Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Fwiw here (at 2:11) is Don Bracken kicking off straight away in 1988. Since then I don't think I've seen another straight on NFL kickoff in a regular season game

https://youtu.be/jSeNhniJKLA

RIP Jim Turner

Two people came into his life and helped give him a pretty good kicking career.
Weeb Ewbank, who signed him as a free agent and Babe Parilli, who helped give him a great year and SB Championship in 1968 ...

Being a backup QB as well as kicking, Turner could be ornery, moody, even hostile with media, teammates and others. Some thought he was bi-polar but his kicking with the Jets was crucial at a time when some coaches felt kickers were a necessary evil after their teams offense bogged down but Ewbank felt the kicking game could help motivate his defense to keep games close enough for his offense to pull the game out at the end ...

Pressure is relative. Some years back, an LPGA golfer--it might have been Amy Alcott or Julie Inkster--had an offseason job as a short-order cook. She said the pressure of that job was much greater than the pressure of facing a tricky putt with thousands of dollars on the line.

Brian wolf wrote:RIP Jim Turner

Two people came into his life and helped give him a pretty good kicking career.
Weeb Ewbank, who signed him as a free agent and Babe Parilli, who helped give him a great year and SB Championship in 1968 ...

Being a backup QB as well as kicking, Turner could be ornery, moody, even hostile with media, teammates and others. Some thought he was bi-polar but his kicking with the Jets was crucial at a time when some coaches felt kickers were a necessary evil after their teams offense bogged down but Ewbank felt the kicking game could help motivate his defense to keep games close enough for his offense to pull the game out at the end ...

Jim Turner played on my two favorite teams, the 1968 N.Y. Jets and the 1977 Denver Broncos. I never saw him play with the Jets but saw him on TV plenty of times during his years in Denver. I jotted down some of his more memorable field goals with the Broncos and consider these his top three:

12/24/77 - With 7:17 to play Turner drills a 44 yard field goal to give Denver a 24-21 lead over Pittsburgh in the Broncos first ever playoff appearance. These points were critical and provided Denver with momentum to finish off the Steelers in the 4th quarter.

10/22/73 - Turner kicks a 35 yard field goal with seven seconds left to tie Oakland 23-23. It was Denver's first appearance on ABC's Monday Night Football.

10/19/75 - Turner kicks a career high 53 yard field goal on the final play of the game to beat Cleveland 16-15.

I also remember Jim Turner's last game on August 16, 1980, a pre-season match-up at the Medowlands versus the N.Y. Giants. Turner did not attempt a field goal but had an extra point blocked. The Broncos released him the following week in what was an unceremonious ending for the 16 year veteran:
https://youtu.be/RDr-3H5wdGQ

JohnTurney wrote:
Fraser did well enough that Jack Faulker used him to punt and "was being groomed" to kick field goals--that was at midseason 1962.

I watched the 1962 Broncos highlight film on YouTube recently and was really impressed with Gene Mingo. I can see why Fraser didn't take over placekicking duties. Also, I read where Fraser kicked for the West squad in the 1963 AFL All-Star Game. Fraser's previous placekick attempt was back in October 1962. He kicked two field goals and three extra points in the West’s 27-24 win over the East. He never attempted another field goal or extra point.