I still don't think leg is as big a problem as strategy is. Even with the short kicks we have complained about, Carpenter is still averaging only about four yards a shorter kickoff than Janikowski who is booming them through the end zone.
A stronger leg allows a kicker to get more hang time with the same distance. ANY kicker on an NFL roster kan kick the ball 65 yards if trajectory were not an issue. But hang time is extremely important. If a kicker could get the ball to the 20 each time with an insanely long hang time, that would be just as valuable as kicking the ball through the endzone: Neither would allow any return and the return team would get the ball on the 20.
Carpenter's kicks don't have enough hang time. The result is that our coverage units don't get far enough down field (and they suck). Some kickers prefer to go for height over distance to allow the coverage unit time to get in position, but Carpenter's kicks have about the same hang time regardless of length (not counting squib kicks), so that's not what he's doing.
A stronger leg would also allow him to kick more towards the sideline, while maintaining depth and hang time. That kicking "strategy" is much more valuable if you actually have the leg to do it (without sacrificing depth or hang time).
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