Where’s Gloria Steinem, Gloria Allred or National Organization for Women when we need it?
That was my reaction when the Jets signed some guy named Sam Ficken as the kicker instead of signing U.S. soccer star Carli Lloyd. They did not even invite her for a tryout. Imagine the outrage those people would work up on Lloyd’s behalf.
Jets fans chanted the soccer star’s name after then-Jets kicker Kaare Vedvik contributed to the Jets’ 17-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Jets season and home opener by missing an extra point and a 45-yard field goal.
Whether they were sarcastic or serious, it would have been an interesting experiment for the Jets to take a chance on Lloyd. The least they could have done is give her a tryout. For some reason, they were not interested.
It wasn’t surprising the Jets declined for her service. They wanted kickers with experience. But the problem with this argument is that they signed a guy I never heard of. I know Jets fans haven’t heard of him. How is Ficken less of a risk than Lloyd?
If any of the kickers that are available were so good, they would not be available.
So again let’s pose this question: Why is Lloyd such a risk while other available free agent kickers are not? How are they a more of a sure thing than Lloyd?
No one is saying Lloyd is a sure thing, but it would have been nice to find out.
This would not have been a gimmick or mockery of the game if the Jets gave her a workout. It would not have been a waste of anyone’s time. It would have been interesting, and that’s not a bad thing.
The guess here is the Jets did not want any part of the circus of bringing her to the team. They endured enough of it over the years with Rex Ryan and Tim Tebow. They apparently retired from such act.
To think that way is ignorant. They did a disservice for themselves.
Lloyd earned the right to get a tryout after she kicked a 55-yard field goal when she attended a joint practice tryout between the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles last month. Anyone that kicks from that distance could not have done it by accident. It takes a strong skill set to kick.
For some reason, teams don’t focus much on special teams, especially kickers. The perception is they are a dime a dozen. That position is not a priority in a league that focuses on linemen, secondary, quarterbacks, wide receivers and athleticism.
The Jets decided to let their reliable kicker Jason Myers leave to the Seattle Seahawks rather than pay him because then-Jets general manager Mike Maccaganan and Jets head coach Adam Gase felt he was not worth the money he sought because he was a kicker. They could have used him on Sunday after Vedvik flopped going back to when he missed his kicks prior to the game. By the way, Myers converted all three extra points with his kicks after the Seahawks’ touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Jets get what they paid for in being cheap with their kickers. They also get what they deserve for putting no priority on the kicking game.
Kicking turns out to be such a lost art these days, and that’s why signing Lloyd would be great because there would be an emphasis on fundamentals and kicking. There would be an appreciation for kicking.
It shouldn’t matter the gender or if the player is physical or not. It’s kicking the football. It’s not rocket science. It’s 2019 where we should evolve and not worry about a gender in a man’s league.
This isn’t about doing the right thing. This is about finding someone who is qualified to do a job.
Maybe Ficken can do the job. Maybe he does not. Again, how is he any different than Lloyd when it comes to a risk?
It remains to be seen if an NFL team will give Lloyd an offer. If I had to guess, probably not. In a league full of testosterone, I don’t think teams want the headache of having a female player in the locker room. This is a league that features players who had issues with homosexuals playing the game and sharing a locker room with them. This is a league that blackballed Colin Kaepernick for standing up for police brutality by not standing for the national anthem.
Sure, any NFL team will say the right things, but doing it is another story.
If a team was serious about giving Lloyd a look, it would have happened with the Jets giving it a try.
Maybe if Ficken perform like Vedvik on Sunday, they may reconsider.
Don’t count on it. Failed kicker Blair Walsh has a better shot of getting a call than Lloyd.
This stinks just typing up this scenario.
