Kai Forbath

Kai Forbath
refer to caption
Forbath with the Redskins in 2014
Free agent
Position: Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1987-09-02) September 2, 1987
Santa Monica, California
Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight: 197 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school: Notre Dame
(Sherman Oaks, California)
College: UCLA
Undrafted: 2011
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2017
FG's made: 116
FG's attempted: 135
FG's %: 85.9
Longest FG: 57
Player stats at NFL.com

Kai August Forbath (born September 2, 1987) is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent. He played college football at UCLA and was recognized as an All-American and the best college kicker in the country in 2009. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2011, and has also played for the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings.

Early years

Forbath was born in Santa Monica, California. He attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California. During his last two prep seasons, he converted 26-of-33 field goal attempts and scored 213 total points, with a long field goal of 57 yards. He also forced touchbacks on 150 of 188 kickoffs and made 134-of-135 extra point attempts. Forbath also served as the team's punter and had a punting average of 46 yards that led to him being named to the Los Angeles Times' All-Star team at punter. Forbath subsequently earned high school All-American recognition by USA Today.[1] In addition to football, Forbath also played soccer in the West Valley Samba Soccer League (National Premier Soccer League). Following his senior season, Forbath was invited to play in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and the CaliFlorida Bowl.

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Forbath was listed as the No. 1 placekicker in the nation among the class of 2006.[2] He picked UCLA over California, Notre Dame, Oregon, among others.

College career

Forbath at UCLA in 2009

Forbath attended University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played for the UCLA Bruins football team from 2006 to 2010. After redshirting his initial year at UCLA, Forbath made 25 of 30 field goals and all 30 points after touchdowns (PATs) for a team-high 105 points in 2007. He became the first UCLA player to record five field goals of at least 50 yards in a season, including a freshman-best 54-yarder versus Oregon. In his sophomore year, Forbath received first-team All-Pacific-10 honors after making 19 of 22 field goals on the season, including his last 13 straight.

As a junior in 2009, he connected on another three field goals from 50 yards or more and has now made 9-of-12 tries from that length. Competing with Leigh Tiffin of Alabama and Blair Walsh of Georgia, Forbath was named the winner of the 2009 Lou Groza Award, recognizing the best placekicker in college football.[3]

On September 25, 2010, Forbath kicked two field goals in leading the Bruins to an upset victory over the #7 Texas Longhorns 34–12 in front of a stadium-record 101,437 fans in Austin, Texas. In the previous week, Forbath kicked a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter to give the Bruins a 24–3 lead in the game against then-#23 Houston. UCLA defeated Houston by a score of 31–13. On November 6, 2010, Forbath kicked a game winning 51-yard field goal in the last second of the game to give the Bruins a 17–14 win over Oregon State, and he was named Pac-10 Conference Special Team Player-of-the-Week.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Although he was projected as the second-best kicker in the 2011 NFL Draft, Forbath was not selected in the Draft. Alex Henery ended up being the only kicker selected in the draft that year. On August 2, he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, but because he had a pre-existing quad injury that did not allow him to practice and that it would take a lengthy time to heal, he was immediately placed on the active non-football injury list. At the time, the Cowboys had an open competition for the placekicker job and were covering themselves in case a player did not emerge from the four kickers they had in training camp at one time.

On August 30, he was placed on the Non-Football Injury list, so he wouldn't count towards the first 80-player cut and later towards the 53-player limit.[4] The performance of fellow rookie Dan Bailey made the Cowboys decide to keep Forbath on the NFI list during all of the regular season.[5]

On April 16, 2012, Forbath was waived by the Cowboys, having never participated in a practice with the team.[6]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers claimed Forbath off waivers on April 17, 2012. During the preseason, Forbath made all five field goal attempts, including a successful 55-yard kick.[7]

Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins signed Forbath on October 9, 2012, replacing Billy Cundiff.[8][9][10] Forbath made his NFL and Redskins debut knocking through a 50-yard attempt as his first career NFL field goal in the home game against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6 on October 14, 2012.[11] His performance was essential in the Redskins' victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, where he recorded 48-yard and 49-yard field goals and then converted a game-winning 34-yard field goal in overtime.[12]

On December 23, 2012, in Week 16, Forbath set the NFL record for consecutive field goals to begin a career with 17 in a row, beating Garrett Hartley, who previously held the record at 16.[13][14] The football was sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[15]

On October 19, 2014, in Week 7, Forbath scored the game-winning field goal in the 19–17 win over the Tennessee Titans.[16][17] He then was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after scoring the overtime winning field goal against the Dallas Cowboys the following week.[18] He would once again score the game-winning field goal in the 27–24 Week 16 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.[19]

The Redskins offered Forbath a $1,542,000 right of first refusal tender on March 8, 2015,[20] which he signed on April 15, 2015.[21] Forbath was released by the team on September 14, 2015.[22]

Forbath finished his career with the Redskins as the second-most accurate kicker in team history, converting 87.0 percent of his field goal attempts (60-of-69). His mark of 60 field goals and 91 extra points rank fifth in franchise history.[23]

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints signed Forbath on October 19, 2015, to replace a struggling Zach Hocker, who was released by the team.[24]

Forbath played in first career game as a member of the Saints in Week 7 against the Indianapolis Colts on October 25, 2015, converting on three-of-four extra point attempts in the 27-21 victory.[25] On November 1, in Week 8, Forbath ended a record-breaking 52–49 shootout against the New York Giants at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with a 50-yard field goal as time expired. On November 29, in Week 12, Forbath kicked a career-long 57-yard field goal against the Houston Texans, which is the third-longest in team history.[26] On January 3, 2016, Forbath kicked a 30-yard game-winning field goal in the regular season finale in Week 17 against the Atlanta Falcons as time expired, his sixth career game-winner.[27]

On March 10, 2016, the Saints re-signed Forbath.[28] Throughout the team's 2016 preseason, Forbath competed with Connor Barth, and the Saints ultimately kept Forbath while cutting Barth. However, a few days later, on September 6, 2016, the Saints also released Forbath in favor of an undrafted rookie kicker, Wil Lutz, who had gone through training camp with the Baltimore Ravens.[29]

Minnesota Vikings

On November 16, 2016, the Minnesota Vikings signed Forbath to a one-year, $760,000 contract after releasing incumbent kicker Blair Walsh. In his first game with the Vikings in Week 11, he converted one field goal and three extra points against the Arizona Cardinals.[30] On December 11, he kicked a season-high four field goals against the Jacksonville Jaguars.[31] He finished his first season with the Vikings going 15-15 on field goals and 11-14 on extra point attempts.

On October 9, 2017, Forbath kicked two field goals, including the game-winner against the Chicago Bears.[32] In Week 7 of the 2017 season, Forbath converted six field goals, including a 52-yarder, in a 24-16 win over the Ravens, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[33] He is one of three Vikings' kickers to kick six field goals in a game, the last time this happened was in 1998 (Gary Anderson).[34] On October 29, he kicked four field goals against the Cleveland Browns.[35] On January 14, 2018, Forbath kicked three field goals against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Round.[36]

On March 20, 2018, Forbath re-signed with the Vikings.[37] However, the team traded up to draft Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson the next month.[38] On August 20, 2018, Forbath was released by the Vikings after losing the starting job to the rookie Carlson.[39]

Career statistics

SeasonTeamGPOverall FGsPATsKickoffsPoints
BlkLngFGMFG AttPctXPMXP AttPctBlkKOAvgTBRetAvg
2012WAS 11050171894.4333497.116263.2154523.384
2013WAS 13250182281.82626100.005760.2144123.280
2014WAS 16049242788.9313296.915461.3183423.1103
2015WAS 10451250.011100.00367.91227.04
2015NO 1025791369.2333497.104965.5212826.660
2016MIN 70511515100.0111478.613862.2191725.456
2017MIN 16153323884.2343987.228863.5444422.5130
Total7455711613585.916918093.9535162.713221123.8517

[40]

References

  1. ↑ 2005 All-USA team. Usatoday30.usatoday.com (February 1, 2011). Retrieved on 2016-11-16.
  2. ↑ "Kickers 2006", Rivals.com, January 30, 2006
  3. ↑ "Lou Groza Award Finalists Announced", NCAAfootball.com, November 23, 2009
  4. ↑ Eatman, Nick (August 30, 2011). "Roster Cut To 80 After Carter, Forbath to NFI". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  5. ↑ Eatman, Nick (November 29, 2011). "Forbath Stays On NFI; Will Remain With Club". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  6. ↑ Ellis, Josh (April 16, 2012). "Cowboys Release Kicker Kai Forbath". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Count On 'Death, Taxes and Forbath'", Redskins.com, October 9, 2012
  8. ↑ Mike Jones, "Redskins sign kicker Forbath," The Washington Post (October 9, 2012). Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  9. ↑ Aaron Wilson, "Source: Redskins signing Kai Forbath, cutting Billy Cundiff," The Baltimore Sun (October 9, 2012). Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  10. ↑ Tinsman, Brian (October 9, 2012). "Redskins Release Cundiff, Sign Forbath". Redskins.com. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  11. ↑ Jones, Mike (October 14, 2012). "Kai Forbath makes 50-yarder in Redskins debut". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  12. ↑ Tinsman, Brian (December 10, 2012). "Monday Morning Stats Pack: Redskins-Ravens". Redskins.com. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  13. ↑ Associated Press (December 23, 2012). "Kai Forbath sets NFL record for field goals to start career". NFL.com. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  14. ↑ Tinsman, Brian (December 23, 2012). "Forbath Battles Gusty Winds For NFL Record". Redskins.com. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Redskins rookie record, Forbath's record start". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Redskins-Titans Monday Stats Pack". Redskins.com. October 20, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  17. ↑ Czarda, Stephen (October 19, 2014). "Kai Forbath's Boot Nets Redskins Victory". Redskins.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Kai Forbath Earns Weekly NFC Honor". Redskins.com. October 29, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  19. ↑ Skinnell, Brian (December 22, 2014). "Kai Forbath Comes Up Big In The Clutch – Again". Redskins.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  20. ↑ El-Bashir, Tarik (March 8, 2015). "Redskins K Kai Forbath gets RFA tender". CSNWashington.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  21. ↑ Jones, Mike (April 15, 2015). "Kicker Kai Forbath signs restricted free agent tender to return to Redskins". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  22. ↑ Jones, Mike. "Redskins cut Kai Forbath, sign former Saints place kicker Dustin Hopkins". Washington Post. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Washington Redskins Career Kicking & Punting Leaders | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  24. ↑ Triplett, Mike. "Kai Forbath replacing Zach Hocker as Saints kicker". ESPN. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Saints vs. Colts – Box Score – October 25, 2015 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Saints vs. Texans – Box Score – November 29, 2015 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Saints vs. Falcons – Game Recap – January 3, 2016 – ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  28. ↑ Alper, Josh (March 10, 2016). "Saints re-sign Kai Forbath". NBCSports.com. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  29. ↑ Joel Erickson, " Saints choose rookie kicker Wil Lutz over Kai Forbath", New Orleans Advocate, September 6, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Vikings Sign Kicker Kai Forbath". Vikings.com. November 16, 2016.
  31. ↑ Long, Mark (December 11, 2016). "Vikings beat Jaguars 25-16 for 1st road win since September". Pro32: Head to Head. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  32. ↑ Peters, Craig (October 9, 2017). "Game Recap: Vikings Outlast Bears for 20-17 Victory". Minnesota Vikings. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  33. ↑ Lam, Quang M. (October 25, 2017). "Carson Wentz, Amari Cooper among Players of Week". NFL.com.
  34. ↑ "Single Game - Minnesota Vikings - Field Goals >=6". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  35. ↑ Boyer, Zac (October 29, 2017). "Keenum, Forbath help Vikings win 33-16 vs. Browns in London". Pro32: Head to Head. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  36. ↑ Campbell, Dave (January 14, 2018). "Stunner: Keenum-Diggs TD sends Vikings past Saints 29-24". Pro32: Head to Head. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  37. ↑ Gantt, Darin (March 20, 2018). "Vikings bring back kicker Kai Forbath". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  38. ↑ Bergman, Jeremy (April 28, 2018). "Vikings trade two pick to draft kicker Daniel Carlson". NFL.com.
  39. ↑ Smith, Eric (August 20, 2018). "Vikings Release Forbath, Place Aruna on IR, Announce Other Moves". Vikings.com.
  40. ↑ http://www.nfl.com/player/kaiforbath/2495150/careerstats
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