Tucker frequently describes placekicking as “the operation,” and indeed there is a surgical precision to the process. Like music, there is also rhythm to it, a three-part harmony starring long snapper, holder and kicker. The slightest disruption sends the entire composition out of whack.
For nine years, the trio known as “The Wolfpack” — long snapper Morgan Cox, Koch and Tucker — operated in sync. The Ravens moved on from Cox this past year, but Nick Moore has succeeded him, and the operation hasn’t skipped a beat.
Every kick begins the same way: Tucker tamps down the spot for Koch where the ball will be placed, then retreats three steps, extending his right arm straight as a conductor’s baton toward his target line.