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Luckily, Keyboard Cat is on staff to play people off at a moment’s notice.

Kickers have always been an important part of football. In a matter of seconds, a kicker can completely change the fortunes of a game. The kicker has always been an eccentric breed, and while undoubtedly important to a team’s success, seems only be given recognition for bad plays.

Well a lot of the time that negative recognition is well earned. Sometimes, a kicker’s mistake is of historical proportions. And then, only then, is it worthy or our attention and scorn. Well, ladies and gentlemen, you’re in luck. You’ve got me to breakdown the greatest kicker fails in NFL history. Let’s get started, shall we?

Garo’s Gaffe

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Probably the one play in Super Bowl history that never gets the recognition it deserves. Here’s the situation. It’s Super Bowl VII. The Miami Dolphins lead the Washington Redskins 14-0 with 2:07 left in the game. Garo Yepremian, the little kicker from Cypress who coined the phrase “I keek touchdown” steps up to take a 42 yarder to seal the victory.

Unfortunately for Garo, what happened next was one the greatest fails in history. The kick is blocked by Redskins lineman Bill Brundige. Garo gets to the ball before everyone else and dives on it picks the ball up, and flails his arm to throw the ball. The ball is picked off by Redskins corner Mike Bass, and subsequently returned for a touchdown. Luckily for him, the Dolphins held on to win the game 14-7 to save a perfect season. Mercury Morris then began his career of being an obnoxious prick.

Wide Right

What can be said that hasn’t been said about Scott Norwood? There’s eight seconds left in Super Bowl XXV. The New York football Giants led the Buffalo Bills 20-19. Our boy Scott steps up to take a game winning 47 yard field goal. If he makes it, he’ll be a legend in Buffalo the likes of which has never been seen. Except he doesn’t. He drills the kick, has the distance, but the ball flies past the right goal post. The Gians celebrate, and Baby Duane Parcells is forced to save him temper tantrum for another day.

Bill Gramatica’s Career Ending Celebration

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Curiously enough, video of the epic injury is no where to be found on the internet. Here's the gist of what happened. Bill Gramatica, a member of the Arizona Cardinals, nails a first half 42 yard field goal in a 2001 game against the Giants. Amazed, he starts jumping up and down like he just got his American citizenship. Suddenly, he goes down in agony, clutching his knee. He tore his ACL and had to miss the remainder of the season. Who stepped in to kick for the remainder of the game, you ask? None other than American hero Pat Tillman. What a badass.

Shaun Suisham Is Terrible

Last season was a paticularly difficult time to be a Redskins fan. Jim Zorn was the coach, and Detroit’s 19 game winless streak ended against the politically incorrect Redskins. The team was 3-9 heading into a match up at home against the 12-0 Saints. After Drew Brees drove the Saints offense down the field to send the game into overtime, Shaun Suisham had the opportunity to give hope to a pathetic franchise. As you’ve probably already seen in the above video, he missed the kick, and New Orleans won the game, 33-30.

The Saints kicker, Garrett Hartley, kicked the overtime game winner, an act he would repeat in the NFC Championship game. He would also take the Saints’ onside kickoff to start the second half of the Super Bowl later that season. The Saints were also smart enough to kick the ball directly to the biscuit-dough-hands of Hank Baskett, a crucial play in their Super Bowl victory.

Any famous kicking fails I missed? Mention them in the comments.