TMQ: Why John Heisman Couldn’t Win the Heisman Trophy

Plus: Grade inflation has come to NFL statistics.

Darling, we’ll always have Vikings 3 Raiders 0. It felt like time stood still.

If you didn’t see the game, no worries. It will be replayed for all eternity in Hell’s Sports Bar. Though, no matter when you come in, you’ll have just missed last call.

In stats news, he’s in the middle of an incredible record-setting season! Who is? Half the guys in the NFL.

Placekickers are spinning the scoreboard as never before, with 11 of the top-20 all-time kickers active right now. Sunday at Dallas, ‘Boys placekicker Brandon Aubrey, who is 30-for-30 this season, hit field goals of 60 and 59 yards. Kansas City placekicker Harrison Butker also has not missed this season, being 23-for-23.

Placekickers are hitting 67 percent of attempts from at least 50 yards. Twenty-five years ago, there were 16 placekickers who were good at least 80 percent of the time. This season 25 are.

Two years ago Justin Tucker of Baltimore hit the longest-ever field goal at 66 yards. This season Jake Elliott of Philadelphia drilled a buzzer-beater 59 yard-field goal in wind and rain. A generation back no coach would have let the kicker attempt such an improbable kick. Now? Ho hum.

Placekicking has improved owing to better training – today even high schools have kicking coaches – task-specific muscle-memory exercises, and advent of the “K-ball.”

In 1999, the NFL began to allow teams to supply their own K-balls reserved for kicking plays. Starting 2007, the NFL let teams “condition” (nudge nudge, wink wink) their K-balls with an official watching. Since 2020, teams can condition K-balls without an official present.

Basically the NFL legalized the spitball. The results are up – and good!

Additional details of the placekicking bull market are here, from @AdamKilgoreWP.

It’s not just placekicking. There is one punter in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Ray Guy. His career average was 42.4 yards gross and 35.2 yards net. Today there are 34 NFL punters – basically everyone! – with better stats in both columns.