Raiders’ Janikowski adding to his resume; deserves NFL record
The third longest kick in league history now belongs to Sebastian Janikowski.
“I thought it was short at first,” said the hefty left-footed place-kicker after the Raiders 23-9 defeat in Cleveland in which he had a 61-yard conversion. “Then it just barely cleared it.”
He ranks with Tony Dempsey and Jason Elam now – both booted 63-yarders – and Matt Bryant who just recently nailed a 62-yard field goal, on the all-time list of longest field goals in NFL history.
For Raider fans, it has become a goal for them to see their former first round choice get the record. Janikowski attempted a 64-yarder in November of 2007, right before halftime against the Houston Texans, and it notoriously bounced off the upright. He then nailed a 56-yard field goal versus the Chiefs in 2008 before Oakland rolled him out there for a 76-yard attempt that did not sniff a chance at the record books a few weeks earlier. But just last year, he had his defining moment when he split the upright with a 57-yard kick that won a game for the Silver & Black in overtime against the New York Jets.
“That’s one of the best kicks I’ve ever had,” Janikowski commented. “In these conditions with the snow and wind, I’m proud of it. In warm-ups, we kicked it 60 yards going in that direction. I hit it hard. I thought it was short at first and it barely got in there.”
His potent leg has always been admired since his college days. And since Oakland drafted him in the first round in 2000, Janikowski fans felt like he was destined to be the record holder for the longest field goal.
It was good to see him finally convert on one from very deep. It just has continued his best season to date, as he now has converted 24-of-27 attempts with an amazing 14-of-18 from 40-50+ yards out.
Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist
