From the World Cup to kicking in the NFL? Carli Lloyd should get a shot

In today’s Schmidt List, Carli Lloyd should get a shot to be a kicker in the NFL, the Colts boo Andrew Luck and the most surprising retirements in my lifetime.

Hey, NFL teams, one of you sign Carli Lloyd!

USWNT legend Carli Lloyd made headlines last week after she drilled a 55-yard field goal during a joint practice between the Baltimore Ravens and her Philadelphia Eagles.

Afterward, she said the NFL was reaching out to her. As a Bears fan, it made for an easy joke to suggest they were in the market for a kicker with a booming leg like Lloyd’s. Troglodytes still relying on their mom to make their lunches and vacuum for them said there’s no way Lloyd could kick in an actual game. Not with that many steps. And what if someone hits her on a kickoff or she has to make a tackle?! Blah. Blah.

But let’s be real for a second. Why couldn’t Lloyd with her background get a shot to make an NFL roster? She clearly has the range and the accuracy. There was no doink, let alone a double-doink on her kick? With practice and time to learn place-kicking, she could master the art of the kick.

And, now Lloyd sees no reason why a woman couldn’t be a kicker in the NFL.

“I’m laughing about it, but the more I think about it, this has the chance to be sort of a pioneering moment for women,” Lloyd told Peter King in his Football Morning in America column. “I know that I could actually probably do it. Put on the helmet, strap on the pads, go for it. The mindset I have, I think with practice, I know I have to work on my steps and my technique, but I think I could do it and do it well. It could be a huge pivotal moment. There is no reason why a woman could not do this.”

The Bears may have found their kicker in Eddy Pineiro after he booted a 58-yard field goal in the third preseason game, but they had nine kickers at minicamp. If not for the whole World Cup thing on her schedule, it would have been brilliant to see Lloyd get a shot. If Bears general manager Ryan Pace announced he was inviting Lloyd, I would instantly have had more faith in her than Cody Parkey or a dozen other kickers.

NFL teams should consider scouting the USWNT in addition to Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State. It’s only a matter of time until one is kicking an extra point or field goal in a game. Heck, it could be one kicker’s strained hamstring away from Lloyd getting a shot. I hope it happens.

When good fans break bad – Colts fans boo Andrew Luck

By now, you know all about Andrew Luck deciding to retire after trying to fight through chronic pain in his ankle/lower leg. The decision to retire is commendable by Luck who is putting his physical and mental health above some caveman mentality that he is the “ultimate competitor” willing to die on the football field. You know, the type of stuff that professional clowns like Dan Dakich and Doug Gottlieb want. You know, because they’re the gate-keepers on what Luck decides to do with his life.

I don’t have a problem with the decision to retire and I don’t have a problem with the timing of the announcement. What I do have a problem with is Colts fans in attendance booing Luck as he walked off the field for the final time. It was nothing short of pathetic and Colts fans should feel bad.

I hope against hope the Colts fans who booed Luck regretted it by the time they got to their cars to leave Lucas Oil on Saturday night. I certainly hope any anger or resentment has subsided with a few nights sleep. And if it hasn’t, well, then, you’re just a sad individual who needs to find some joy in your life. If a quarterback choosing his health over risking long-term damage (physically and mentally) makes you that mad, I can’t imagine how anyone can tolerate spending five minutes with you.

Most surprising athlete retirements of my lifetime

Staying on the Luck topic, it was a shocking revelation when the news broke on Saturday night. I was watching the Miami-Florida game and occasionally checking in on the Bears-Colts preseason game. It took me about 10 looks to make sure I wasn’t getting fooled by a fake Adam Schefter tweet. Sure enough, it was real and it got me to thinking about the most shocking retirements in my life. Now, I’m an older millennial so I wasn’t around when Jim Brown or Sandy Koufax retired, but my list is made up of Hall of Famers and one potential Hall of Famer.

Magic Johnson announces he’s HIV positive in his retirement.

Michael Jordan after winning a third straight title at the top of his game following the murder of his father, James Jordan.

Andrew Luck – Fresh off winning the Comeback Player of the Year and playing on a team with Super Bowl aspirations, the 29-year-old retired two weeks before the regular season.

Barry Sanders – The Lions have a habit of letting their best players in franchise history retire in their prime (Calvin Johnson). This was stunning because Sanders was only 1,457 yards shy of breaking Walter Payton’s career rushing yardage record. In typical fashion, Sanders sent a fax to his hometown newspaper the

Wichita Eagle

on July 27.