Tim Benz: If you want to see Carli Lloyd kick in NFL, make her earn it

I was going to leave this alone.

I really was. I swear.

When I first saw the video of Carli Lloyd kicking a field goal at a Baltimore Ravens-Philadelphia Eagles joint practice, I knew what was going to happen.

.@CarliLloyd from distance.

Love to see it. pic.twitter.com/FW8iZlzGCG

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) August 20, 2019

“Wow, that was 55 yards! Someone should sign her as a full-time NFL kicker. Give her a job. Break barriers! Crash glass ceilings! She could do it for real.”

But why did it have to be me to point out that she wasn’t in pads and a helmet? That the weather was perfect. That she wasn’t kicking over 6-foot-5 defensive linemen.

Why did I have to be the one to point out she wasn’t using the usual kicker approach and she’d need to kick the ball faster than that in a game? And God forbid I be the one to suggest she might be in harm’s way while kicking off.

Nope. I was going to let everyone else do the heavy lifting. Surely, someone else could mention all these annoying — what’s the word I’m looking for? — um, facts.

It was just a fun video, Tim. Let it be.

So when Lloyd said, “I know that I could actually probably do it,” I turned the other cheek. When her trainer said one NFL team was going to give her a shot in a preseason game, I bit my lip.

But then I read this article from Nancy Armour of USA Today. That’s when I couldn’t take it anymore.

Take a look at some of these passages from her column.

“Lloyd absolutely deserves a chance with an NFL team. But it should be a real chance, not some sideshow meant to drum up interest in a meaningless game.”

Stop.

“Absolutely deserves a chance”? Is Armour kidding? What has Lloyd done to “deserve a chance” besides being a literal “sideshow” after a “meaningless” practice, in precisely the same manner Armour is decrying?

Where’s the sense of self-awareness here, Nancy?

Lloyd’s field goal was a photo op to begin with. Don’t you get that?

And I’d argue any kicker — male or female — that has been slogging their way through high school, college, arena leagues, the semi-pro circuit, training camps, and multiple NFL try-outs “deserves” a shot more than Lloyd does.

“There is little doubt Lloyd could be an NFL placekicker.”

Stop.

No, there is a ton of doubt. For all the reasons I listed above. Specifically, the whole “she’s never done it before” part.

“She’s also as fierce a competitor as you can find, relentless with her training.”

Stop.

Great. Awesome. Lloyd tries hard.

But “being a fierce competitor” doesn’t put the ball through the uprights in the open end of Heinz Field from 48 yards out in December during a snowstorm.

“…throwing her right into the NFL game wouldn’t do anyone any good. As the first woman to play in the NFL, Lloyd’s performance would determine whether there would be a second. That’s not fair – Johnny Manziel being a colossal bust hasn’t stopped NFL teams from drafting players from Texas A&M – but it’s reality.”

Stop. A few retorts on this one.

First of all, Armour is making an excuse in advance for her failure. Let’s note that.

Second, that’s a strawman (sorry, “strawperson”). Who is assuming no other woman would ever get another shot if Lloyd failed besides Armour herself?

Third, that’s how kickers get jobs. They get thrown right into NFL games with little to no preparation. Ask Chris Boswell and Jeff Reed.

Fourth, that is the single most stupid analogy ever made. The potential physical requirements of the job and the potential physical limitations therein are not analogous to someone’s alma mater.

I think the notion that a woman can place kick in the NFL is within the realm of possibility.

The realm.

Maybe one who has been trained to do so since high school. Who is a little younger and not trying it on-the-fly like the 37-year-old Lloyd.

Maybe a woman who is a little bigger. Because at 5-foot-8(ish) and 140(ish) pounds, Lloyd would even be tiny by NFL kicker standards.

So I’m not dismissing a woman’s chance at this job. I’m not.

I’m dismissing this woman’s chance this year.

Meanwhile, Armour is making it sound like Lloyd’s Pro Bowl status is a foregone conclusion and the only thing standing in her way is gender bias.

Armour can write that, though, because the easiest thing in the world to do is to champion an underdog and say, “You go, girl. Don’t let ‘the man’ keep you down.”

That’ll get you likes and retweets aplenty.

The harder thing to do is give people a reality check when they may not want one.

Even harder than that? Kicking in the National Football League.

But, sure. Force Lloyd onto a roster. After all. She “deserves” it.