Raul Allegre Ices the BFT

As everyone saw in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs, sometimes an NFL game - and in fact an entire season - can come down to one kick. For opposing coaches with timeouts left, they’re usually faced with a dilemma – to ice or not to ice? Former NFL placekicker Raul Allegre joined the BFT on Tuesday to discuss the mentality of a kicker and whether or not icing really works.

The concept of icing is to call a timeout right before the opposing team attempts a kicking score, thinking the placekicker will get out of momentum or “cold.” This extra time is also supposed to cause the kicker to get too into his own head and cause him to psych himself out of attempting a decent kick. Allegre insists that veteran kickers will actually benefit from the extra time, not get psyched out.

 “Most experienced kickers have a routine that they do prior to going for an important kick,” said Allegre. “Sometimes, you don’t do [your routine] quite the way you need to do it. But if they give you extra time, why not take it?”

When asked about if kickers recognize some kicks as being more important than others, Allegre insisted that every kick should feel the same to a good kicker, re-emphasizing the importance of the kicker’s routine.

“The physical aspect’s not going to change,” Allegre explained. “The mental aspect is what really makes the difference.”

As the conversation turned to his career, Allegre recalled his first interaction with then-Giants head coach Bill Parcells. After he impressed the coaching staff enough in a tryout to earn a contract offer, Allegre called his agent to go over the details before signing. After hanging up with his agent, he explained that he just wanted to know what was on the contract.

“And Parcells said, ‘Get him the hell out of here,’” remarked Allegre. “And he said a stronger word than that.”

After going home to Indianapolis, Allegre wrote Parcells a letter explaining that he didn’t want to sign a contract he hadn’t read. Parcells called him upon receiving the letter, and dictated the terms of the contract over the phone before asking to contact him by 10 a.m. the next day if he was interested. After calling him back, Allegre officially became a member of the New York Giants.

In spite of this interesting start, Allegre assures he and Parcells had a great working relationship. Parcells even met Allegre’s parents at the Super Bowl, and remarked that Allegre’s mother looked like and reminded him of his mother.

“We were best buddies,” said Allegre. “[But] he didn’t like me so much in ’88 when I pulled my groin making a tackle and I had to miss a few games.”

As the interview came to a close, Allegre was asked what he would do if he was a head coach and the opposing placekicker was lining up to kick a game-winning field goal.

“I’d just pray he misses it.”

To listen to the full interview, click below: