between them.
@@bradleyalthausAubrey has something no one else on the cowboys can say, he’s the best at his position in the league and it’s not particularly close. Tucker is clearly not the same, his age has taken a big toll on his abilities
@@cosmicbro1973 tbf there is a legitimate argument for lamb, and tyler smith was literally first team all pro last year.
@@bradleyalthaus Jefferson, Chase, and Hill are definitely better than lamb
Aubrey is an insanely talented guy.
ESPN needs to make a documentary about Aubrey
Watching at 4:34, the baseball term for this is "tunneling" - where an offspeed pitch overlays exactly with the fastball until it just breaks away. Maintaining the same armslot for both pitches is critical to sell it.
Looks like some pitching theory is going to start applying to kickoffs.
Nah its soccer technique, nothing about baseball here. The best free kickers do this consistently. Dont know how ud equate throwing a ball when kicking a ball is so much harder and so different
Great compilation. I’ve often wondered why kickers weren’t more creative at creating defensive plays on kick-offs, rather than just routinely booting into or past the end zone. This definitely makes the game more interesting. 👍😎
You’ve improved my season’s pleasure immeasurably.
Thanks 🙏🏼
Brandon Aubrey is awesome and your breakdowns of the kicking and punting game is a strange but very interesting niche that you have found. Congrats. I picked up Aubrey off the waiver last year and drafted him this year because he did so well last year. Glad to be able to play Aubrey on my team through this tear he has been on hitting 50 and 60 yarders like nothing. You mentioned it on the video too and I am a Rams fan so I kind of know but John Fassel is a great Special teams coach and has to help as well. Miss having on him on the Rams
great video. dude invented a new way to kick! insane! AND HE JUST STARTING PLAYING FOOTBALL
Notice his masterful use of the sun in that first Browns game, as well.
Even the camera guy doesn't know what to do with some of these. Love to see innovation in sports.
this really puts how dynamic and important special teams players in perspective, good video
This video? He's limiting opponents to 25 instead of 30 yards. So what. What's important is Aubrey kicking from 3-65 yard field goals consistently.
A brief explanation of the new kickoff rules might have helped your point. Without that understanding, a lot of this feels like it only makes a small difference, if any.
Amazing breakdown. Never even noticed any of this
That curve ball kick was sick
Tucker set it up, Aubrey is gonna knock it down
It's amazing what and how you affect the ball by the kick. Loved doing this, and then, especially in soccer, that's where you really learn (I know the balls are different).
great analysis. thanks for sharing
When you compare playing soccer to kicking field goals and kickoffs, it’s no surprise he’s doing so well. In the NFL, the most intense pressure for a kicker is mental. The defense rarely touches you, and with the new kickoff format, the chances of having to make a tackle are slim to none. Go Aubrey!
Impressive stuff, really hope we see other kickers start to do this.
Wow! So happy we picked him up off the street last year. Aubrey is really out here changing the way the cowboys play.
Dude out working the ball like tiger woods
This is EXACTLY how my kickoffs in high school flew.
Except 30 yards shorter.
Dude is a beast, and I am a Lions fan. See you tomorrow. 😊
Aubrey is a weapon
It’s really cool to see kickers and special teams coordinators innovating with the new rules. There are some opportunities here for the imaginative.
Except for the Eagles, who just kick into the end zone. Probably because they don’t want to expose how bad the kickoff coverage team is ;)
I still tend to agree with Jon Bois' take that "kickoffs are stupid and bad" and would rather just see every drive start at the 30, with the Schiano 4th-and-15 rule for onsides, but you're absolutely right that this is a whole new world of uncharted territory for the strategic mind (or, as the other guy pointed out, for teams to just play it safe and boot it a mile to remove all variability from the equation.)
Awesome breakdown, respect
In soccer terms, this is called a “ping”
It's because he had two years experience with these types of kick offs in the USFL/UFL
I think you understand this better you need to use golf term for other than baseball terms. So let’s just call it a “Draw”. I think this will help you make sense of it better.
Aubrey's doing the scum kick IRL 💀
Great analysis. Ignore any "well ackshually" baseball nerds.
I love how deep you get in to these analyses! May I make a request, though? As a guy with pretty crappy eyesight, is there any way in a video like this where the focus is on how much the ball is unpredictable where you can put a circle or something around the ball, or maybe draw its flight path on the screen? I was unfortunately not able to track the ball myself, even on my desktop with 1080p "premium".
Keep up the great work regardless!
LOL! For a moment, I mistook the damn CAMERA for the ball and thought he was performing some sort of MIRCLE!
Isaac "Punting Ninja" Punts in here w/ the overlays
The one where the ball goes right then goes left is almost like a knuckle ball in soccer. He kicks like a soccer player, does he kick differently then other kickers
Been loving your channel, I feel like football "analysis" especially on the broadcast is so dumbed down and they don't talk about anything actually interesting, a huge turnoff. But this is super refreshing and interesting. Keep it up!
Soccer player here. That second kick against the ravens looks like a “trivela”. Outside of the foot slice. Maybe, not sure with that angle
If you're not crazy about football you don't get it, but kickers and punters are so damn important and Aubrey is an absolute monster.
Probably the best player in Dallas right now. 😂
Soccer is working wonders for this guy
i just watched john fassel's reaction the whole time🤣
Someone needs to put on the the old flat tip kicking shoe kickers used to use and hit the ball dead center, like a floater in volleyball. Ball will drift back and forth randomly & almost impossible to field.
Broke this dahn before Pat. Respect
he's just free kicking it this is great
Brandon Aubrey is the Cowboys MVP as of right now.
Correct terminology:
Dart: lobbed/pinged
Filthy: driven/knuckle/dipping
Slider: curled
His terminology is just as valid as yours
Trent Alexander Arnold of American football
Wondering when the pro-soccer players will really exploit this. Aubrey is the guy to do it
I wanna know how tf he gets it so far so effortlessly goddamn
As a fellow kicker I love your videos but when we see the returner part of the kick can you highlight the ball in a circle or something I have trouble keeping track of it unless it’s a hard editing thing to do
Standard soccer stuff honestly. But he has perfected the craft of curving an american football cause that in itself is so difficult 😂
I only became a football fan in the 2022 season so I am still trying to learn as much as I can. I enjoy your videos so much but I can't really catch everything you say, the volume fluctuates a lot and you speak quickly, and I have partial hearing loss in one ear. If you use football terms that would be useful for beginners to know, would it be possible for you to put them on the screen when you say them? Also ty for this video, Aubrey is something else!
If the ball is kicked into the endzone team should get it at the 50. That would stop the games of decision.
Aubrey's just kicking it like a soccer player. Kick it with more of a sweep in to out (non traditional football kick) and you'll get some spin on the ball which gets the curve.
Big guy here, who played soccer, and kicked a few footballs here an there - My foot's too big to get the sweet spot on the ball with the power section of my foot. I'd lean and angle the crap out of my foot to get under it, but this would result in the ball curving like crazy. I could hit 40 yard kicks, but would have to aim outside the pylon to have it curve back in.
It's only a 5 yard penalty if a covering team moves before the ball is caught or touches the ground. With a head start of right when the ball is kicked, cover teams can probably make up that penalty easily.
Problem with that is the yardage is from the 30 so team gets the ball at the 35. Not a very smart move by the kicking team.
Is the ball imaginary now? Because I just see a lot of little dots running around on the screen, kinda like those old 1980s coleco handheld electronic football games
It’s almost like he played soccer and those are a way to add effect on the ball
He's the Phil Neikro of football
I'm just noticing he lines up for kickoffs like it's a penalty kick
The receiving team should get the ball at the 10 if the kicker lands it in the landing zone and the ball goes out of the endzone. With the current rules, kick off returns have become so rare; why would teams ever return it if they’re going to get it at the 30 or 20 anyhow
Aubrey breaks the game no matter what he does
Aubrey deserves credit, but let’s be honest, John “Bones” Fassel deserves a lot of credit for the special teams. It’s been the best for years now because of him.
SO KICK RETURNERS ARE IRRELEVANT.
Right that's what I got from this vid he just kicks it at 2 yard line or a touch back same outcome and less stats for the offense completely pointless 😂
@@taylorchassaniol997 the entire new kickoff thing is a joke---we may never see a devin hester type guy again---sucks....
The new kickoff is worth it just to see grown men crying 😂
@@andrew348 THE COWBOYS SHOULD BE CRYING - THEY ARE JUST A PATHETIC SHELL FROM EVEN 2 YEARS AGO.
The No Fun League ruined the kick off 🤦♂️
NFL be like "no no no we wanted flashy returns and more excitement not kickers innovation lets just take out kickoff from the game."
They should have let him beat the record.
Wish I could see the ball.
Whoa, hadn’t seen the new kickoff yet. This looks weird
What are the kickoff rules anyways? 20? 25?
they need to move to ball back to the 10 if you can get it in the LZ and into the endzone
Got a name for the entire field when he kicks:
Aubrey Plaza
im not super familiar with whats going on here. havent payed much attention to football in the past few years. cant he just kick it out the back of the endzone every time? or is that not possible?
All for the defense to give up 40😂
Finally release the Soccer styles
sorry I'm just learning how football actually works, what is considered a good kickoff for the returning team
The "default" is you kick the ball through the end zone and they start at the 30. Anything that puts them short of the 30 on the return is net positive
Yep since every team starts at 30 now less stats
For the returning team, a touchdown is the ideal outcome. Reaching the thirty yard line is “break even”, since a kickoff into the end zone for a touchback puts the ball at the thirty; this break even mark applies to the kicking team as well. For the returning team, getting the ball beyond the thirty yard line is a net positive; not reaching the thirty yard line is a net negative for the returning team.
Of course, for the kicking team you reverse those outcomes.
What you think I can’t do this?
Aubrey is so damn good! Cowboys so damn bad.
Good video
Aubrey is the best player on my fantasy team 😅 here's hoping he breaks the record!
Hate the cowboys with every cell of my body, not the players just the franchise, but damn is he good
There is lots broken with the Cowboys
every soccer player that hits crosses lolll
The Cowboys are not scoring enough for this to be a factor. And limiting your opponent to 25 yards to start instead of 30 is hardly breaking anything. It takes the opponent one play to gain 5 yards back on a run that the Cowboys can't stop anyway,
Great kicker but the rest of the team is really struggling.
The thing about the team and him is that he will never have any postseason success as long as he plays for the Cowboys. Jerry will ensure that.
can't see the ball on phone
He is the best player on the Cowboys.
Is this tennis or American football?
Congratulations, now if you could get 22 more players you could have a winning season
If its a win for the kicking team when they have to take a knee then why dont we just boot it for a touchback every time