Best Ever--Placekicker Edition

We're doing this each week to get us through the Spring/Summer doldrums. Monday I'll set the position and let you all submit names for consideration. After a couple of days, I'll take your nominations and create a poll thread to open up the voting as well as a more pointed debate, with a CougarCorner winner being crowned each Sunday evening.



This week = the placekicker---who do you think is in the conversation for best ever?

One Kicker on the team.

Kurt Gunther

Earl Kaufmann

Mitch Payne

Owen Pochman

Lee Johnson

Matt Payne (who broke my heart in Boise and I'll always have the visual memory of his wide right 30 some yarder that would have won the game, but still I would have taken him over his brother Mitch any day.)

Kurt Gunther kicked the extra point for BYU's first bowl win. My vote goes to him. I loved watching Matt Payne--2nd vote to Matt.

Kaufmann with the muscle shirts and front row kickoffs.

Well Kauffman was good on Kickoffs until they moved it back to the 35 then he seemed to struggle. I would have to go with two lefties as my top choices. Lee Johnson or Owen Pochman. Owen is the only kicker in recent memory to even get a shot at the Pro's. A couple of misses in crucial situations did him in, in the pros. But the fact that he even got a shot tells you how good he was. I was just thinking, after Kauffman we had a string of not so good kickers with Herrick, Lauder and I think someone else. How about Chaffetz and his no shoe and stupid single bar facemask; dude, looked like a dumb a$$ out there. He was pretty good I guess. I know Johnson wore the same attire but something about Chaffetz just made him look stupid (Oh maybe it was his sh** eating grin, that he still has to this day!) But anyway back to the topic. I would go with Owen Pochman. P.S. Anyone remember when they Spelled Ethan Pochman's name Pockman against A&M in '96

C'mon now, trueblue, tell us how you REALLY feel about Chaffetz, stop holding back...

If we're looking at best place-kickers, Matt Payne can't even be in the conversation. Sorry guys, he wasn't good. Great punter, great hits, horrible place kicker. He missed too many extra points (in too many important moments often) for me to consider him a great placekicker.

My best kickers ever? 1) Owen and 3) Ethan Pochman (Owen being the better of the two, much better pure kicker), 2) Lee Johnson (great NFL career afterwards but I've watched both him and Owen and Owen was a better kicker), 4) Kaufman and 5) Gunther (even though he looked super uncoordinated, gotta give him the nod for the miracle bowl win).

trueblue72 wrote:
Well Kauffman was good on Kickoffs until they moved it back to the 35 then he seemed to struggle. I would have to go with two lefties as my top choices. Lee Johnson or Owen Pochman. Owen is the only kicker in recent memory to even get a shot at the Pro's. A couple of misses in crucial situations did him in, in the pros. But the fact that he even got a shot tells you how good he was. I was just thinking, after Kauffman we had a string of not so good kickers with Herrick, Lauder and I think someone else. How about Chaffetz and his no shoe and stupid single bar facemask; dude, looked like a dumb a$$ out there. He was pretty good I guess. I know Johnson wore the same attire but something about Chaffetz just made him look stupid (Oh maybe it was his sh** eating grin, that he still has to this day!) But anyway back to the topic. I would go with Owen Pochman. P.S. Anyone remember when they Spelled Ethan Pochman's name Pockman against A&M in '96

Did Chaffetz somehow wrong you in another life? Serously... Wow.



Anyway my vote would be for one of the Pochman's or Lee Johnson.

He did me no wrong, just looked too damn goofy to be on a football field in any position. Reminds me of the kid coming to play little league and has ankle socks with his stirrups and the bill of his hat is complete straight and it is set at four sizes too big so it sits on his ears and pushes them out so he looks like dumb-o. I know I've got an issue. :lol:

Owen Pochman, Lee Johnson, Earl Kauffman, Mitch Payne

I'd have to go with Pochman as a placekicker. Dude was money. I'll take Johnson on the roster as a punter, given he did that with some acclaim for many years in the NFL.

Lee Johnson - barefoot punt, shoe to kick. Or was it the other way around? I always figured it was so he'd remember what to do when he got out there.



Owen Pochman/Ethan Pochman - O was better, but since E sits on a board with me, I better at least mention his name.



Kauffman - I remember him being consistently long. Seems I may have to revisit the stats, b/c others have said he was distance challenged.

trueblue72 wrote:
He did me no wrong, just looked too damn goofy to be on a football field in any position. Reminds me of the kid coming to play little league and has ankle socks with his stirrups and the bill of his hat is complete straight and it is set at four sizes too big so it sits on his ears and pushes them out so he looks like dumb-o. I know I've got an issue. :lol:

:lol: Issues is right... ;) :lol:

O. Pochman, Johnson.

Hands down Matt Payne was the best placekicker to "lay some pain" on kick returners.



Check out this vintage video of his monstrous hit vs BSU.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ50DkuhTq8&feature=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not directly related since he was a punter, but it was always hilarious to watch punt returns when Hunter the Punter was kicking. I remember there was a big return, and the returner was past everybody but Hunter and had a lead blocker. Hunter assumed battle stations, the lead blocker ran away, and the returner tackled himself. It was awesome. Can't remember if he had any big hits, though.

If Chaffetz helps bring down the BCS he will get my vote for off field heroics.

trueblue72 wrote:
He did me no wrong, just looked too damn goofy to be on a football field in any position. Reminds me of the kid coming to play little league and has ankle socks with his stirrups and the bill of his hat is complete straight and it is set at four sizes too big so it sits on his ears and pushes them out so he looks like dumb-o. I know I've got an issue. :lol:

I guess you mean kind of like the kid in the movie "Sand Lot". Btt he grew up to be a sports writer - not a politician (either way - they say if you can't do it - talk about it or teach it instead).



I will take the Lee Johnson slight edge over Owen Pochman because they proved they could do more than talk about it after they left BYU. So how will this year's guy (2011) stack up?

I'm nervous about JS as the kicker, as a freshman he was pretty inconsistent



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