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When Pete Gogolak came to America from Hungary in the 1950s, he was crushed to discover that nobody played soccer at his high school in upstate New York.Instead, the kids played a purely American game he had never seen. When he gave it a shot, he felt strange in shoulder pads and a helmet. The first few times he kicked the odd-shaped ball, he could barely get it airborne.I didnt know what the hell was going on, he says with a laugh.As Gogolak, 74, recalls his 11-year career as a professional place-kicker, other moments tumble from his memory. There was the time he hit the top of a Coke bottle protruding from the dirt while attempting a field goal at Buffalos War Memorial Stadium. There was the 57-yard kick he made in his first pro game, an exhibition against the?New York Jets?in 1964 at a nearly empty stadium in Tampa, Florida. There was the first time he and his younger brother kicked against each other in a pro game in 1966 -- just a couple of eastern European immigrants representing the New York Giants (Pete) and Washington Redskins (Charlie) in front of the parents who brought them to the land of opportunity.That was wonderful, Pete says.Also vivid is the tryout he had with a Buffalo Bills scout in the spring of 1964 at Cornell, where he kicked a 50-yard field goal as a senior. Gogolak put on a show, drilling one kick after another through the uprights from various distances. The scout was both impressed and surprised.He said, Geez, Ive never seen anybody kick this way, Gogolak says.This way was soccer style. Gogolak approached the ball from an angle, off to the side, planted his left leg and then rotated his whole body to swing his kicking leg through the ball. At the time, it was revolutionary.The Bills selected Gogolak in the 12th round of the 1964 AFL draft. After two seasons in Buffalo, he jumped to the NFLs Giants in 1966, the same year Charlie was a first-round pick of the Redskins. Sept. 11 marked the 50th anniversary of Petes 26-yarder against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the first soccer-style field goal in NFL history.Other soccer-style kickers -- mostly Europeans -- soon followed. Garo Yepremian (Cyprus) started kicking for the Detroit Lions midway through the 66 season. Then came Jan Stenerud (Norway) to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1967, Bobby Howfield (England) to the Denver Broncos in 68, Horst Muhlmann (Germany) to the Cincinnati Bengals in 69 and Toni Fritsch (Austria) to the Dallas Cowboys in 71. Suddenly, the purely American sport was attracting impact players from around the globe.Highest-scoring foreign-born kickers in NFL historyBy 1977, half of all NFL teams featured soccer-style kickers from other nations. By 1987, every team had a soccer-style kicker, but most were homegrown. The era of the straight-on kicker with the square-toed shoe was over.Gogolaks impact was immediate, though he didnt realize it.His 57-yard field goal for the Bills in his exhibition debut against the Jets exceeded the standing NFL record of 56 yards. Jets coach Weeb Ewbank saw Gogolak as a game-changer.After I saw him kick that one, I thought, Ill either try to get them outlawed, or Ill get one myself, Ewbank says.An exciting new dimensionJim Bakken was a terrific straight-on kicker for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1962 through 1978. He led the NFL twice in field goals and field goal percentage and was a four-time Pro Bowler. He ranks among the top 30 on the leagues all-time scoring list with 1,380 points in a career that spanned the pre- and post-Gogolak eras.It didnt take him long to see that the newfangled kickers had an edge.The more you saw of the soccer style, you began to realize the advantage they had, he says. The advantage was the twisting of the body, much like a golf swing, where youre using more than just your leg to snap through [the ball].Bakken, 75, explains further with a non-football question: If you wanted to kick somebody in the rear end, Would you come straight at him, like the place-kickers when we played, or would you kind of come at him from the side and whip your leg into him?He laughs, then answers his own question: Most people would come from the side.Thats kind of a natural move, he says.Kicking stats improved quickly in the soccer-style era. In 1965, NFL kickers had a field goal success rate of 53.8 percent. That year, only one kicker, the Minnesota Vikings Fred Cox, made a field goal of 50 or more yards. Overall field goal percentage climbed to 59.4 percent in 1970, 64.2 in 75 and 72.2 in 85. The success rate on kicks of 50 or more yards improved from 13.1 percent in the 1960s to 21.6 in the 70s, 35.6 percent in the 80s and 47.8 percent in the 90s.In 2015, NFL kickers made 84.5 percent of their field goal tries and 65 percent of attempts from 50 or more yards. The sidewinding style has been at the heart of the improvement.NFL overall field goal percentage since 1950You have a larger surface when you hit the ball, Gogolak says, referring to the inside of the foot.Gil Brandt, who was the vice president of player personnel for the Cowboys for three decades starting in 1960, says the margin of error for straight-on kickers was smaller.You have to hop through the ball, and your foot has to come down straight, exactly straight ahead, he says.When he scouted straight-on kickers in the 1960s and 70s, Brandt set up directly behind them to see if they could consistently repeat that straight-line swing path. Any deviation meant a hook or slice.Also, Brandt says, the sweet spot of the square toe for straight-on kickers is smaller than the instep of the shoe. After the initial success of the sidewinders, Brandt says NFL teams had no choice but to seek them out.Stenerud, especially, was the early gold standard. In 1968, Chiefs head coach Hank Stram explained how Stenerud, the first (and so far only) pure kicker in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, added an exciting new dimension to his offense: Anytime we get to midfield, were a threat to score three points. ... There isnt a doubt in my mind that hes the greatest long-distance field goal kicker who ever played the game.Europe or bustIn 1971, Brandt and several other Cowboys reps went on what he calls a European kicking tour through cities such as Oslo, Copenhagen, Vienna and Frankfurt in search of the next Gogolak or Stenerud.In Austria, they found Fritsch, a national soccer hero who had won fame in 1965 by scoring two goals in a victory over England. They also signed a Swedish player. Both came to the U.S., but only Fritsch stuck. The Swede returned home to become a baker.Brandt says Fritsch knew nothing about football, but that was OK. In one early game against the Cardinals, Fritsch went in for a late, potentially game-winning field goal. Brandt recalls St. Louis Larry Stallings trying to psych out the kicker.He starts yelling, Hey Fritsch! Choke, choke, choke, Fritsch! Brandt says. [Dallas] Dave Edwards says, Hey, he cant understand English! Fritsch just stepped up and made the field goal.Of course, not all the gains in kicking are due to the soccer-style technique. Playing surfaces have improved, and some teams play in weather-perfect domes. Weight training and film study can help todays kickers -- mostly American-grown athletes with soccer backgrounds -- be stronger and stay consistent.Stenerud, who says todays kickers are better than ever, also believes todays balls travel 8-10 yards farther because kickers can work with them before games. Brandt says the impact of snappers and holders who consistently give kickers the ball in perfect position cant be understated.Specialization helps too. Kickers in the pre-soccer-style era often played other positions. Lou The Toe Groza was a starting offensive tackle. Paul Hornung was a running back. George Blanda played quarterback. They couldnt devote all their attention to kicking.Hornung used to come out on third down to change his shoe if it was going to be a field goal situation, Brandt says. Stenerud says Blanda once told him: Hell, if I was sacked on third down and got the wind knocked out of me, I had to get back up and kick a field goal.Hey, skier, get down here! I hear you can kick!While Gogolak was kicking for the Bills in 1964, Stenerud was at Montana State on a skiing scholarship.That year, Stenerud was running at Montana States stadium when he saw one of the football players practicing his place-kicking. Stenerud, who played soccer, asked to give it a try. At first, he kicked straight on, imitating the style he saw. Even in tennis shoes, Stenerud outkicked the football player.After a few times, I said, Is it legal to kick with the side of your foot, like a soccer corner kick? Stenerud, 73, says. I doubt he knew what a corner kick was, but he said, Yes, you can. Because theres this guy for the Buffalo Bills, his name is Gogolak, and he kicks with the side of his foot. So I kicked a few that way.A few weeks later, head football coach Jim Sweeney saw Stenerud running at the stadium.I hear this booming voice, Hey, skier, get down here! I hear you can kick! Stenerud says.Then Stenerud got a tryout in front of the whole team. Sweeney set the ball up at the 40, as if for a kickoff, and invited Stenerud to kick. He topped the first one, which elicited laughter. Then he started pounding balls through the goalposts into the seats.The next year, he was invited to come out for the team, and he kicked a 60-yard field goal in a spring game. Later, he kicked a record 59-yard field goal against rival Montana.Stenerud made a 54-yard kick in his first game with the Chiefs in 1967 and went on to lead the AFL in field goals attempted and made as a rookie. He made six field goals of 50-plus yards in his first three seasons and consistently drilled kickoffs over the end zone and into a wall 74 yards away.George Toma would mark Xs on the wall that my kickoffs hit, Stenerud says of the groundskeeper at Municipal Stadium, where the Chiefs played until 1972. I would have a lot of Xs on that wall.Stenerud believes his performance in the Super Bowl IV victory over the Vikings in January 1970 helped inspire American kids to become soccer-style kickers. He went 3-for-3 on field goals in that game, including a Super Bowl-record 48-yarder.Im sure parents would think, Well, little Johnny may not be a running back or a quarterback, but he can kick, he says.In December 1986, Mark Moseley, the NFLs last full-time straight-on kicker, made his final field goal as a member of the Cleveland Browns. Nine months later, in the 1987 season opener, Redskins punter Steve Cox stepped in for injured place-kicker Jess Atkinson and connected on a 40-yarder -- the last straight-on field goal in NFL history.To this day, Gogolak is surprised that he was the first soccer-style kicker to stick and flourish in the pros. There had been others before him in college, but their time was brief. Texas Fred Bednarski of Poland booted a 38-yard soccer-style field goal in 1957. American Evan Paoletti, a former soccer player, kicked extra points from the side for Huron College in South Dakota in 1958. Walt Doleschal of Czechoslovakia kicked extra points and field goals at Lafayette from 1959-61.I think the guys that were soccer players here never felt comfortable to put a helmet on [to try football], Gogolak says. I think the kids probably made fun of them.Once those kids saw the style on TV, however, the door was open. Gogolak takes pride in being a pioneer.I always say I should have patented this kick, he says. You would be calling me in the Bahamas someplace, with my own airplane parked next to my house. Vans Shoes Clearance .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Vans Old Skool Pink . Goals from Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller extended Bayerns unbeaten run to a record 37 matches. "This record is incredible," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. http://www.vansshoesclearancesale.com/ . -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at . Vans Old Skool Black Sale .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Vans Shoes Clearance Sale .com) - Following a late-game loss to the reigning NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors will look to sustain their recent high-level play as they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers. LeVeon Bell insists hell do everything in his power to make sure his latest run-in with the NFLs substance abuse policy is his last. Vontaze Burfict isnt so sure he can say the same about his reprimands from the leagues disciplinary committee.Either way, two of the NFLs most dynamic players head back to work this week after serving three-game suspensions to start the 2016 season. Bell sat for running afoul of the drug policy for the second time, Burfict as penance for a series of unhinged moments on the field that culminated in his helmet-to-helmet knockout blow of Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown in last years wild-card round.Their returns should give their teams -- both expected to compete for a playoff spot in the hypercompetitive AFC North and both coming off one-sided losses last Sunday -- a boost as October dawns, the front edge of a wave that will include other bold-faced names (including some dude in New England) that will come off the suspended list next week.How their teams have survived in the absence of such vital parts is a mixed bag.For all of Bells talent, DeAngelo Williams led the NFL in rushing through two weeks before Pittsburghs hot start came to a sudden and decisive halt in Philadelphia. The Bengals, however, have missed Burfict -- the emotional touchstone of a defense that is among the NFLs best when it at its finest.Their comebacks, however, come with a caveat. Any potential missteps going forward would carry far harsher penalties. Bell doesnt think that will be an issue.Im not a perfect person, the 2014 All-Pro said. I never will be. I know there are some things I can get better at.Burfict, meanwhile, doesnt seem to care whether his helter-skelter style of play incurs the wrath of the commissioners office.Why would I change anything? he said earlier this week.Thats just Vontaze being Vontaze. A look at the returns on the horizon and what they could mean going forward.THE PLAYER: LeVeon Bell, RB, PittsburghTHE RETURN: Sunday night vs. Kansas CityTHE IMPACT: You mean besides giving fantasy football owners a headache as they try to decipher how much Bell will be used? Bell was one of the best versatile backs in the league before tearing the MCL in his right knee on a tackle by Burfict last November. The knee is fine (Bell decided against wearing a protective brace) and he begins the final year of the rookie deal he signed in 2013 trying to prove to the Steelers -- and 31 other teams -- that hes matured as a person while remaining as explosive as ever.THE PLAYER: Vontaze Burfict, LB, CincinnatiTHE RETURN: Thursday vs. MiamiTHE IMPACT: The Bengals need more than just Burficts production -- hes perhaps their mostt dynamic defender when healthy -- they need his energy, too.dddddddddddd Cincinnati gave up four touchdown passes to Denver on Sunday and looked downright polite in a loss at Pittsburgh in Week 2. Burficts presence could provide the Bengals with an emotional boost they desperately need. A trendy pick to make a deep playoff run, Cincinnati is a middling 15th in total defense and seems to have lost a bit of its swagger. Burfict should help provided he keeps his cool -- never a guarantee.THE PLAYER: Tom Brady, QB, New EnglandTHE RETURN: Week 5 at ClevelandTHE IMPACT: Try not to muss up all of Jimmy Garoppolos and Jacoby Brissets hard work. Kidding. (But only a little). Bradys 21-month battle with the league over Deflategate will finally end when his four-game suspension expires following this Sundays visit from Buffalo. The Patriots have chugged right along in Bradys absence, though all that success will likely just spur Brady to send a message that New Englands dominance doesnt rest solely on the shoulders of coach Bill Belichick.THE PLAYER: Josh Gordon, WR, ClevelandTHE RETURN: Week 5 vs. New EnglandTHE IMPACT: Massive. Maybe . With Gordon, you never know. He led the NFL in yards receiving in 2013, but that was three years and a handful of suspensions ago. Following a miserable start, the Browns are starting to show signs of life with Terrelle Pryor doing a little bit of everything. Pryor thinks the Browns offense could get ugly (in a good way) if Gordon stays out of trouble. Thats a mighty big `if though.THE PLAYER: Marcell Dareus, DL, BuffaloTHE RETURN: Week 5 at Los AngelesTHE IMPACT: Like Bell, the Bills highest-paid player missed time for a second straight season for finding himself on the wrong side of the NFLs drug policy. Like Bell, Dareus has watched the guys filling in get by pretty well without him. Sacks and turnovers are up in Buffalo, which whipped Arizona last weekend and will face the healthiest Patriots quarterback available (and not suspended) on Sunday. The 331-pound Dareus (his listed weight anyway) may need time to get into playing shape but his presence in the middle could free things up for defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to get creative with how he uses guys on the edge.OTHER GUYS ON THE WAY: Rob Ninkovich, DE New England; Mike Pennel, DL Green Bay; Arthur Jones, DE Indianapolis--AP Sports Writers Joe Kay in Cincinnati, John Wawrow in Buffalo, Kyle Hightower in Boston, Schuyler Dixon in Dallas, Mike Marot in Indianapolis and Genaro Armas in Green Bay, Wisc., contributed to this report. ' ' '