In the final seconds before halftime of the Jaguars’ preseason opener yesterday, kicker Cam Little sent the pigskin on an improbable journey. From 70 yards away, with no time left and little at stake, he struck it with such force and precision that it sailed past the uprights, clearing the crossbar with ease. In an official game, the effort would have trumped Justin Tucker’s mark by a decidedly significant four yards. In the muted ledger of August matches, however, it will go down as something else entirely — a feat without a place in the National Football League’s record books, but etched in the memory of those who witnessed it just the same.
The Jaguars, to their credit, saw the moment as a chance to make history. Head coach Liam Coen later admitted the attempt was as much about Little’s desire as about opportunity. “He wanted it, so we gave it to him.” What followed was a rare instance when competition formality cracked, and all and sundry leaned into the spectacle. And so far had the ball travelled that even the ball boy stationed deep in the end zone had ample time to prep for a fittingly clean catch.
To be sure, Little’s resume is already rich for a second-year pro. A sixth-round pick last year, he converted 27 of 29 field goal attempts and all of his extra points as a rookie. He set franchise records for scoring and makes from 50 yards or more. A 59-yarder last season marked his threshold in official play — until yesterday’s moonshot, that is, when the distance stretched into the ridiculous.
Under the circumstances, casual observers from the outside looking in may well have cause to dismiss Little’s accomplishment as an oddity. That said, it also hints at a deeper truth about football: in a league where contests so often hinge on a single possession, the ability to score from anywhere midfield is no small advantage. The Jaguars’ special teams may have just found a weapon that forces opponents to rethink the edges of their defensive range.
Clips of the 70-yarder will not appear in the NFL’s archives, and no one will etch Little’s name beside Tucker’s in the record books. Still, the ball did what it did, and those who saw it — whether at the EverBank stadium or on a screen — will remember what they felt when the unlikely became a certainty. In the outer margins of an exhibition, a 21-year-old kicker showed just how far the game can reach.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
