There has been, for years now, a 'slip component' built in to Kicking and Punting that is tied into both Accuracy and Awareness.
A Kicker with 100 Awareness and 100 Accuracy will put the ball exactly where it shows on the flight projection as long as you hit the Sweet Spot.
But as those go down, starting around 75 to really notice anything at all, chances increase that it 'slips' off the mark (the mark being where you actually placed it, your Stick) because they are inferior.
What you have to realize is you kick how many times in a Season? Not many. So it doesn't affect you much at all, especially if you have at least 75+ on Accuracy, because it's the Awareness that adjust how OFTEN you might 'slip' and the Accuracy determines how badly the Shank becomes.
You almost never notice this because most Kickers and Punters have solid enough Accuracy and Awareness... but when you play Franchise and you are working Rookies with 30 Awareness and 60 Accuracy, you DO notice it over 16 Regular Season Games.
You'll almost never see this with Marquette in Oakland, for example... because even if it Slips his Accuracy is enough that it barely goes off course. But I see it plenty with Rookies I Draft to build up.
It's the same thing with Accuracy for QBs... sometimes the pass is just way off. You notice this because you pass a LOT more than you'll ever Punt. Same thing has been true of Kickers and Punters, and remains true.
It's not something EA advertises, but it IS in the code and part of the game.
It's also something that the Sliders can completely eliminate, for those that adjust Sliders.
What I wish they would do is increase the impact, though. Like I stated, you have to be really bad in Awareness and Accuracy for this to even begin to do anything. I've absolutely had the 34 for 34 Rookie Kicker who was saved by a few Uprights, they still tie it into the Individual Player and the ability with the Stick, which is like a Base Ball Game letting you hit .700 with a .125 guy that doesn't have Contact, just plain stupid.
The most, at least since I started recording, that I've seen 'slip' in a Season from a Kicker is 7. We were playing a "FG Only Challenge", so we were putting up around 10 FGs a Game on Average. I finished with over 175 FGs (but less than 180). Of those 175 I simply missed the stick 3 times, and one of those still made it. So I missed twice due to my own error. I missed 7 that were 'Sweet Spot' with proper placement that ended with huge hooks driving them off course.
My friend would kick sooner than I would, I was still trying to 'Stat' my way while he'd get to the 25 and kick on 1st Down. He had a whopping 200 (but less than 210) FGs. Watching his, he missed 12 on his own, mostly due to misjudging Wind. But he had 5 that were "Sweet Spot" and good placement that just missed. And every one of them suffered a Hook, except for one hilarious one from 52 that shot off the foot and decided to go off at a 45 degree angle (the kick was dead ahead).
This was Season 2 of our Dynasty (Year 1 was Run Only Offense, we went with a different Challenge each Season) and we both had Rookie Kickers with Sub 70 Accuracy and Sub 50 Awareness.
Look, I've played a TON of Madden, I've played every Madden ever made (and NCAA), and I spend time doing things like "FG Only Challenges" over Seasons. I may have kicked more FGs than anyone breathing air because of these things.
I still miss a few from time to time by simply not focusing, it's like Free Throws, no one is 100% despite how easy they are. But I can tell you since Madden 2006 when they added the Passing Cone, that both Awareness and Accuracy are coded in to affect both Kicks and Punts. They've kept the 'Slip' Code in for Kicking and Punting (but oddly enough never applied it to Kick Offs) even after removing the Passing Cone in 2009.
It's there. It's been there. But it's so rare to have almost no impact.