Analysis: Vikings’ Will Reichard, with possible boost from new K-ball rules, is helping kickers shatter NFL records

The NFL had four 60-yard field goals from 1920 to 2006. It’s had eight in 15 weeks this season.

“The new K-ball rule certainly hasn’t hurt distance,” said Vikings long snapper Andrew DePaola.

For years, teams had only one hour on game day to break in three new footballs to be used to kick and punt.

“Your equipment guys would scramble each week,” DePaola said. “They’d spend 45 minutes breaking in ball one, 15 minutes on ball two and barely touch ball three.”

This year, each team was given 60 new K-balls at the start of training camp to break in at their leisure.

“You really want to get that brush with the bristles and wear down the shine, the nubs,” DePaola said. “And use the floor to break in the ends. And you want to get it real sweaty. A dark ball is a good sign you got a good one.”

The change this year came after seven teams — the Vikings, Baltimore, Cleveland, Houston, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Washington — made a proposal to reduce the stress on equipment staffs on game days.

Teams can practice with the K-balls and use the same ball in up to three games.

“We had a favorite ball early this year that we took out of the rotation to use at Green Bay (on Nov. 23),” DePaola said.

That’s the day Reichard nailed a 59-yard field goal, the second-longest in the history of Lambeau Field.

“We got another ball we also really like that we’ve been saving for the Giants, another outdoor December game with a lot of wind probably,” said DePaola, referring to this week’s game at the Meadowlands.

Accuracy from longer distances has been trending up for years. The record for most 50-yard field goals made has been broken in each of the past five seasons. A year ago, 195 of 279 attempts (69.9%) were successful. This season, 145 of 214 (67.8%) have been made.

Not everyone has been a fan of the new K-ball rule. After Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin blasted 58- and 65-yarders to break his career high twice in a loss to Philadelphia on Sept. 28, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio compared the new K-balls to when Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire were hitting home runs during the steroid era in baseball.

“These kicking balls that they changed this year have drastically changed the kicking game, field goals in particular,” Fangio said Sept. 30. “So it’s almost like they need an asterisk here.”

Reichard essentially says that’s a bunch of hogwash, Vic.

“I don’t think the long field goals have much to do with the new K-balls at all,” Reichard said. “I just think guys are getting better. Guys are getting stronger. And guys are getting more opportunities to hit longer field goals. Some other guys can say what they want, but that’s how I feel.”

In a great year for kickers, Reichard is making a case to be named first-team All-Pro. Among his other feats is a franchise-record 62-yarder against the Bengals on Sept. 21 and a 59-yarder that tied the longest field goal in the history of Soldier Field on Sept. 8.

“Will’s been a machine,” DePaola said.

McLaughlin has a league-leading 10 50-yarders in 10 attempts. Tied for second in 50-yarders are Reichard (9 of 11), Seattle’s Jason Myers (9 of 12) and Aubrey (9 of 13).

San Francisco’s Eddy Piñeiro has made all 25 of his field goals. The next five kickers in field-goal percentage are the Jets’ Nick Folk (25 of 26, 96.2%), the Chargers’ Cameron Dicker (34 of 36, 94.4%), Baltimore’s Tyler Loop (26 of 28, 92.9%), Indianapolis’ Spencer Shrader (13 of 14, 92.9%) and Reichard (24 of 26, 92.3%).

One of Reichard’s misses came in London on Oct. 5 against the Browns and caused quite the controversy when the ball took a hard, funny-looking right turn. It’s been speculated the ball hit one of the wires attached to the overhead camera.

So, Will, for those of us charged with crowning the Associated Press’ All-Pro team, did it hit the wire?