The Josh Innes Show - Why Guys Are Making Long Ass Field Goals

Episode Date: October 1, 2025

Are you guys aware that there is an actual reason the NFL kickers are drilling 65 yarders like it's nothing? The balls are juiced! Also, we take an early look at some NFL matchups. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm intrigued by this Vic Fangio story where he talks about the different kicking balls as part of the reason why people are making longer field goals than they used to. I'm genuinely interested in this story. I had no idea that this was a thing. Like, I just thought people kicked better now. You know, like I figured, hey, it's not like, you know, dudes with half a foot. Like, what's his name that made the field goal of Tom Dempsey, who had like half a foot that made the 63-yard field goal for the Saints back in the day. I just thought dudes were stronger kickers now.

As it turns out, it's like the balls are juiced. I had no idea about this. Let's talk about that after these words. All right, so let's go to this story with Vic Fangio. So Vic Fangio, let's see, he's the Eagles defensive coordinator. You know what you guys have missed? Fangio said during a Tuesday press conference, not just you, but everybody. We gave up a 65-yard field goal and a 58-yard field goal against the Bucks.

These kicking balls that they changed this year have drastically changed the kicking game. Field goals in particular. So it's almost like they need an asterisk here. It was the live ball era or the asterix for those home runs, Barry Bond, Sammy Sosa, McGuire were hitting. The way they've changed the ball, the NFL, the kicking ball, has drastically changed the field goals. Now, this according to pro football talk, previously teams got three brand new kicking balls within 60 to 90 minutes before a given game started. As of 2025, and as Steelers kicker Chris Boswell explained it to PFT after hitting a 60-yard field goal to beat the Jets, teams get all 60 kicking balls to start the year with unlimited time to break them in.

Then each can be used in up to three games. Fangio basically said the same thing on Tuesday. In years past, the officials would rub them down or other people would rub them down and you would play with them. Now the balls are in-house all week and they kick those balls that they've had and nobody else touches them. The guy in Dallas is going to hit a 70-plus yarder this year. You can just book it. Whether it's Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey or Bucks kicker Chase McLaughlin or Boswell or another big-legged kicker, it feels like a 70-yard field goal is inevitable. Already, Jaguar's kicker Cam Little hit a 70-yarder in the preseason. Fan Gio was asked whether the K-ball

dynamic changes the way he calls defense. Yes, he said. I mean, who thought they could hit a 65-yarder the other day? So it's drastically changed the game, the kicking game and the field goal. Guys have longer range than they used to. Kind of like Brady Anderson with the Orioles when he went from 15 homers to 50 in one year. My man likes his baseball references. And how about a little, what's the word I'm looking for, a stray at Brady Anderson? It's like, I know what you're doing, Royd guy. Although this is a little bit different because it's not like it's something different the players are doing. It's not like Chris Bosworth is taking steroids to kick the ball longer like Brady Anderson was. This is just a case of it's actually the

instrument. It's actually the tool that's different. The weapon is different. Now, of course, there is the live ball era, so there is a good comparison there. But Brady Anderson didn't hit 50 home runs because the ball was lively. He hit 50 home runs because he was juiced. It does indeed change everything, especially with the latest tweaks to the kickoff rules, which can make it very easy for a team to get in range for an extra long field goal attempt that has gone from being a fart in the wind to not much more than a chip shot. See, but I dig it. I did not know this. I had no idea this was the case.

I had no idea that they were using different balls. But I dig it. I'm all in on this. This is exciting. I like the fact that like one or two completions late in the game and all of a sudden you're like, I have a shot. And by the way, these longer kicks are getting blocked as well. We've seen multiple games that have had opportunities to win on a walk off kick that have missed on the walkoff kick,

that have had them blocked. The Eagles, of course, against the Rams probably being the most. notable of those, but we've seen it, we've watched it, it's not a guarantee that you're going to make the kick because you still have to make the kick. And like, I think it was the Raiders? Was it the Raiders game this week that had a chance to go to overtime, but a kick was blocked? There was some game that I needed to go to overtime to have the opportunity to get more passing yards and it didn't happen because they missed the kick.

But, like, so I think it adds excitement to it. I love the drama of a 60-yard kick. And as you know, I'm a big proponent of letting teams use a T to kick. a field goal once a game, I would love to see someone off a tee kick one from their own 10-yard line and just see where it goes. The drama of whether or not a 90-yard field goal is going to make it through the uprights is exciting. You want to tell me you wouldn't be hanging on every breath, right?

Like it's three seconds to go. Instead of trying to throw a wacky 10-lateral play that's going to go nowhere, imagine you let a guy put a ball on the tee and just boot one and see what happens. Maybe it gets blocked, I don't know, but it's on a T. You get a running start for it, like you're doing a kickoff, and you just see where it goes. That would be the most exciting play in all of sports. Watching a dude kick a 90-yarder with the game on the line. That would be fun.

Here's a Mike Floreo story. In hindsight, Shudur Sanders should have said yes to the Ravens. Yes, in hindsight, he should have because Lamar got hurt. And maybe he would have been the backup for Lamar, maybe he would have played. If you don't know the story, Shudur basically lost. laughed off the idea of playing with the Ravens because he doesn't want to be a backup for 10 years and his dad, Dion, was on a show

and basically said the same thing that, you know, Shudur tanked these interviews with these teams and said, don't draft me because I want to go somewhere that I'm going to play and he thought the Browns would be the answer. L.O.L. The Browns were not the answer for you as Dylan Gabriel is going to be playing this week. It appears over Joe Flacco

who sucked. So it's going to be Dylan Gabriel time. And what if Dylan Gabriel's a baller, then what happens for Shadur Sanders? He's still buried in Cleveland and who knows what happens with him. I think it's easy to say now in hindsight that he should have gone to the Ravens. And maybe you can make the argument that had he gone to the Ravens, he wasn't going to get playing time with the Browns anyway. So why not go to the Ravens and eventually they'll trade you if somebody sees any value in you? He says they're not going to see me play, so how

can I have value anyway? So I get it. And I understand why you wouldn't want to. Like I understand why you don't want to go somewhere where there's not a chance to play. I just don't like the idea that you're going like, well, should have gone to the Ravens. Well, you can't predict injury. Who knows that, you know, or who knew that Lamar was going to be out for a couple of weeks? You don't know that. You're just going to assume that Lamar is going to play 17 games and you're never going to see the field and you want to have a chance to see the field. And in theory, the team that's had the most starting quarterbacks in the last 25 years, the Browns, would probably be a good place. And you know that Joe Flacco's not the

long-term answer, but you also know that you were drafted after Dylan Gabriel. So it was already going to be an uphill climb. But you probably thought, hell, I can get drafted by Dylan Gabriel and beat him. Not that he chose to get, you know, drafted by Cleveland. I mean, that's just where he got drafted. But I don't know. I like the idea. In theory, yes. What if Schroer Sanders would have said yes to the Ravens and they would have drafted him? Cool. Maybe so. I don't think it would have made that much of a difference, though, because again, you don't know if somebody gets hurt. What if he never gets hurt? You're still riding the bench. So there's that. Who plays Thursday night football tonight? I need to pay more attention to that. I've been kind

off this week. I've been watching baseball games and doing other things. So, is Thursday night football, are we going to get the 49ers tomorrow as I do plays Thursday night football? It is the 49ers and the Rams. I enjoy watching the Rams play. Matt Stafford, real enjoyable guy.

What is the spread? Yeah, that makes sense. Six and a half. So the Rams are a six and a half point favorite. The 49ers are probably living on borrowed time, if we're being fair, because they've dealt with a lot of injuries and they've survived. But part the reason they've survived is it just so happens that they have played a very favorable schedule to start. So if there was going to be a time that being a team that deals with a lot of

injuries, start the season against the Seahawks who are fine, the Saints who are arguably the second worst, maybe the worst. Actually, they're not as bad as Tennessee, because Tennessee can't even move the ball. The Saints have moments where they can move the ball, and their offense has good players on it. So I'd say the Saints are not the worst team in the NFL. Record-wise, they are, but I'm not going to say that they are the worst. But the Saints still suck, so they played them. They played the Cardinals, who I think are overrated, and then the Jaguars who are not very good either. So they've certainly had the benefit of that schedule that they've played. But I look at them, and they're probably on borrowed time, because I think the Rams are

legit. The Rams are fun to watch. The Rams defense is pretty solid. Hey, you know, speaking of Baltimore, the Texans have a chance this weekend. Before that, I wouldn't have thought the Texans had a chance. Who would have thought this would be a one and three matchup, by the way? But you're facing backup quarterback. Their backup quarterback's a stiff. So, A, the Texans may jump right back into this thing with a victory. Hey, hey. You got to battle that. Boy, this is a weekend we have here. The Giants and the Saints play this weekend. The Cowboys and the Jets play this weekend. Boy, oh, the Dolphins and the Panthers play this weekend. Holy shit. We've got some epic matchups.

Detroit. God, the lions are going to beat the shit out of Cincinnati this weekend. Woof. Seattle and Tampa, both are three and one. That could be a good game. The Cardinals and the Titans, woof. Hopefully the Chargers and Washington's a good game. Because I think that Daniels is back, so maybe that'll be good.

But other than that, my God, some of these matchups are just not attractive at all. I think New England Buffalo could be sneaky good. Because I kind of like New England. And New England could as should have been a three-win team. They should be three-in-one. As bad as things are, if they don't turn the ball over against overrated Pittsburgh, they're probably a three-and-one team. So maybe the New England Buffalo Sunday night game will be good.

But other than that, man, Minnesota and Cleveland. So you get to watch Dylan Gabriel take on Carson Wentz. You get to see the shitty Texans offensive line against the shitty Baltimore defense with no quarterback. The Giants in New Orleans, woof, Denver and Philly and Philly is going to lose at some point. Breaking news, I know. But Philly is going to lose at some point. Dallas and the Jets, if Dallas doesn't hang a 30-point dub on the Jets, what are they doing? My God, the Jets' offense is anemic.

Colts and Raiders could have some fireworks. That's probably a game where I take the two quarterbacks to combine for 500. Colts are back home. Gene Obey, trailing, he'll throw. Miami and Carolina, I mean, you might as well just, like, pour gasoline in your eyes. Like, what, especially no Tyreek, woof. Ugh. All right, more to come.