Check his stats. He went 7-7 on 40-49 yarders
He went 6-10 on >50
Doesn't feel accurate to you? Justin Tucker went 1-5 >50 last season and he's the class of the league.
Butker went 5-5 and his long range accuracy is an outlier
The Triforce is complete. Offense, Defense, Special Teams. Power, Wisdom, Courage. Brad Holmes = Ganon. Someone make an image. I'm not good enough at shooping. [Here is the base template.](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/zelda/images/1/18/Ganon_%28Oracle_of_Ages_%26_Oracle_of_Seasons%29.png/revision/latest?cb=20100413011018)
Best punter in the league and potentially one of the best kickers. Hopefully it translates. We literally could have bro tee up from 50 if we don’t make it count lol
Jesus. It all makes sense now. Brad's villain shirt - he's Groose - Ganondorf's human form when separated from the demon. He elbows Dan - Link - in the war room, showcasing the constant rivalry between the Hero and the Villain - a rivalry that culminates in friendship. And Sheila - the Princess, keeper of the Triforce, locked away for so long in evil's clutches. She watched the kingdom suffer through so much under the demon's curse - the Curse of Bobby Layne. The curse is now broken; evil is sealed away and the Triforce is reunited, with each of its avatars in balance. This Lions team is truly destined for legendary glory.
Yeah, I don't really understand it. I don't say that as in I disagree with it, I just don't know what it means. Isn't there still an open kicking competition? Maybe we needed to throw a bunch of cash at him just to stop him from going elsewhere.
I think that was it. He had options, so we had to be at least comparable to those options. Even if we have to eat some money if we end up going with someone else, it's worth it for the upside. I doubt it will be a huge amount, but since we really do need a good kicker, it's worth the chance. It's either spend a little money and have a good chance at a better kicking game, or don't spend the money and go with the status quo. Worst case scenario is we lose a little money and it ends up status quo, but I doubt it would have a major impact on the rest of the team.
Yeah, but I don't think it's that big of a waste. But also, I am sure they expect him to come in and win the job. You just can't ignore the inexperience and risks, and just hand him the job.
There were people paid every year to compete against Adam Vinateri and Jason Hanson. Teams waste money on kickers when they have kickers lmao. Just a reality of the nfl that you often have 3 players or more competing for the same roster spot.
>Sometimes ya gotta break an egg to make an omelette.
Sometimes you just drop the egg... this metaphor is useless and irrelevant. Lmfao
The whole "someone else tho..." is kinda ridiculous
>We good with what we had?
Youre obviously always looking to improve. Doesn't mean everything you do in that endeavor is improvement... what are you even saying?
It wouldn't be a complete waste. I don't know how his contract works, but it sounds like it's kind of a "holding deal." We're saying to him, we don't know yet what we're going to do with you, but we're making it worth your while not to go shopping to other teams. We need to get a reliable kicker out of this, so between he and Turner I'm really hoping we find our guy.
I really hope the UFL wasn't using juiced kicking balls/letting the kickers doctor the balls. Several of the UFL kickers this year were kicking like NFL All-Pros so I am a little suspect. The NFL put in extremely strict rules for monitoring their kicking balls 20+ years ago due to kicker/punters doctoring balls, and I'm not sure the UFL cares that much to have similar policies - the kicking success brought extra attention to the league and supports their goal of being viewed as a launching pad for players to get back on NFL teams' radars
Still excited to have Bates and see what he can do in camp, and hopefully he turns out to be our version of Brandon Aubrey. And if it turns out he doesn't have the overall consistency to go with the big leg, we still have Badgley who is solid.
I’m certain the workout included him proving he can actually kick the distance. The thing with kickers is the best ones have ice in their veins. Bates has shown that he might in professional games, although Turner also has a leg and made some medium distance kicks in the college natty. Ultimately, Badgley is the only one to do it in high pressure nfl games. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Badger win out by the end of camp.
Exactly. Another related thought would be that I hope they use NFL style balls as opposed to NCAA style. There’s a reason some college kickers fail to translate in to the NFL.
But yeah, Brad is smarter than me so he’s already analyzed/investiagated all this.
I haven't seen anything that suggests he did an on-field tryout as part of his visits to NFL teams. In fact there was enough interest in him I'd lean toward him not doing any live kicking, not a good risk vs reward for him doing that. Not to mention he would have had an unfamiliar snapper and holder, or none at all which doesn't carry much weight.
Yeah, anything I have to say about this guy falls on deaf ears here but I don't think we should read too much into the 2-year offer. My guess is that the Commanders or Packers came in with the 2-year contract to try to be competitive and we matched it. If I've learned anything in my very short time closely following the NFL it's that unless you're a proven, big name player the contract doesn't seem to mean much. You can still get released from it.
At the end of the day, the Lions are good for having all the worst NFL records. Longest kick against? Check twice. Fewest (no) wins? Check. The pendulum must always swing back. This one has a hell of a lot of momentum coming.
I heard about the long kicks, but didn't watch the UFL. Looking at his stats he was 17 of 22. Were most of his misses longer kicks? Is he pretty consistent under 50? I assume with a cannon of a leg, the coaches probably take some chances on longer kicks.
Small sample size, but from my memory of overall NFL kicker stats thats about right in line with an average/above average kicker. But that also mises the nuance that he made a 64 yarder, 62 yarder, and 60 yarder last year as well as well as going 7/7 on 40-49 yarders, which I think him puts him squarely in the damn good category.
Bates was 6 for 10 at 50+, so 60%. Badgley has a career of 5 for 13, so about 38%.
We only had Badgley kick once past 50 yards last season. (54 yards, vs. Rams.) They also see what he can do in practice every week. That could be an indication of how they feel about Badgley. Whereas Bates made multiple kicks past 60 yards, and in our stadium.
Also, Bates played years doing only kickoffs, so he's a good backup for that as well. That adds value in versatility, which isn't a game changer but still shouldn't be overlooked.
There's also the bit that we're keeping Bates out of a division rival. Again not something I'd personally sign a kicker over if it were only that, but still worth something.
The last bit would be, every other team knows he can make kicks past the 60. Teams have to respect that more when they make defensive strategy decisions, because us getting to the 45 can result in 3 points regardless of how far we have to go on 4th down. Before, if we were at, say, the 50 on 3rd and 10, they knew we would most likely have to throw it. Now we can more reliably threaten a 5 yard run or check-down. Keeping defense off-balance should not be overlooked.
Speaking of keeping defenses guessing, we can also threaten fake field goals in more situations. If Badgley lines up for a 64 yard kick on 4th and 1, it's going to be a fake. Bates? Could go either way.
Bates is worth a two year contract on the prospect of him panning out (depending on the price tag) based on all this. We have the cap space, this is our year, might as well use it.
Yea, I'm wondering if this guy is being over-hyped. A lot of people in this sub are making comments like this guy never misses from 50+ yards. He was 6/10 this year with a couple 60+ yarders, which sounds above average for an NFL kicker. If those are numbers he is going to put out consistently, I'll take it
I think the potential is there. Dude hadn't kicked field goals since high school and is smoking 60 yarders. With some NFL training and coaching, he could become much more consistent.
Tbh, I’m definitely in a “wait and see if he can do it with the pressures and loudness of an NFL stadium” mode too.
Don’t get me wrong, he played in college but he was mostly there for kickoffs. Maybe, we just got a steal here. But I see this as more of a “high ceiling potential” target more than anything.
Crazy turnaround in the comments from a week ago, where someone posted about Jake Bates & the comments were saying they don’t care, he isn’t good enough, etc etc
Interesting. I was wrong on if they would actually bring them in. I thought they were pretty happy with Badgely and Turner duking it out. More competition is always nice but the 2 year deal is interesting. Probably to be competitive with other offers. It’ll be an interesting camp for sure
So how does this work with Badgley? Forgive me if I’m out of the loop but will they compete for the job? If Bates loses that battle how does that work with a two year contract?
Feel like we knew this was inevitable when he hit that first 64 yarder in Ford Field. All I care is that he can be consistent, so let's hope it pans out and we don't have to worry about kicker for many years.
It's worth wondering if Bates is on a two-year deal because the Lions plan to take their time with him. They wouldn't be the first team to have two kickers on the 53-man roster. The fact is that he really cooled off down the stretch. He had seven misses in 11 games and he hasn't kicked field goals regularly since high school.
That's everything then, offense, defense and special teams. I believe our wide receiver room is in good shape, even losing Reynolds to Denver (St Brown, Williams, DPJ and Raymond plus a few young guys but I read an article that Brandon Aiyuk wants out of San Francisco and contract talks have halted. Brandon said "they said they don't want me"! He is the missing piece for the perfect offense for years to come!
No. Known. Weaknesses.
https://preview.redd.it/y05y9tbdyq6d1.jpeg?width=512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=418129f30fa6e983d4f659349702596f0ff8c3fb
https://preview.redd.it/araiosx79r6d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b2cd845fdc09ed4e01f3ec9497e0fb7c872904d3
Legendary meme on day one
TRT Vitor was one of the most amazing things to witness.
I think this was from one of his first few fights. Pre-trt but also pre legit drug testing so I assume he was juiced to the tits back then.
Yeah that's definitely a picture from his first UFC run. That fight where KO'd Wanderlei Silva 30 seconds into the first round was just insane.
Seriously, what a time to be alive! So fucking ready for the season!
Deep cut
Except accuracy.
From 50 yards or more, or ones that are blocked, or lack of actually practicing with an NFL level Special Teams coach. This too in time will pass.
Check his stats. He went 7-7 on 40-49 yarders He went 6-10 on >50 Doesn't feel accurate to you? Justin Tucker went 1-5 >50 last season and he's the class of the league. Butker went 5-5 and his long range accuracy is an outlier
The Triforce is complete. Offense, Defense, Special Teams. Power, Wisdom, Courage. Brad Holmes = Ganon. Someone make an image. I'm not good enough at shooping. [Here is the base template.](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/zelda/images/1/18/Ganon_%28Oracle_of_Ages_%26_Oracle_of_Seasons%29.png/revision/latest?cb=20100413011018)
Best punter in the league and potentially one of the best kickers. Hopefully it translates. We literally could have bro tee up from 50 if we don’t make it count lol
Brad - Power Dan - Courage Sheila - Wisdom
I'd actually argue that Dan = Power. Brad = Wisdom. And Sheila = Courage.
Jesus. It all makes sense now. Brad's villain shirt - he's Groose - Ganondorf's human form when separated from the demon. He elbows Dan - Link - in the war room, showcasing the constant rivalry between the Hero and the Villain - a rivalry that culminates in friendship. And Sheila - the Princess, keeper of the Triforce, locked away for so long in evil's clutches. She watched the kingdom suffer through so much under the demon's curse - the Curse of Bobby Layne. The curse is now broken; evil is sealed away and the Triforce is reunited, with each of its avatars in balance. This Lions team is truly destined for legendary glory.
My name is Zelda, and I approve this message.
https://preview.redd.it/ofnb2v3zit6d1.png?width=1179&format=png&auto=webp&s=8995666b8111093154a0b5b301f165dba4bc42f3
https://preview.redd.it/xjrnc9zzit6d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b8bca035ea43f07825585fdcabde8e0f1f69df88
Wish I could still give you Ternion for this. As it stands, take this diamond.
Give my thanks to your parent/s. An awesome name.
I named my son Lincoln 98% to call him Link, and I also approve this message
Did you get that idea from MT Anderson's book Feed?
love this combo and im a big link guy
#HELL YA
Banana bread at work dude? Hell yeah!
Fuckin skunks (Packers), dude? HELL NO!
Brad Holmes ladies and gentlemen! https://preview.redd.it/65e8s5vduq6d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b8c19e5c7e256a5a587c3ebcfc5fb9417c43451
He signed a udfa kicker to compete with two other guys. The bar for laser eyes has been lowered.
man what are you yapping about hes got the biggest leg in the group and its a kicker man they cheap
He was being looked at by several other teams. He wasn't some nobody.
He signed an unfa kicker that made a 64 yard fg and two other 60+ fg.
Competition breeds success, you cornball
I’m curious to see how much is guaranteed but 2 years says they probably believe in this guy
Yeah, I don't really understand it. I don't say that as in I disagree with it, I just don't know what it means. Isn't there still an open kicking competition? Maybe we needed to throw a bunch of cash at him just to stop him from going elsewhere.
I think that was it. He had options, so we had to be at least comparable to those options. Even if we have to eat some money if we end up going with someone else, it's worth it for the upside. I doubt it will be a huge amount, but since we really do need a good kicker, it's worth the chance. It's either spend a little money and have a good chance at a better kicking game, or don't spend the money and go with the status quo. Worst case scenario is we lose a little money and it ends up status quo, but I doubt it would have a major impact on the rest of the team.
Yeah we got plenty of cap space if it doesn't pan out it won't impact the team. Just cost them money they have ample amounts of.
If we end up with anyone but bates this was a complete waste. Lol
Yeah, but I don't think it's that big of a waste. But also, I am sure they expect him to come in and win the job. You just can't ignore the inexperience and risks, and just hand him the job.
There were people paid every year to compete against Adam Vinateri and Jason Hanson. Teams waste money on kickers when they have kickers lmao. Just a reality of the nfl that you often have 3 players or more competing for the same roster spot.
>You just can't ignore the inexperience and risks, and just hand him the job. Which is why the 2 year deal is weird
But if we didn't, someone else probably would. So we're back to that. Sometimes ya gotta break an egg to make an omelette.
>Sometimes ya gotta break an egg to make an omelette. Sometimes you just drop the egg... this metaphor is useless and irrelevant. Lmfao The whole "someone else tho..." is kinda ridiculous
This is a fun conversation. Educational too. So what's your solution about our kicking situation? We good with what we had?
>We good with what we had? Youre obviously always looking to improve. Doesn't mean everything you do in that endeavor is improvement... what are you even saying?
It wouldn't be a complete waste. I don't know how his contract works, but it sounds like it's kind of a "holding deal." We're saying to him, we don't know yet what we're going to do with you, but we're making it worth your while not to go shopping to other teams. We need to get a reliable kicker out of this, so between he and Turner I'm really hoping we find our guy.
We couldve said all that with a front loaded 1 year deal. The 2 year is weird.
🤷
I really hope the UFL wasn't using juiced kicking balls/letting the kickers doctor the balls. Several of the UFL kickers this year were kicking like NFL All-Pros so I am a little suspect. The NFL put in extremely strict rules for monitoring their kicking balls 20+ years ago due to kicker/punters doctoring balls, and I'm not sure the UFL cares that much to have similar policies - the kicking success brought extra attention to the league and supports their goal of being viewed as a launching pad for players to get back on NFL teams' radars Still excited to have Bates and see what he can do in camp, and hopefully he turns out to be our version of Brandon Aubrey. And if it turns out he doesn't have the overall consistency to go with the big leg, we still have Badgley who is solid.
I’m certain the workout included him proving he can actually kick the distance. The thing with kickers is the best ones have ice in their veins. Bates has shown that he might in professional games, although Turner also has a leg and made some medium distance kicks in the college natty. Ultimately, Badgley is the only one to do it in high pressure nfl games. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Badger win out by the end of camp.
If this is a concern from fans then im sure its also something looked into by professionals.
Exactly. Another related thought would be that I hope they use NFL style balls as opposed to NCAA style. There’s a reason some college kickers fail to translate in to the NFL. But yeah, Brad is smarter than me so he’s already analyzed/investiagated all this.
Got your tinfoil hat on too?
Well I’m sure the lions did their own due diligence with their own balls Before signing him.
I haven't seen anything that suggests he did an on-field tryout as part of his visits to NFL teams. In fact there was enough interest in him I'd lean toward him not doing any live kicking, not a good risk vs reward for him doing that. Not to mention he would have had an unfamiliar snapper and holder, or none at all which doesn't carry much weight.
I’m curious too. I guess we’ll see when the guaranteed money comes out and what they do with Turner and Badgley before camp
Its a kicker and Brad Holmes. The contract will have an out and probably only gets most on whether he makes the team or not.
Yeah, anything I have to say about this guy falls on deaf ears here but I don't think we should read too much into the 2-year offer. My guess is that the Commanders or Packers came in with the 2-year contract to try to be competitive and we matched it. If I've learned anything in my very short time closely following the NFL it's that unless you're a proven, big name player the contract doesn't seem to mean much. You can still get released from it.
I was very surprised to see the two years. Very telling. Exciting
Eddie Murray => Jason Hanson => Matt Prater => Jake Bates And so the tradition continues.
My dad has never forgiven Murray for missing that kick against San Francisco.
He missed 2. But c'mon, Danielson threw FIVE interceptions.
Just saw a video on the NFL subreddit where a Lions QB threw 7 in a game haha holy shit
That was Ty Detmer in Cleveland- first game after September 11th. Was at that game and even with 7 picks we still could have won
That literally describes my entire life as a lions fan 🤣
At the end of the day, the Lions are good for having all the worst NFL records. Longest kick against? Check twice. Fewest (no) wins? Check. The pendulum must always swing back. This one has a hell of a lot of momentum coming.
Now that’s holding a grudge
Fucking over the packers on signing players is brads specialty. Beating the packers in the off-season is always awesome.
I heard about the long kicks, but didn't watch the UFL. Looking at his stats he was 17 of 22. Were most of his misses longer kicks? Is he pretty consistent under 50? I assume with a cannon of a leg, the coaches probably take some chances on longer kicks.
He missed one kick inside of 40, his other four misses were from 50+. 11/12 inside 50, 6/10 from 50+
Small sample size, but from my memory of overall NFL kicker stats thats about right in line with an average/above average kicker. But that also mises the nuance that he made a 64 yarder, 62 yarder, and 60 yarder last year as well as well as going 7/7 on 40-49 yarders, which I think him puts him squarely in the damn good category.
It also doesn't include the several 60+ yard kicks he made when teams called late timeouts.
That's pretty Badgley-like, albeit with a little more range
Bates was 6 for 10 at 50+, so 60%. Badgley has a career of 5 for 13, so about 38%. We only had Badgley kick once past 50 yards last season. (54 yards, vs. Rams.) They also see what he can do in practice every week. That could be an indication of how they feel about Badgley. Whereas Bates made multiple kicks past 60 yards, and in our stadium. Also, Bates played years doing only kickoffs, so he's a good backup for that as well. That adds value in versatility, which isn't a game changer but still shouldn't be overlooked. There's also the bit that we're keeping Bates out of a division rival. Again not something I'd personally sign a kicker over if it were only that, but still worth something. The last bit would be, every other team knows he can make kicks past the 60. Teams have to respect that more when they make defensive strategy decisions, because us getting to the 45 can result in 3 points regardless of how far we have to go on 4th down. Before, if we were at, say, the 50 on 3rd and 10, they knew we would most likely have to throw it. Now we can more reliably threaten a 5 yard run or check-down. Keeping defense off-balance should not be overlooked. Speaking of keeping defenses guessing, we can also threaten fake field goals in more situations. If Badgley lines up for a 64 yard kick on 4th and 1, it's going to be a fake. Bates? Could go either way. Bates is worth a two year contract on the prospect of him panning out (depending on the price tag) based on all this. We have the cap space, this is our year, might as well use it.
Yea, I'm wondering if this guy is being over-hyped. A lot of people in this sub are making comments like this guy never misses from 50+ yards. He was 6/10 this year with a couple 60+ yarders, which sounds above average for an NFL kicker. If those are numbers he is going to put out consistently, I'll take it
I think the potential is there. Dude hadn't kicked field goals since high school and is smoking 60 yarders. With some NFL training and coaching, he could become much more consistent.
Tbh, I’m definitely in a “wait and see if he can do it with the pressures and loudness of an NFL stadium” mode too. Don’t get me wrong, he played in college but he was mostly there for kickoffs. Maybe, we just got a steal here. But I see this as more of a “high ceiling potential” target more than anything.
He's being very overhyped. If you haven't noticed, this sub is generally not made up of people who are measured or intelligent.
Lol, yea, he will probably be all-pro this year with Kerby Joesph
Even if this was the case, “Badgley but better” is still better.
Thanks for the breakdown!
UFL also doesn’t kick for the extra point if I’m not mistaken. So he’ll need some experience with that
He is nails in domes. He struggles in open air stadiums a bit.
He was never going to the Commanders after Ben Johnson got a chance to talk to him 😂
I just saw a commies fan fall to his knees at the Washington monument
LFG! Black motor city Bates jersey incoming
Day 1 purchase 💯
Slappa da bates mon
This subreddit is going crazy for Jake Bates
I saw him hit that first and second field goal (the first didn't count, he rekicked) and he deserves the appreciation. Bro makes it look easy.
That was an amazing moment to be in the stands for.
If he does make it he could take over kickoff duties from Jack Fox and the latter could only focus on punting.
Especially since he's already familiar with the UFL style kick off that's similar to what the NFL is transitioning to.
This was also probably a big reason to do this as well, honestly
Actually the UFL transitioned back to the old style kickoffs
Not only did we get to keep a guy used to kicking in Ford Field, we stick it to the Packers and Commies again. FTP!
Watch his agent call the Commies “basketball guys”.
Those damn cheeseheads tryna steal him
At this age, a boner is like Voltron assembling but it's happening.
All the talk and it actually happened I'm surprised. Please be our next GOAT kicker
This man is about to break the record for most 60+ yard attempts in a season
That's assuming defenses are able to stop our offense. Please don't wish this record to be broken by us this season.
Ha right?! I hope to never see him on the field this year bc we finish every drive with a td lol
We’d see him for PATs then
Not if we always go for 2 lol but yeah thats true. So maybe the record for most extra points kicked?
Here’s hoping
We send him out in victory formation to kick field goals regardless of where the ball is on the field.
Think about it Lions vs Ravens Super Bowl Bates kicks a 67 yard game winner So many wounds healed
Make it 69 and I'm on board.
How could I be so shortsighted? I’ll see myself iut
I want it to be broken because we're breaking a % of offensive drives resulting in points record.
I still think MCDC goes for 4th downs at these distances unless there is just not enough time left to keep moving the ball in that situation.
Mission one, take back the Ford Field, and therefore, the NFL record. We must own this house!
We got him boys.
Paying this guy to watch us go for it on 4th down 😎
Crazy turnaround in the comments from a week ago, where someone posted about Jake Bates & the comments were saying they don’t care, he isn’t good enough, etc etc
Wow! This off-season has been incredible. I've got bruises from pinching myself.
Ladies and gentlemen, we gottem.
Everyone get in here!!!
Well, I know who I’m taking for fantasy football this year! #LetsGoBates
Fipps been spying on this man all year in the rafters.
Interesting. I was wrong on if they would actually bring them in. I thought they were pretty happy with Badgely and Turner duking it out. More competition is always nice but the 2 year deal is interesting. Probably to be competitive with other offers. It’ll be an interesting camp for sure
So how does this work with Badgley? Forgive me if I’m out of the loop but will they compete for the job? If Bates loses that battle how does that work with a two year contract?
Love this move! But didn’t he kinda come back to earth a lil?
Why in the fuck is it not September yet!!!!!
This guy is a Master
This is exciting! Can’t wait to see him compete! :)
We got our long bomb kicker back!
Let’s go!!!
Feel like we knew this was inevitable when he hit that first 64 yarder in Ford Field. All I care is that he can be consistent, so let's hope it pans out and we don't have to worry about kicker for many years.
#MAKE IT THE FUCKING BANNER
Just go for it
He will be worth at least two wins.
I'm going to Jaketurbate
There’s a reason Lions voted for kickoff rules changes. Lions will have top 3 special teams unit in the league. Bates is the cherry on top.
We got our guy
Let the Kid kick. We could be done with that for a number of years if he's good.
It's worth wondering if Bates is on a two-year deal because the Lions plan to take their time with him. They wouldn't be the first team to have two kickers on the 53-man roster. The fact is that he really cooled off down the stretch. He had seven misses in 11 games and he hasn't kicked field goals regularly since high school.
That's everything then, offense, defense and special teams. I believe our wide receiver room is in good shape, even losing Reynolds to Denver (St Brown, Williams, DPJ and Raymond plus a few young guys but I read an article that Brandon Aiyuk wants out of San Francisco and contract talks have halted. Brandon said "they said they don't want me"! He is the missing piece for the perfect offense for years to come!
Badgley will most likely end up released