Detroit Lions fans have understandably been fascinated by the story of Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates. The UFL kicker seemingly came out of nowhere to kick 50- and 60-yard field goals right here at Ford Field. And given that Detroit’s kicking situation has been erratic at best over the past three years, Bates’ accuracy and power would be a welcome addition to the Lions’ special teams unit.
However, during Thursday’s organized team activity, we saw that the Lions may already have the powerful, accurate leg they need to revive a struggling kicking game.
Michael Badgley has been on and off the Lions roster for the past two seasons, and his overall accuracy has already been pretty solid. In 16 total regular season games, he made 24 of 28 field goals and 46 of 48 extra points. The common complaint about him, however, is his lack of distance kicks. Although he made a 59-yard field goal in his rookie season in 2018, he has yet to convert a kick longer than 53 yards in the regular season since then.
That could be changing this season.
Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said Thursday that Badgley has been working diligently to add distance to his game again.
“He’s worked hard to push his reach maybe a little further than it has been and he’s looked good doing it,” Fipp said.
And while our exposure to this improvement has been minimal so far, it’s worth noting that Badgley was a perfect 2-for-2 during situational kicks on Thursday, converting field goals from 52 and 60 yards.
Beyond that, there were field goal drills during an 11-on-11 period, and while I was focused on offense-on-defense drills, Justin Rogers of the Detroit News had one eye on kicking, and here’s how he described Badgley’s game. performance.
“He scored several 50+ yard field goals by working the sideline, often clearing the crossbar with several yards to spare.”
Badgley already has competition at the Lions’ practice. Detroit signed undrafted rookie kicker James Turner, formerly of the Michigan Wolverines. Turner had an extremely accurate final season at Michigan, making 18 of 21 field goals and 65 of 66 extra points. Although Turner’s longest kick in college was 50 yards, Fipp said he has a much bigger leg than people think.
“(He) has a huge leg. I know he doesn’t throw a million long balls, but he has a lot of leg,” Fipp said. Very very good. Much better than average.”
Turner also made his 52-yard situational kick, but his 60-yard kick was a couple yards wide, but it had distance. Still, Fipp said they’re not bringing in Turner simply to be a “camp,” a term he clearly doesn’t like.
“I would never tell a player that you come here just to play a role or be another leg of the camp, as some people call it. “I don’t understand it at all,” Fipp said. “I think every time you hire someone, you’re giving them the opportunity to compete for a position, so I certainly look at it that way.”
As for Bates, he certainly continues to impress the Panthers. He is 15-for-18 in the UFL with marks of 64, 62 and 55. However, Fipp didn’t take the bait when asked about him.
“I have seen it. “I’m not going to go into detail about any particular player but obviously I’m happy for the kid,” Fipp said. “He’s having a great year and, from what I understand, he has a pretty interesting story.”
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow @Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.