Falcons Coordinator Defends Younghoe Koo Ahead of Training Camp Competition

The Atlanta Falcons sent an indirect message of sorts to kicker Younghoe Koo this offseason with the signing of European Football League kicker Lenny Krieg.

The move coming after Koo experienced a disappointing season was a clear indication the team wanted to push Koo with a kicker competition this summer.

But that doesn't mean Koo isn't still the preferred option to win the role. That's what Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams seemed to suggest when he sent a much more direct message, defending Koo's record while speaking to reporters last week.

“If Stephen Curry were to shoot a (3-point shot), and the guy blocked it, does that count as a missed 3 or does it count as a blocked 3?” Williams said, via The AJC's D. Orlando Ledbetter on July 18. “Yeah. So, OK, he missed seven (because two of the nine misses were blocked). Two years prior, he missed five. Not making excuses or anything like that, but that’s not all on him when it comes to that.”

The Atlanta special teams coordinator continued:

“But Koo is his reliable self because I like his process,” Williams said. “I know his process. I know how he prepares each and every day, each and every week. So, just so happened those kicks didn’t go his way. The margin of error is very small in the NFL.”

Koo missed nine field goals during the 2024 season. That's a lot, especially when considering Koo only kicked in 14 games. He missed a field goal more than every other week.

His 73.5% field goal percentage in 2024 was, by far, the worst of his career.

But clearly, Williams isn't ready to kick Koo to the curb just yet. Not all of the misses were his fault, and Koo landed on injured reserve at the end of the season. Williams wouldn't address Koo's ailment, but it's likely the Falcons kicker dealt with injury earlier than when he landed on IR.

Krieg arrives at Falcons training camp having made 19 of 26 field-goal attempts over the past two seasons in Europe. He's also 101-for-126 on extra-point tries.

Koo owns an 86.1% field-goal percentage in his NFL career. He's made 87.1% of his field goals in six seasons with the Falcons.

During 2020, he led the NFL with 37 made field goals and earned a Pro Bowl nomination.

Koo has connected on 96.1% of his extra points throughout his career as well. Despite his struggles on field goals in 2024, Koo didn't miss on any of his 26 extra points last season.