Quinn Nordin having a rough game.

Submitted by Old Alum on August 19th, 2021 at 9:10 PM

Quinn Nordin is looking like, well, Quinn Nordin in tonight’s Patriots v Eagles preseason game. First, Quinn missed a pretty easy field goal and then he missed an extra point. The Pats scored another touchdown, and with the Patriots leading 19 - 0, Bill Belichick chose to go for 2 rather than let Quinn attempt another extra point.  And it’s only halftime. 

Unfortunately the Pat’s regular kicker is injured so all they have is Quinn right now. 

I was really hoping he would be able to get back to his form. I was at training camp last week and he looked terrific.  He’s got the talent but if he doesn’t get his shit together in the second half, his career may come to a screeching halt. 

Sad to watch. 

JonnyHintz

August 19th, 2021 at 9:18 PM ^

I brought the likelihood of this up with a Patriots fan a few weeks ago when they were in awe of his 10/10 practice and his booming leg. I just said don’t be surprised to see him go out there and shank a chip shot and miss an extra point or two. 
 

Nordin has one of the most talented kicking legs I’ve ever seen. There’s just something wrong. I don’t know if it mechanics, I don’t know if it mental. But the inconsistency that it causes is going to cost him his career. And it’s really unfortunate to see someone with that much natural talent unable to put it all together. 

ldevon1

August 20th, 2021 at 5:47 AM ^

I don’t know if it mechanics, I don’t know if it's mental.

After watching him 4 yrs we all know what it is. He's a head case. From his initial commit video, to telling his teammates to do their f#cking job, and then not doing his when given the opportunity, he's not guy you want kicking the ball with the game on the line. 

JonnyHintz

August 20th, 2021 at 8:47 AM ^

While he’s definitely shown to be a head case at times, that doesn’t inherently mean that his kicking issues stem from a mental issue. 
 

By mental, I was referring to nerves, lack of confidence, focus, trusting your leg too much so you neglect other areas. Things of that nature. You can be a cocky, arrogant son of a bitch and still perform on the field. But for whatever reason, Nordin struggled to. 

Perkis-Size Me

August 19th, 2021 at 9:54 PM ^

If it’s any consolation to him (which I’m sure it isn’t), at least he won’t have to live with a Roberto Aguayo type of legacy.

Kid was auto-freaking-magic at FSU. Never missed an extra point in his entire four year career, and I think he may have missed all of one or two FG kicks. He was the surest of sure things and was being considered the next Vinatieri. Tampa uses a second round pick to draft him, and he didn’t even last two seasons before being cut. Just started missing one kick. And then another. And another, and before he knew it, it all got into his head and it was game over. Probably one of the bigger busts of the last decade.

The fact that Tampa’s GM didn’t lose his job over that, including drafting Jameis a year or two prior, is kind of baffling. 

Perkis-Size Me

August 20th, 2021 at 6:47 AM ^

But using a second round pick on a kicker?!

It could’ve been very easily forgiven if he was drafted in rounds 5-7 and it just didn’t pan out there. I don’t think the issue was so much that they drafted Aguayo. I’m sure every team who needed a kicker wanted him. It was where and when they drafted him that was the problem. You can get so much more value for your team with that early of a pick. 

There’s a reason that kickers almost never go before the mid to late rounds. 

Perkis-Size Me

August 20th, 2021 at 9:38 AM ^

Aguayo would've needed to become the next Adam Vinatieri to justify making that move. Where he's making kicks that win you the Super Bowl. 

Jason Licht is probably thanking his lucky stars that he was able to convince Tom Brady to come to Tampa. Licht had plenty of reasons to justify his being fired before that happened. Plenty of draft busts and blunders happened under his watch, combined with a losing team that was completely irrelevant in almost every league circle. No one ever thought or cared about the Bucs because they hadn't done anything worth thinking or caring about in 15 years. 

Now Licht is sitting pretty with a Super Bowl ring on his finger, a team primed to make a second run at a title, and all the job security he could ever ask for. 

bronxblue

August 19th, 2021 at 9:33 PM ^

I wish no ill will upon Nordin and hope he finds a career in the NFL, but this place was holding him up as a prime example of wasted talented at UM, that clearly the staff didn't know how to coach him and now he was getting great coaching in the NFL and look at the results.  

He's a very talented player but kicking is really hard, and it is as much mechanics and mentality as it is a booming leg, and Nordin's bit issues in college seemed to be that he'd get in his own head a bit and that would mess with his mechanics (the latter part based on a couple of purported kicking "experts" I read).  He's allowed to have a bad day once and a while but the NFL is absolutely not going to stick with a guy who misses easy FGs and XPs.

Sleepy

August 19th, 2021 at 11:44 PM ^

You can blame Harbaugh & his staff for a ton of the problems with UM football, but Nordin’s struggles are not even close to one of them.

No college football program is wasting a coaching position on a kicking/punting coach.  Zero.  None.  These kids are all-but-completely on their own to fix anything that’s wrong mechanically, mentally, etc.

I mean, f’n Alabama can’t find a competent kicker.  And they’re Alabama.

MH20

August 20th, 2021 at 8:23 AM ^

I don't think that bronxblue is blaming the staff for Nordin's struggles, but rather poking fun at those who use it as yet another reason to trash the coaching staff. As you said, college "special teams" coaches most likely know absolutely nothing about kicking other than the most basic principals ("Um, try to kick it straight) and are there to coordinate blocking/returns and maybe lending an encouraging word ("Stop missing kicks").

DMill2782

August 19th, 2021 at 9:48 PM ^

He's done. Belichick emphasizes special teams more than any coach in the league. You can't screw up like this and survive.

He just cut a guy after muffing a punt last week. Not the first time he's done that either. 

blueinbeantown

August 20th, 2021 at 7:11 AM ^

Who doesn't belong in this line of kickers that Belichick has had in NE:

a. Vinatieri

b. Gostkowski

c. Nordin

Folk has been on PUP,  Was Pats best weapon last year.  Zolak compared kickers to golfers, Folk hits fairways and greens.  Nordin is DeChambeau, wows you with power, just don't know where it ends up.  Think Belichick is a fairway and greens guy!!

The Fugitive

August 19th, 2021 at 9:52 PM ^

Queen Nordin can take private jet home. He barely made the first PAT, all his kicks were fading.  

He couldn't make extra points in college, why did anyone think he'd be able to do it in the pros. 

Perkis-Size Me

August 19th, 2021 at 9:57 PM ^

Hope he can land on his feet and find an opportunity somewhere. In terms of raw physical talent, he’s got everything you need. He’s got the stuff you can’t teach. But somethings missing. 

Hard to find a job in the league if you can’t make XPs.

othernel

August 19th, 2021 at 10:24 PM ^

Not sure how he keeps failing up. In a game where kickers are more accurate than ever, this guy keeps showing he's not actually dependable at his one job, yet somehow an NFL team thought he was worth a shot. 

You can't bomb your medical school exams, but still become a doctor because you do so well when nothing is at stake.