Here's to the kicker - by Jerek Wolcott

[BWahlberg]

Here's to the kicker.

Here's to the scrawny kid who weighed maybe a buck fifty when he showed up on campus in 2008 but with hard work ended up benching the standard 225 lbs. 24 times at the Griz Pro Day this spring.

Here's to the guy who had to replace the greatest kicker in Montana history and four years later was matching and breaking his records.

Here's to a man who spreads praise to his teammates and accepts the full burden of blame.

Here's to the hero that will look you in the eye when he shakes your hand and sign any autograph shoved in his face.

Here's to Brody McKnight.

McKnight transferred to Montana from Purdue but hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada a place known more for what they do on the ice than on the field. When he became a Griz in 2008 he stepped into big shoes, Dan Carpenter just left for the Miami Dolphins. Much of Griz Nation including myself was worried to see what would happen to the one phase of the game that was automatic. A few weeks into the 2008 season the redshirt freshman eased the minds of the Griz fans everywhere. He hit a 42-yard field goal as time expired to give the Griz a 38-35 win over Central Washington.

He is quick with a smile or a joke. He often slipped from his folksy Canadian tone into a fiery impression of his mother Jenny's thick Irish accent. He also was great in the Missoula community. He never hesitated to speak at a fundraiser or dinner or volunteer for community service projects. He would do anything for Griz Nation but if he had his choice would probably be fishing.

He earned the respect of his teammates with his hard work and selfless attitude. When the punting game struggled and he was asked to step in, he did without question. He was named the 2010 and 2011 team co-MVP and was a team captain in 2011.

He was drafted eight overall in the Canadian football League draft, but has set his sights higher. He signed a free-agent contract with the New York Jets and just finished their three-day minicamp last weekend. An undrafted free-agent deal is by no means a guarantee of a job, but here's to hoping that good guys occasionally finish first.

Here's to having two Griz kickers in the AFC East and hoping we can get lucky three times-in-a-row

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[YttriumGriz39]

I always liked McKnight. You could tell by his physical changes he worked hard. By the honors given by his coaches and teammates it is obvious he was a big part of the success of the last four years.

I took my friend to this game.

He hit a 42-yard field goal as time expired to give the Griz a 38-35 win over Central Washington.

We got too hot in the sun of the north end zone so in the second half we moved to the south end zone and sat next to a CWU fan. I will never forget that guy he was really proud of his team which I respected so we got along.

 

[mtgrizrule]

My only concern for Brody is getting lift on his fg's. He hits long fg's because of how much he line drives the kick. He needs to get more consistency on shorter FG's though. Granted, most his missed FG's, while with the GRIZ, were more from special team break downs, than his skill.

If we see him hitting FG's in the preseason with very little threat of a block, don't be surprised to see him make the team. I am looking forward to see how he fares, though. I had very little doubt with Carpenter, and just a little more doubt with McKnight.

 

[GRZFTBL]

Simply awesome.

 

[AZGrizFan]

My only concern for Brody is getting lift on his fg's. He hits long fg's because of how much he line drives the kick. He needs to get more consistency on shorter FG's though. Granted, most his missed FG's, while with the GRIZ, were more from special team break downs, than his skill.

:? :? :? :?

Maybe you're thinking of a time before his senior year? I posted this quite a while ago on another thread about McKnight discussing his potential in the NFL:

There are (long-time) kickers currently in the NFL who RARELY even attempt FG's beyond the 50...

McKnight made FG's from 51, 51, 48, 47, 44, 44, 42 and 41. He missed from 51, 49, 48, 43 and 41. Thus, McKnight was 8/13 from outside the 40 (including 2/3 from beyond the 50) and 13/15 from inside the 40.

His 51 yarder would put him 19th on the list of kickers currently in the NFL. There are 4 starting kickers in the league this year who haven't attempted a single kick over 50 yards.

Brody has more makes (and a better percentage) over 50 yards than all but 13 of the 32 current NFL kickers this year---and probably in worse weather!

I think there's no reason Brody couldn't make it in the NFL with a little work on his leg strength for kickoffs

I think he's got a great chance to make a team. Might not be the Jets, but it will be some team...somewhere...south of the border. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: