FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo may be in a slump.
He has missed a field-goal attempt in each of the past two games.
Against Seattle on Oct. 20, Koo missed a 54-yard field-goal attempt, and it was wide left.
Against Tampa Bay on Sunday, Koo missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt that went wide right.
“We talk about every kick,” Falcons special-teams coordinator Marquice Williams said Thursday. “Every kick we evaluate. There are times that he has great contact on balls, and the ball just does a different thing.”
The miss against Seattle was early in the second quarter and would have tied the score at 3-3.
Against the Buccaneers, the missed field-goal attempt was in the fourth quarter and would have made the score 34-26. Instead, the Falcons were not in the clear until the Bucs completed a Hail Mary that was behind the end zone at the buzzer.
“When it comes to those situations, whether he misses a kick left or if he misses a kick right or he makes a kick, we evaluate everything,” Williams said. “We evaluate the entire process.”
The Falcons plan to stick with Koo.
“There’s a reason why he’s one of the more accurate kickers in the NFL,” Williams said. “There’s a reason why we’ve won a lot of games because of Koo as our kicker.”
Williams believes that Koo had the best game of career this season against the Saints. He made 4 of 4 field goals, including a career-long of 58 yards, to help the Falcons pull off a 26-24 win Sept. 29.
“There have been games where he’s made five kicks in a game, scored all of our points, and he didn’t feel personally that was his best game because of the way he hit the ball,” Williams said. “We can get fixated on makes or misses or we can stay process-driven. Knowing that the results will come. He’s been doing a phenomenal job.”
Koo has made 16 of 20 field-goal attempts this season. The former Georgia Southern standout made 32 of 37 field-goal attempts last season.
Sniffing out the fake punt: Tight end Ross Dwelley and outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone played key roles in helping to recognize the Bucs’ fake punt Sunday.
Dwelley and Malone created a push into the Bucs’ backfield that cleared the path for wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge to make the tackle for a 2-yard loss.
“We’re on defense until the ball is punted,” Williams said. “We are always being alert for anytime they can create a fake to extend a drive. We don’t want to put our defense back on the field.”
The Falcons went on to score a touchdown to make the score 31-17 with 14 seconds left in the third quarter.
“Having an offensive player who can cover and make tackles is huge,” Williams said of Hodge. “With his experience, getting into the league as a college free agent. … He’s a phenomenal special-teams player.”
Turpin time: Dallas returner KaVontae Turpin, who’s 5-foot-9 and 153 pounds, is dangerous.
He averages 34.7 yards per kickoff return and has taken a punt back 60 yards for a touchdown this season.
“He’s dynamic in space,” Williams said. “His speed is real. You can see it on film. It takes a different mindset when you see a guy who has the speed that he has, and he runs full speed while people are running full speed at him.”
Turpin, who played at TCU, is fearless.
“He can get east and west,” Williams said. “He can get the edge of coverage units or he can put his foot in the ground and get vertical right away. He’s going to take chances.”
The Falcons likely will elect not to kick to Turpin on kickoffs. They’ll just have Bradley Pinion boom the ball out of the end zone. The also could directional punt to the sidelines, too.
“You want to limit his (opportunities),” Williams said.
Brooks plays Diggs: Falcons cornerback Natrone Brooks, a member of the practice squad, was wearing jersey No. 7 during the walk-through practice.
He was playing the role of Dallas cornerback Travon Diggs on the scout team.
About the Author
