TOW #4: Athletic Art: 3 Acts And 3 Points, Bill Pennington

A field goal from start to finish takes approximately 1.2 seconds, but is one of the most difficult acts in all of football. Bill Pennington wrote Athletic Art: 3 Acts And 3 points in the New York Times to describe how the 1.2 seconds of a field goal are an intricate production. Pennington uses interviews with the Giants’ members of the field goal team, many analogies, and statistics to help the football fan understand the stress and intricacy that goes into every field goal and extra point. The three main components of the Giants’ field goal unit are the snapper, Zak DeOssie; the holder, Steve Weatherford; and the kicker, Jake Brown. 

Zak DeOssie has snapped the ball over 25,000 times to prepare for his job. By use of repetition, Zak learned that the ball must rotate two and a half times in order for the laces to be facing the sky when the ball reaches the holder. Zak describes the defenders across from him as menacing; but he makes sure the ball has two and a half revolutions every time in order to make the job for the holder and kicker easier. Steve Weatherford is the punter, as well as the holder for the field goal unit. He has the task of catching the ball from the snapper and setting it up perfectly for Jake to kick. Steve has been the holder for a few pro-bowl kickers, so he has plenty of expertise. Although Steve has a lot of experience, he claims that you do not have to be that athletic to be a holder. He relates his job to shooting free throws. Steve uses this analogy to prove that anyone could do his job with a lot of practice and repetition. Jake Brown is the final component to the field goal unit. As the kicker, he has the most stress, because he is the one that finishes off the three points. He describes the players and fans trying to distract him from making his routine successful. Pennington effectively shows the intricacy of the 1.2 seconds that it takes to make a field goal. He explains the stress and viewpoints of the players to show all that is involved with every field goal and extra point.