Tired of the Kicker Threads

[Chuck 54]

Blah blah blah....some assume we'd have made the playoffs if we'd had a better kicker....blah blah blah.

It's ludicrous lack of logic....first, having a better kicker or a better anything simply means both teams play the game differently...it's not a guarantee that the score sits just as it was because we have a kicker who makes a fg.

Second, last year is last year....our team was so pathetic down the stretch in our own division when everything was on the line, a kicker meant nothing, so assuming a few games early in the year were a better indication of our team than the last games when all the teams in question were playing for their playoff lives is silly.

Yes, I want a better kicker, but that's not our top priority...we are not a kicker away from being a serious contender no matter how you look at a few individual situations from LAST YEAR. If we don't improve the offensive line, improve our running game dramatically, and either sign a game ready WR or once again manage to keep our starters healthy for the entire season, the kicker isn't going to make any difference.

There's no guarantee that a better kicker on paper is going to come through in every critical situation that last year's bums failed at.

I'll be satisfied with an average veteran kicker, and I'm almost certain that's what we'll get...I doubt seriously that we're going to pay any kicker a million bucks until our team is so good that the kicker is our lone weak link.

We need to give the money to any and every O-lineman we can find who can play the game...we are almost as desperate for LB's capable of playing like stars in the 3-4....we aren't desperate for a FS, but a proven vet would sure make us all breath easier...essentially Davis was a rookie starter.

I don't want to pay big money to any big name Kicker and not be able to afford to fix our offense and make our defense the real item.

 

[Silverstar]

Umm....you just started another one.

 

[Uh-Oh]

Umm....you just started another one.

Ironic isn't it?

 

[CactusCowboy]

If ya don't like um, why ya read um?

 

[CF74]

We need another kicker thread about kickers.

 

[peplaw06]

It's ludicrous lack of logic....first, having a better kicker or a better anything simply means both teams play the game differently...it's not a guarantee that the score sits just as it was because we have a kicker who makes a fg.

Okay, if you seriously think a servicable to average NFL kicker wouldn't have helped us this year, you must have not been watching the games. I would say that the game wouldn't have been played differently from our end. Parcells coached this season, or at least until the last month of the season, as if we had a good FG kicker.

The game against Seattle is a perfect example. Cortez makes that chippy FG and we're up 10 late in the game. Yeah, Seattle may have gone down and scored a TD, but we have a 3 point lead. Then they either kick it onsides, in which case we would probably recover, or they kick it deep. Either way we're squatting on the ball. Instead Bledsoe tries to win the game and throws the pick. Then the Denver game would have never gone to OT if Cundiff makes the medium length kick... another win. That's 2 games, and I say if we had any shot at the playoffs we would have seen a different game against the Rams. So 3 games makes us what 12-4?? How can you honestly think we don't need an NFL caliber kicker?

 

[Chuck 54]

Okay, if you seriously think a servicable to average NFL kicker wouldn't have helped us this year, you must have not been watching the games. I would say that the game wouldn't have been played differently from our end. Parcells coached this season, or at least until the last month of the season, as if we had a good FG kicker.

The game against Seattle is a perfect example. Cortez makes that chippy FG and we're up 10 late in the game. Yeah, Seattle may have gone down and scored a TD, but we have a 3 point lead. Then they either kick it onsides, in which case we would probably recover, or they kick it deep. Either way we're squatting on the ball. Instead Bledsoe tries to win the game and throws the pick. Then the Denver game would have never gone to OT if Cundiff makes the medium length kick... another win. That's 2 games, and I say if we had any shot at the playoffs we would have seen a different game against the Rams. So 3 games makes us what 12-4?? How can you honestly think we don't need an NFL caliber kicker?

1...for the other posters....mybad....bad title.....the emphasis was tired of people thinking kicker is our top priority.

2....for you....as they say on my favorite beer commercial...."GENIUS"....you mean we actually had some games that may have been different if our kicker made a fg???? Wow. Despite that...I still think only a fool would take our sorry team and pay a million bucks to a Kicker....kicker isn't an important factor for me. I still think we desperately need OL and LB....far above any other position.

And no....unless the kicker missed a kick at the end of a game, I don't think a kicker would have made much difference. At crunch time, teams scored on us when they needed to, and we didn't....

It's easy to blame the kicker for the Seattle game, but if Bledsoe hadn't thrown the worst pass of his entire season at the most important moment of that game, it could have been different as well.

 

[superpunk]

Wow...just took a look at the front page, and there are two threads about kickers. This one, and one about the Bucs signing Billy Cundiff. The sheer volume of these kicker threads is unbearable. Can we for a union against this sort of thing?

 

[DLCassidy]

It's ludicrous lack of logic....first, having a better kicker or a better anything simply means both teams play the game differently...it's not a guarantee that the score sits just as it was because we have a kicker who makes a fg.

2....for you....as they say on my favorite beer commercial...."GENIUS"....you mean we actually had some games that may have been different if our kicker made a fg???? Wow.

Crack?

 

[jackrussell]

As I said in a not so long ago kicker thread, if anyone is depending on a kicker to get you to 12-4, you're not much of a contending team to begin with.

 

[Alexander]

As I said in a not so long ago kicker thread, if anyone is depending on a kicker to get you to 12-4, you're not much of a contending team to begin with.

Scoring more points (read: touchdowns) makes the kicker much less significant.

You don't want to have to sweat the 35 yarders however and that has been the biggest issue.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Well I have not been on the board the last few days as much as I would like to be, but I have not seen a crazy amount of kicker threads so maybe this was a tad dramatized.

Now with that out of the way...A good rule of thumb is if the kicker is what keeps you from winning games then your O and D are not doing their jobs.

However if you are of the frame of mind that the offense will be a ball and time controlled offense then chances are you do indeed need an above average kicker to win games.

Adam V of the pats is not known as a clutch kicker because he is making kicks in the first quarter and I doubt anyone would seriously claim that the pats teams have stunk the last few years.

The kicker is not the top position on teams, but in the right offense they are very important...this is one of those offenses IMO.

 

[NorTex]

Yeah, go tell the Patriots that Adam Vinateri doesn't have a significant impact on games, so they should just let him walk into FA.

IMO, the Pats don't win any SuperBowls without Vinateri!

 

[DallasCowpoke111]

Can we form a union against this sort of thing?

No, Texas is a "Right to Work" state.

 

[CoCo]

I agree with Wayne for the most part. Ok, it perhaps could have been titled and packaged a bit better. Nevertheless...

A key part of Wayne's point, I believe, don't get the cart before the horse. The offseason needs of this team at OL & LB are far more crucial than a big $$ signing at PK. If a quality kicker had helped us win an extra game or two, we'd be in the playoffs. But in the PO's with Pettiti & Tucker (not to excuse other culprits) still acting as turnstiles doesn't make us a serious contender. Very fair point IMO.

We do need to upgrade our kicking game as well. It became almost laughable at the end. And while I agree that an "average veteran kicker" will suffice I think we've discovered that is more easily said than done. There haven't been a lot of better available options, as we discovered with Cortez & Suisham. And then Cundiff, who's never been quite what we want had a meltdown in Carolina. Who were the better options that we simply turned away from?

Further I can't recall a year when kickers throughout the league missed crucial kicks at key times like this past year. So we need to keep those expectations grounded even if we are able to land a Longwell etc.

An upgrade is definitely in order, but hopefully at a price that doesn't compromise higher priorities. We shall see what can be done.

 

[peplaw06]

1...for the other posters....mybad....bad title.....the emphasis was tired of people thinking kicker is our top priority.

2....for you....as they say on my favorite beer commercial...."GENIUS"....you mean we actually had some games that may have been different if our kicker made a fg???? Wow. Despite that...I still think only a fool would take our sorry team and pay a million bucks to a Kicker....kicker isn't an important factor for me. I still think we desperately need OL and LB....far above any other position.

And no....unless the kicker missed a kick at the end of a game, I don't think a kicker would have made much difference. At crunch time, teams scored on us when they needed to, and we didn't....

It's easy to blame the kicker for the Seattle game, but if Bledsoe hadn't thrown the worst pass of his entire season at the most important moment of that game, it could have been different as well.

I TOTALLY agree that we have more pressing needs, but Kicker is definitely a need. I also agree that if you have to depend on the kicker then you aren't great on other fronts.

My main issue is Parcells NEEDS a good kicker. His coaching style depends on it. Control the clock, play conservative, win close games... you have to have a decent kicker. Obviously if he didn't think the K would make the kicks he would have to open up the offense, but he wouldn't like it. He probably would have never gone for the TD against Carolina at the end if he had any confidence in Cundiff.