A team makes eight of ten field-goal attempts. Another makes twelve of fifteen. Both have an 80% success rate. That shared percentage does not establish that they faced the same distances, weather or operation quality.
Separate opportunity from execution
Made field goals divided by attempts answers a narrow question: how often did the recorded attempts succeed? It does not say how many drives reached kicking range, how many long attempts a coach declined or whether a team usually attempted from favorable positions.
Keep makes and attempts visible together. A percentage built from five attempts is more sensitive to one additional result than a percentage built from twenty-five. A short sample can describe what happened without establishing a stable skill level.
A hypothetical distance mix
Imagine one kicker makes eight of ten attempts, all from inside forty yards. Another makes twelve of fifteen, with six attempts from fifty yards or longer. The overall rate is identical, but the difficulty distribution is not.
This example does not prove the second kicker is better. Wind, surface, blocks and execution may differ. It shows why the first comparison should preserve the distance of every attempt instead of ranking players by one aggregate percentage.
Do not discard the misses
Log each attempt with its distance and result. Distinguish a kick blocked near the line from an uncontested kick that misses, while retaining both in the official team record. If reviewing film, note snap location, hold and protection before attributing the whole outcome to the kicker.
Do not quietly remove inconvenient attempts to create a preferred statistic. If you construct a separate operational subset, label its definition and show the original full count beside it. A transparent comparison is more useful than a cleaner-looking percentage.
Attach the conditions and the decision
Record the conditions at the actual attempt: wind direction, precipitation and surface. A stadium’s general reputation does not establish the conditions of a particular kick. Separate verified observations from assumptions.
Then preserve score, time remaining and the alternative the coach faced. A late long-distance attempt and a routine early opportunity can enter the same season percentage even though the decision context differs. Attempts not taken deserve their own note; they are not recorded misses.
A compact review log
- Makes and attempts, not just the displayed percentage.
- Distance of each attempt and the distribution of opportunities.
- Blocks, snap, hold and protection observations.
- Verified conditions, score state and attempts declined.
ISR analysis: Kicking belongs in a complete matchup review, but its value is not captured by a single ranking. Keep opportunity, difficulty and execution separate before describing a special-teams advantage. This is an educational evidence log, not a prediction or betting recommendation.
