Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri missed the would-be, game-winning 43-yard field goal try in Sunday’s 26-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But the 46-year-old kicker may have a legitimate beef with holder Rigoberto Sanchez.
At least, that was what NFL Twitter believed.
When Vinatieri shanked the field goal attempt wide left, fans quickly noticed on the replays that Sanchez set up the hold with the laces facing in. Holders are taught to have the laces out in order to give the kicker a consistent surface to kick on the ball.
Inside the Pylon writer Chuck Zodda explained the concept to For The Win in 2016:
The biggest thing is, if you’re hitting the ball directly — and by that I mean all your technique is perfectly in line and you don’t have any other problems, it’s not going to cause an issue for most people. The reason being is that if you’re hitting the ball dead on and coming through like you need to, all that happens with the laces is you don’t get the full compression of the ball that you normally would. So it’ll sap some power, and it may move the ball a little bit, but it’s not going to have a huge impact.
So, it’s not a huge deal on perfectly struck kicks, but it can have an effect. Most of all: It’s a joke from the 1994 Jim Carrey film, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
“LACES OUT, DAN.”
Upon seeing Sanchez’s LACES-IN hold, NFL fans couldn’t help but make some “laces out” jokes.
