Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Man, Aveni's FG% in 1961 is brutal

That is the second-worst ever for NFL-AFL-AAFC
Phil Martinovich of the Dodgers was 3 for 20 (15%)

JohnTurney wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2024 5:52 pm

Man, Aveni's FG% in 1961 is brutal

That is the second-worst ever for NFL-AFL-AAFC
Phil Martinovich of the Dodgers was 3 for 20 (15%)

Dunno how many you need to qualify but 1965 Giants Timberlake 1-15 6.7%

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Dunno how many you need to qualify but 1965 Giants Timberlake 1-15 6.7%
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We have a winner!!

Did Hornung get into the HOF because of his blocking?

Paul Hornung was not inducted for his kicking, though leading the league in scoring was a by-product of that. Like every career, it needs to viewed in totality. Hornung was more than deserving of induction at the time. Today, he might not make it, but those who voted him in knew exactly how integral he was to those GBP championships.

Speaking of Bob Timberlake and his horrible, terrible 1965 season....it appears he missed his last 14 FG tries, with at least 3 of them blocked. Sheesh.

RichardBak wrote: ↑Sat Sep 07, 2024 10:31 am Speaking of Bob Timberlake and his horrible, terrible 1965 season....it appears he missed his last 14 FG tries, with at least 3 of them blocked. Sheesh.

That's fascinating. All seven of the Giants losses in 1965 were by 10 points or more so it doesn't appear that Timberlake's futility cost New York in close games (12 of his 15 field goal attempts were between 40 and 49 yards). From the National Football Foundation:
https://footballfoundation.org/hof_scho ... px?hof=686

"The New York Giants drafted Timberlake in the third round of the 1965 NFL Draft, and the Giants utilized him on special teams. He was responsible for kickoff and long field goals, and he assumed the role of full-time kicker in late October when the main placekicker (Andy Stynchula) got injured."

No wonder the Giants invested in Pete Gogolak in 1966. Has the NFL kept a record for most consecutive missed field goals? I'm not finding it.

I was looking for most consecutive missed FGs too, but can't find anything. Hard to imagine that anybody did worse, even back in the 1920-40s. Of course, there weren't nearly as many FGs attempted back then, so if somebody flubbed 14 or more straight, it probably was over the course of 2 or more seasons.

NFL Films once did a feature on Timberlake, who actually was drafted as the possible replacement for Y.A. Tittle, who retired after the '64 season. Timberlake had just led Michigan to a Rose Bowl win and finished 4th in Heisman voting. He was a bust in NY as a QB and PK, but the film called Timberlake "the father of the Super Bowl." The reasoning was that the Giants nabbed Gogolak because of Timberlake's abysmal performance, a signing that went against the unwritten rule among the NFL and AFL not to raid each other's rosters. The ensuing "war" led to the rival leagues eventually agreeing to a merger.

Timberlake was more interested in spreading the gospel than playing football--he was openly "preachy" even as a college player---and IIRC he wound up a missionary or something along those lines after leaving the NFL after one (dismal) season. He probably should've prayed a little harder when lining up his kicks.

Prior to ‘64, Hornung hit 53 percent of his FGs over six seasons, better than the league average of 49 percent during that time (Maxymuk’s research at https://packerspastperfect.wordpress.co ... -disaster/).

In an SI article, Hornung said:

"I've missed them every way you can name," he said one day last week as he sat comfortably in The Spot, eating potato soup, a fish sandwich and drinking black coffee. Earlier, in practice, he had casually kicked 28 of 30 field goals from all angles and distances. Now, dressed in a heavy, shaggy sweater and trim slacks, he seemed relaxed and at ease. He smoked an occasional cigarette, signed an occasional autograph and for the first time—"The local writers understand his problem and don't bother him," Packer Publicity Man Tom Miller had warned—talked about the season and the troubles.

"I've stood too close to it," Hornung said. "I've lined up wrong. I've kicked too late and too quick." He grinned. "Baby, I've even shanked a few. You know, like—sideways. I thought I was off to a great year after the first game. I wanted it, too. You know, after being out. And that thing hasn't bothered me, you know. The suspension. Everybody's been great to me. I wasn't bitter about it. I'm just happy to be back. I'm not a bitter guy. I hear all the theories about my kicking. They say the layoff hurt. That's wrong. They say Kramer not being with us has put pressure on me. Man, that's not true. I've been doing the kicking a long time. It's just poor timing. Everything in life is a matter of timing. You get out of the groove, you got to work back in. Like in baseball or golf. I've had a string of three-putt greens, that's all.“ (https://vault.si.com/vault/1964/11/30/t ... -its-touch , Baby.)

I am a fan of the Golden Boy. A great Packers player but not a HOF player. Postseason play got him the nod ...