2007 All-seasons K news (1 Viewer)

The Dolphins named veteran NFL assistant Steve Hoffman as assistant special teams coach. Hoffman was with the Atlanta Falcons last year in a similar capacity. Before that, he spent 16 years with the Dallas Cowboys (1989-2004), where he worked with kickers and punters.

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NFL free agency begins March 2 and the deadline for naming a franchise player is Feb. 22. Seahawks' president Tim Ruskell said last month he expects to have a contract agreement with kicker Josh Brown before free agency, but if they don't, Brown would be candidate to be designated the franchise player.

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Justin Medlock isn't into stereotypes. When Medlock takes a chair at the Indianapolis Convention Center at the NFL scouting combine, his build, complexion and body type suggest he could be a wide receiver, running back or defensive back. But in a year that featured African-American coaches facing each other in the Super Bowl, Medlock is something even more rare -- a black place-kicker.

Couldn't play a skill position even if he wanted to. "My dad was a sprinter. He ran in the Olympic trials," Medlock said Thursday. "I don't know what happened to me. I didn't get that speed."

A UCLA product of Mission San Jose High School-Fremont, Medlock is considered the most accurate kicker in the draft. He made 26 of 30 field goal attempts as a senior and 79 percent (68 of 86) for his career. He trained for the combine by kicking indoors at narrower Arena League uprights in Los Angeles and hopes to prove he can kick deep enough on kickoffs to merit selection in the middle rounds.

Medlock doesn't consider himself a social pioneer. "I don't think there's any big thing about skin color," he said. "I just kick."

During team interview sessions, Medlock expected and received an onslaught of questions of a DUI arrest while at UCLA in which he left the scene of the accident. "Everyone can ask me questions. That's cool," he said. "If you look at me, you know it was a mistake, and I'm the first one to say (I'm) sorry about it. I keep saying (I'm) sorry about it."

Medlock realizes teams will be probing his psyche to see if he can stand up to the pressure of being an NFL kicker. He said he will rely heavily on the advice given to him by veteran kicker Morten Andersen. "He told me when I miss a kick, get a cup of water and think about what I did wrong," Medlock said. "After I'm done thinking about what I did wrong, I throw away the cup, throw away the kick. You've got to get rid of those negative thoughts."

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Everybody has been raving about kicker Mason Crosby from Colorado, I have even heard his name mentioned as a possible second round draft pick in the 2007-nfl-draft, I just don't see it, maybe Crosby just had a bad day, or maybe kicking in Miami at sea level is harder than kicking at Mile High Stadium? His 55 yard attempt wasn't even close. Crosby was merely the third best kicker at this competition. The kicker that got my attention and won was Justin Medlock. He was outstanding, effortlessly kicking everything through the middle of the uprights. He kicked his 55 yarder with 5 yards to spare as he was yawning. Medlock is going to be a great NFL kicker. The second best kicker was John Vaughn of Auburn, he looked real smooth, he bounced one of his first kicks off the left upright and then drilled every other kick right through the middle.

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The 2007 Scouting Combine fittingly kicked off Thursday morning with Justin Medlock of UCLA and Mason Crosby of Colorado – two of this year’s top-ranked kickers – serving as the first players to enter Room 107 of the Indiana Convention Center. That’s where prospective draft picks will be shuttled into and out of through Sunday to answer questions from the media, in the midst of on-field drills, medical evaluations and interviews with NFL teams. Medlock, Crosby and Baylor punter Daniel Sepulveda represented the 17 special teamers invited to the Combine.

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For the most part, the workouts don't start until today. But punters, kickers and long snappers got to showcase their skills Friday for scouts. Baylor's Daniel Sepulveda was the best punter of the day, averaging 47 yards and an impressive hang time of 4.58 seconds. He's a lefty and has the unusual habit of holding his hand on top of the ball on his short and directional punts. That allows him to get more spin on his kicks. Maryland's Adam Podlesh had the second-best performance. The kickers got four attempts each from 25, 30, 35 and 40 yards. Arizona's Nick Folk was the best, making 13 of 16. UCLA's Justin Medlock and Colorado's Mason Crosby finished tied for second with 10 successful kicks.

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by Tom Marino

Punters and kickers with hopes of playing in the NFL were the first players to go through their workout drills at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Friday. As I watched the workouts from inside the RCA Dome, the six kickers were put through their paces by showing their kickoff skills and attempting field goals from 30 yards to 50 yards out in 5-yard increments. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that none of them were really outstanding at kickoffs. Only one kickoff reached the goal line while most were in the range of the five-yard line. The field goal drill that these kickers run through is not an easy feat. They don't use their own snappers and holders, and on more than one occasion the snap and the hold were less than ideal. Colorado kicker Mason Crosby experienced one where the snap and hold were just awful, clearly contributing to one of his misses.

After watching Friday's workouts, I would have to say that there are three kickers who have a real shot at kicking in the league. And although I didn't put Crosby at the top of my rankings based on today's performance, I would still say that Crosby will head out of the Scouting Combine as number one, with Arizona's Nick Folk and UCLA's Justin Medlock as a close second and third. Crosby was the only kicker that made the top 100 in our Scout.com Draft Rankings, but I think both Folk and Medlock helped themselves, possibly boosting their chances to become a late-round pick. Most kickers don't get drafted, but all three should be happy with their performances today as they took a positive step in that direction.

Here are my observations on each kickers' workout:

Nick Folk (Arizona): He was the one who really impressed me, which was a bit of a surprise. Folk was the most accurate, hitting 13 of his 15 field goal attempts. The two he missed were 45-yard attempts. The ball came off his foot quickly and he got really good rise on the ball. He showed a real powerful leg out there.

Mason Crosby (Colorado): He came in considered to be the No. 1 kicker in the country and clearly had the strongest leg. He made a 58-yard kick in Miami, so his success in kicking long field goals isn't tied to the fact that he kicks in the high altitude in Colorado. He was 11 for 15 on the day during the Combine workouts, missing two from 45 yards out that he simply didn't get enough lift on. They were knocked down by a net that is set up for the drill to ensure proper height. Crosby also missed one from 50 yards out and another from 40 yards away.

Justin Medlock (UCLA): He was the smoothest of the three kickers. His overall operation and consistency to the ball was as good as anyone. He's left-footed, and got very quick lift and rise on the ball. But he didn't have the same explosiveness as the first two kickers. Like Crosby, he was 11 for 15 on the day, showing pretty good accuracy. Surprisingly, he may have been the best kickoff guy out there today.

Jesse Ainsworth (Arizona St.): He had a really difficult day, making only 7 of 15 field goals. Ainsworth missed one from 30, two from 35, two from 40, two from 45 and one from 50. Ironically, he made two of his three kicks from the 50-yard line. But I think he was pressing and that some of those missed kicks were mental mistakes. While I thought Ainsworth was disappointing, his kickoffs were pretty good.

Matt Clark (Auburn): He kicked well from the shorter distances, but finished the day making 9 out of 15 kicks. Clark missed three from 50-yard line, two out of three from 45, and one from 40. He showed that he didn't have quite the leg that the other three and his kickoffs were not good. They landed in a range between the 7-yard line to the 14-yard line. He got under the ball too much on his kickoffs and got too much rotation on his kicks.



Brandon Pace (Virginia Tech): He was 9 for 15, missing one at 50, twice at 45, one at 40, and twice at 35. Pace didn't hit the ball squarely at times. But he was particularly quick to the ball on kicks from 35 yards and in, really attacking the ball. But beyond that distance his operation was slower, so maybe he wasn't as confident from there.

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Tick said:

Capybara, what jobs do you see being open this offseason?

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Mike Herman said:

Tick said:

Capybara, what jobs do you see being open this offseason?

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ATL - will they continue with Morten Andersen?DAL - will they continue with Martin Gramatica?MIA - given his high salary, his many missed FGs last year, and the hiring of Steve Hoffman, things don't look too promising for Olindo Mare.WAS - will they continue with Shaun Suisham?

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Mike Herman said:

College Football All-Star Challenge

From the end of January...

Everybody has been raving about kicker Mason Crosby from Colorado, I have even heard his name mentioned as a possible second round draft pick in the 2007-nfl-draft, I just don't see it, maybe Crosby just had a bad day, or maybe kicking in Miami at sea level is harder than kicking at Mile High Stadium? His 55 yard attempt wasn't even close. Crosby was merely the third best kicker at this competition. The kicker that got my attention and won was Justin Medlock. He was outstanding, effortlessly kicking everything through the middle of the uprights. He kicked his 55 yarder with 5 yards to spare as he was yawning. Medlock is going to be a great NFL kicker. The second best kicker was John Vaughn of Auburn, he looked real smooth, he bounced one of his first kicks off the left upright and then drilled every other kick right through the middle.

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Grond said:

Doesn't Kris Brown contract jump to an unrealistic number this year?

Is Stover coming back for his 56th season?

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Jeff Pasquino said:

Grond said:

Doesn't Kris Brown contract jump to an unrealistic number this year?

Is Stover coming back for his 56th season?

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Josh Brown was franchise tagged in Seattle, so he gets the avg. of the Top 5 kickers (about 2M).Kris Brown earned $1.2M in 06 and will get $1.35M in 07. Seems realistic.

Stover was drafted in 90, so this will be his 18th year. He turned 39 just before SB XLI.

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Adam Vinatieri may no longer live in South Dakota, but he would like to be granted one of the coveted big-game hunting which are reserved for state residents. State Game, Fish & Parks Department officials are checking to make sure that it’s legal for the National Football League All-Pro kicker to apply for one. But Vinatieri is now with the Indianapolis Colts and the team’s official Web site says Vinatieri lives in Orlando, Fla., with his wife, Valerie, and their two children.

GF&P in its licensing rules requires someone to live in the state for 90 days to be considered a reisdent, but Vinatieri maintains he has always been and never quit being a South Dakota resdient. Emmett Keyser, an assistant Wildlife Division director for GF&P in Pierre, said Tuesday that the agency began the assessment of Vinatieri’s residency after someone contacted the GF&P about the issue. “He maintains that he is a resident of the state,” Keyser said. “We’ve asked him to provide some additional documentation. I can’t tell you whether he is or isn’t a resident. I think people have suggested that he’s not.”

Vinatieri grew up in Rapid City and graduated from Central High School and South Dakota State University. A devoted outdoorsman from a family of hunters, Vinatieri is currently on a hunting trip in Argentina. Vinatieri’s dad, Paul, of Rapid City declined to speak for his son but did confirm that he owns a house in Rapid City, licenses his vehicles here, maintains a South Dakota drivers license and considers himself a South Dakota resident.

Keyser said that even if Vinatieri has a residence and spends most of his time outside the state, that doesn’t necessarily disqualify him for resident status in South Dakota. “I assume his position is that he maintains his home here, lives here for a period of time during the year and, yes, plays football for a team out east,” Keyser said. “I think he says he has done the best he can to maintain his residency, and that if he hasn’t done something right, for us to let him know.” Keyser said Vinatieri also says that he has not tried to exercise resident hunting privileges in other states. Vinatieri typically can’t hunt in regular South Dakota seasons because of his job in the NFL overlaps the hunting season. But in what Keyser presumes is preparation for retirement, Vinatieri has applied as a resident in the drawing process for high-demand licenses that typically take 10 years or more to get. Residents who apply get “preference points” that increase their chances to be selected in future drawings.

GF&P licensing records show that Vinatieri applied as a resident in 2005 and 2006 for preference points for Black Hills bighorn sheep, mountain goat and elk; prairie elk; Custer State Park antlerless elk; and Custer State Park firearms elk. These seasons and the application process are not open to nonresidents. Nonresidents who fraudulently acquire or apply for resident-only licenses could be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and a year in jail.

Keyser said he assumes GF&P’s assessment of Vinatieri’s residency began with questions to GF&P law enforcement officers. “I’m not sure exactly how it started. I’m assuming somebody said something to a staff person and they looked it up,” Keyser said. “Then we contacted him (Vinatieri). We are looking into it. From what I’ve seen so far, I think he’s tried to meet all the requirements.” All three members of South Dakota’s congressional delegation maintain homes, vehicle registration and drivers licenses in South Dakota. And they all hunt on resident hunting licenses.

The South Dakota 2007 Fishing Handbook distributed by the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks in its licensing requirements defines residency as following... To be eligible for a resident license, a person must:

-- Actually live within and be a bonafide South Dakota resident for at least 90 days with the intent to make it home and

-- Have a South Dakota drivers license or expiration-dated South Dakota state ID and

-- Have his/her motor vehicles registered in South Dakota and

-- Make no claim or residency or resident privileges in any other state.

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The start of NFL free agency comes Friday and Jay Feely is sure of one thing: He's headed to the open market. "I'm definitely headed to free agency," the Giants kicker told The Post yesterday from his Michigan home. "There's no doubt in my mind. That doesn't mean I'm not going to be a Giant." Feely the past two years performed well for the Giants and he strongly wants to return. He just doesn't know if it will make financial sense for him to do so. Attempts last season at putting together a contract extension never resulted in a new deal, and the offer the Giants have on the table is far below what Feely considers market rate. Three veteran kickers - the Rams' Jeff Wilkins, Buffalo's Rian Lindell and Ryan Longwell of the Vikings- essentially have the same contract: five years, $10 million with a signing bonus (or guaranteed money) totaling about $3 million. If the Giants presented Feely with those numbers, he'd sign today. Thus far, Feely said, the Giants' offer is "nowhere near that."

Following the season, Feely said he had productive talks with coach Tom Coughlin and first-year GM Jerry Reese, but talk and action are two different things. "At some point, they have to say they want me," Feely said. Already, Feely, 30, is sizing up the competition. He noted that of the seven kickers at the NFL Scouting Combine, only one reached the end zone on a kickoff. As for veterans, the kicker with the most impressive pedigree, Seattle's Josh Brown, will not hit the market, as he's been designated the franchise player by the Seahawks. That was a fortuitous move for Feely, who now is the most accomplished kicker soon-to-be available. With the Giants, Feely was 58 of 69 on field goals for 255 points in his two seasons. "This is the first time I've been able to go into free agency coming off the two best years of my career," Feely said. "I've got some power, or whatever you want to call it."

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The biggest name to pop up on Wednesday was kicker Olindo Mare. The team will reportedly ask him to restructure his deal, and if he doesn't, the 10-year veteran will be cut loose. Frankly, don't be surprised if the Dolphins simply skip the restructuring process and let Mare go. When you consider that Miami signed a fairly capable young kicker in Matt Prater earlier this month, Mare's gigantic $2.1 million cap number is just too big to effectively whittle down, and he was arguably the worst field goal kicker in the league last year. Therefore, it would seem as if the 33-year-old's release is becoming a foregone conclusion.

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The Redskins can save another $2.223 million by cutting receiver David Patten, who has just one catch since going on IR in November 2005, and kicker John Hall, who missed half the games with injuries the past three years. Both will be 33 this fall. Young kicker Shaun Suisham, who's bound to the Redskins as an exclusive rights free agent, was as accurate in his December trial as Hall ever was.

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Kicker Jay Feely will hit the market, with former Ohio State kicker Josh Huston, already on the roster, waiting in the wings.

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The Jaguars have signed kicker Josh Scobee to a five-year deal. Scobee was set to become a restricted free agent, but his future became obvious when the Jaguars announced on Thursday that Scobee had been tendered at the first-round level. “He made significant improvement with his mechanics and accuracy,” Del Rio said of Scobee, who converted 26 of 32 field goal attempts last season. Scobee has one of the strongest legs in the game and was second in the league in touchbacks last season. “We’ve asked him to kick a lot of long field goals. He’s a really good young player at that position,” Del Rio said.

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Chris Jordan, Dallas: With Martin Gramatica hitting free agency, will Dallas possibly try to find someone in free agency and go for experience or invest a late Day 1 or early Day 2 draft pick for a up and coming kicker?

Mickey: I just don't see the Cowboys using a draft choice on a kicker, and not this year. Again, just because they haven't gotten a deal done with Gramatica doesn't mean they aren't interested or can't still get one done. Not sure what the kicking market is just yet, but don't give up on that possibility. And remember, they still have Carlos Martinez, the Dallas Desperados kicker the past couple of years, on the roster, and I'm guessing they kept him from kicking for their Arena team for a reason.

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Mike Herman said:

NEW YORK GIANTS

Kicker Jay Feely will hit the market, with former Ohio State kicker Josh Huston, already on the roster, waiting in the wings.

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Bri said:

Mike Herman said:

NEW YORK GIANTS

Kicker Jay Feely will hit the market, with former Ohio State kicker Josh Huston, already on the roster, waiting in the wings.

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much of the samefrom BBI

PK Jay Feely to Depart?: According to Newsday, the Giants will not re-sign unrestricted free agent PK Jay Feely. The paper says the Giants prefer Josh Huston, a street free agent the team signed in January who is known for his exceptionally strong leg. The Hartford Courant says that the Giants have been negotiating with Feely since the Super Bowl.

Know anything about Huston?

Smokescreen for negotiations? Whaddya think Mike?

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Bri said:

Mike Herman said:

NEW YORK GIANTS

Kicker Jay Feely will hit the market, with former Ohio State kicker Josh Huston, already on the roster, waiting in the wings.

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link

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much of the samefrom BBI

PK Jay Feely to Depart?: According to Newsday, the Giants will not re-sign unrestricted free agent PK Jay Feely. The paper says the Giants prefer Josh Huston, a street free agent the team signed in January who is known for his exceptionally strong leg. The Hartford Courant says that the Giants have been negotiating with Feely since the Super Bowl.

Know anything about Huston?

Smokescreen for negotiations? Whaddya think Mike?

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Jeff Pasquino said:

Bear in mind that that <Mason Crosby (Colorado) will be drafted by someone, and Justin Medlock (UCLA) may also be drafted.

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Vanderjagt is also out there.

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Bri said:

Jeff Pasquino said:

Bear in mind that that <Mason Crosby (Colorado) will be drafted by someone, and Justin Medlock (UCLA) may also be drafted.

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Probably so, I'm glad the Pats won't be a team drafting one.There's some tiny school K that I'd bet gets drafted or gets invited to "every" team's camp. Just woke, no coffee, can't think of his name but he keeps being at the bottom of writeups I see. Ya know like, this guy looked good, this guy hasn't looked good.....whole article then at the bottom they bring up the K. It's an awful lot of attention for some Div1AA player.

Vanderjagt is also out there.

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So what? (Not negative to you, Jeff, just...)That's how much that guy's fallen in my mind, know what I mean?

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An NFL source said the team also expects to re-sign kicker Martin Gramatica, possibly as early as Monday.

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Kicker Martin Gramatica agreed to a two-year deal with the Cowboys on Monday. Financial details were not available.

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Tick said:

Will Vanderjagt land somewhere? Seems odd for the most accurate kicker in history to be teamless in his prime.

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It appears Olindo Mare could become the next victim of the Dolphins' recent roster overhaul, with the franchise bringing in kicker Jay Feely for a free-agent visit Monday. Despite making his final nine field-goal attempts of the season and notching an NFL-best 24 touchbacks, Mare finished with a career-low field-goal percentage of 72.2. Mare, 34, also is set to collect a $250,000 roster bonus along with a $1.5 million base salary for 2007. Feely, 30, made 23 of 27 field goals (.852) for the Giants last season, with a long of 47 yards. He also had 12 touchbacks. Feely played for the Falcons his first four NFL seasons (2001-04) and was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2005.

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The ongoing state investigation into whether Adam Vinatieri qualifies as a resident hunter also will determine if the Super Bowl champion broke the law in obtaining a license to hunt pheasants and other game birds. GF&P records show that the Indianapolis Colts kicker, a Rapid City native who owns a house outside of town but lives for most of the year in homes in Florida and Indiana, bought a resident small-game license in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004. In buying those licenses, which are typically used to hunt pheasants and other game birds, Vinatieri listed his parents’ address in Rapid City rather than the address of one of his homes in other states.

GF&P investigators who are trying to determine if Vinatieri qualifies for residency status as a hunter are also checking whether he violated an agency rule against making “false representations on applications,” when he bought the small-game licenses. Applicants for licenses are supposed to provide an address that represents their “place of residence,” GF&P spokesman Emmett Keyser of Pierre said Monday. Vinatieri also used his parents’ address in 2005 and 2006 in applying for “preference points” in big-game license drawings that are open to residents only. After Vinatieri applied for those preference points, which would increase his chances of being drawn for high-demand resident big-game licenses in future years, the state began its investigation.

Keyser said Vinatieri and his father, Paul, have cooperated fully in the investigation, which began late last summer or early fall. But Vinatieri hasn’t yet provided all of the information, including tax materials, that investigators requested, Keyser said. “Our investigator has since visited with him again and recommended that he or his attorney need to provide that information to us so we can make a final determination,” Keyser said. “It’s sort of getting to the point where we really need to make a determination based on the evidence.”

Keyser said it wasn’t immediately clear whether Vinatieri’s use of his parents’ address to apply for big-game preference points or buy the small-game licenses was a criminal violation — or, if so, whether it was a violation worthy of a charge. License application fraud can lead to penalties of up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Keyser said Vinatieri has taken a number of steps to maintain his resident status. He owns a house south of Rapid City, which is typically rented to someone else. He also licenses vehicles here and maintains his South Dakota drivers license. And Vinatieri is registered to vote in Pennington County and lists his parents’ address, where he still receives mail, with the Pennington County auditor’s office.

Auditor Julie Pearson said it’s legal for voters to keep their original voter registration address long after they move away to other towns or states. “The rules are kind of odd in South Dakota,” she said. “When you register to vote, you actually have to reside at that address. Once you’re registered there, you can maintain that as your voter address for the rest of your life.”

The official Web site of the Indianapolis Colts says Vinatieri lives in Orlando, Fla., with his wife, Valerie, and their two children. But Vinatieri and his family live for much of the year at their home in Indianapolis, spend part of the year in Florida and occasionally visit South Dakota. The 34-year-old graduate of Rapid City Central High School is an active hunter who has expressed plans to someday buy a ranch in western South Dakota. He is currently on a hunting trip in Argentina. His father didn’t want to speak on his son’s behalf.

To meet the general requirements for a resident hunting license, people must have a South Dakota drivers license or expiration-dated state ID, license motor vehicles in South Dakota, make no resident-hunting claims in other states and “actually live within and be a bona fide South Dakota resident for at least 90 days with the intent to make it home.” Vinatieri contends that he has never given up his residency and plans to make a home here after his football career ends. “In Adam’s defense, he felt like he’s tried to do his best to maintain his residency, yet there’s some question whether he has done that,” Keyser said.

Vinatieri’s residency question is likely to cause GF&P officials to consider ways to clarify its laws and regulations on resident-hunting status, Keyser said. “We had some of those discussions as we were looking at legislative topics for this calendar year,” he said. “Is there a way that we can make some of this more clear? I think we’ll look at that.”

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The Saints will interview free-agent place-kicker Mike Vanderjagt today at the team's practice facility on Airline Drive, though Vanderjagt said Monday night he was unsure whether the team was looking at him as a field-goal specialist or merely someone to handle kickoff chores. Vanderjagt, the most accurate place-kicker in NFL history (230 of 266 field goals, 86.5 percent), arrived Monday evening and was scheduled to meet with the Saints today. "I was supposed to fly in and fly out without anybody knowing," Vanderjagt said.

Vanderjagt, who holds the NFL record for consecutive field goals (42, from 2002 to '04), was released by the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 27. He made 13 of 18 field-goal attempts with the Cowboys and converted all 33 point-after attempts, but his lack of consistency couldn't justify, in Dallas' eyes, the three-year, $5.4 million contract (and $2.5 million signing bonus) Vanderjagt received during free agency last year. Vanderjagt also, apparently, didn't like to kick off.

Last season, Saints place-kicker John Carney was 23 of 25 on field-goal attempts and missed just one of 47 extra-point attempts. He scored 115 points the ninth time in his 17-year career that Carney had scored at least 100 points and became the third player in NFL history to have kicked more than 400 field goals. Billy Cundiff, an unrestricted free agent, handled kickoff duties near the end of last season.

"I'm going to visit with them (today)," said Vanderjagt, who added the Saints would be his first visit of the free-agency period. "The Saints are my first choice. It's going to be up to them whether they keep me here or not. I'm quite capable of kicking off, if that's what they ask. I really haven't talked to them about what their intentions are, or what they want out of me. They mentioned (injured punter Mitch) Berger, so I don't know if he'll kick off or what. I don't have a problem kicking off. If that's what they need . . . Right now, it's just, 'Come in, sit down, and we'll see what's going on.' "

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Jeff Pasquino said:

Bri said:

Mike Herman said:

NEW YORK GIANTS

Kicker Jay Feely will hit the market, with former Ohio State kicker Josh Huston, already on the roster, waiting in the wings.

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link

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much of the samefrom BBI

PK Jay Feely to Depart?: According to Newsday, the Giants will not re-sign unrestricted free agent PK Jay Feely. The paper says the Giants prefer Josh Huston, a street free agent the team signed in January who is known for his exceptionally strong leg. The Hartford Courant says that the Giants have been negotiating with Feely since the Super Bowl.

Know anything about Huston?

Smokescreen for negotiations? Whaddya think Mike?

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Bear in mind that that <Mason Crosby (Colorado) will be drafted by someone, and Uustin Medlock (UCLA) may also be drafted.Vanderjagt is also "out there".

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The Dolphins are set to part ways with one of the top kickers in franchise history, with a source saying today the team will release Olindo Mare if unable to trade him. The Dolphins are expected to sign former New York Giants kicker Jay Feely to replace Mare, who was set to collect a $250,000 roster bonus along with a $1.5 million base salary for 2007.

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The Giants let kicker Jay Feely become a free agent without much resistance. But now that three other teams are vying for Feely's services, they're putting up a fight to keep him. According to someone familiar with Feely's situation, the Giants have upped their offer to rival those Feely has received from the Dolphins, Chiefs and Falcons -- the team with which he began his career. The person, who requested anonymity because negotiations are ongoing, said Feely, 30, was pleased with the offer he received during his visit with the Dolphins yesterday but wants to give the Giants a chance to match. Feely is expected to make his final decision shortly.

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Kicker Jay Feely, who was allowed to enter the free-agent market by the Giants on Friday, received what he termed a "competitive" offer from the Giants Tuesday, the day Feely wrapped a visit to the Dolphins. The Falcons and Chiefs are also interested in signing Feely, who made 84 percent (58 of 69) of his field goals in two seasons with the Giants. He is seeking a deal similar to those signed by kickers Rian Lindell (Bills) and Jeff Wilkins (Rams), each of whom stayed with their clubs for five-year deals worth roughly $10 million, with $3 million guaranteed. Feely was traveling back to his home in Michigan last night after his visit to Miami. He told Newsday that contract talks should heat up Wednesday.

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Jay Feely wanted to stay with the Giants, but the Giants decided kicker wasn't a position on which they needed to spend extra money. So they chose not to make a competitive offer and Feely agreed to a three-year, $6-million deal with the Dolphins Wednesday night, with roughly $2.5 million guaranteed, according to a person with knowledge of the contract details. Feely, 30, declined comment when reached at his home in Michigan Wednesday night. He wrapped a visit with the Dolphins on Tuesday and said the Giants had called his agent to say they would be making a new offer above the one they made two weeks ago, which was not strong enough to keep Feely from testing the free-agent market. But Wednesday, according to the person, the Giants didn't up their offer, as Feely had anticipated a day earlier.

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Reached last night at his Michigan home, Feely would not comment on where he's headed next, but he did express his sadness that he won't return to the Giants. From the start, the Giants' low-ball contract offer was not market value. Feely on Tuesday visited with the Dolphins in Miami and afterward was encouraged to hear that the Giants were preparing a new offer. "I was very hopeful," Feely said. "They said they were coming back with a new offer and there really wasn't."

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Former New York Giants kicker Jay Feely, whom the Dolphins signed Thursday to replace Olindo Mare, won't show off the No. 13 jersey he wore constantly as a child. But Feely, 30, will fulfill his lifelong dream of playing for Dan Marino's former team. "He wore this Dolphins jersey; you couldn't take it off of him," Feely's father, Tom, recalled of Jay's early childhood in Minnesota. "He talked about playing for the Dolphins one day. Of course, he was thinking of playing quarterback." Feely, who signed a three-year, $6 million contract, will take over for Mare, 33, a native of Hollywood who also grew up watching Marino.

Feely, who took up soccer when he and his family moved to Florida when he was 10, never made it under center as a football player. But he has done pretty well for himself. He became a high school All-America for Tampa Jesuit High and played at Michigan before he began an NFL career heading into its seventh season. "He's really mentally tough," said Tom Feely, a high school coach since 1974. "That's a real important quality." Dad should know. During his son's high school career, Feely researched the position well enough that he now runs a placekicking school and has coached hundreds of clients from around the world. He uses video of his son as a primary teaching tool.

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Bronco's new special teams coach, Scott O'Brien, met with Mason Crosby during the NFL's combine in Indianapolis last month and is impressed with the buff ex-Buff. "Mason is very explosive, and I think that's what separates guys at that level and separates guys at this level," O'Brien said. "Although the specialists at this level, they're all good and it's the consistency factor that you have to have. But if you're strong, you're strong. You can't coach that." I spoke with a colleague who knows football and attended the combine. He said most of Crosby's kickoffs in the RCA Dome landed at the goal line, which would be great for most prospects but disappointed scouts who were expecting him to launch them into the cheap seats. "I like him," O'Brien said of Crosby. "Mentally, he's really good, he's sharp. We've studied him." Crosby is expected to draw a crowd for CU's pro timing day later this month.

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Chinese kickers DING LONG, SHEN YALEI and GAO WEI are among 27 special teams players working out in Tampa, Florida this week for the right to earn a preseason roster spot on an NFL Europa League team. The four-day kicking camp - being held at Tampa's Ed Radice Sports Complex - concludes on Wednesday, March 14. The standout players will then be assigned to one of the six NFL Europa teams. The trio of Chinese kickers has been tracked down and nurtured by NFL Europa scouts in a bid to develop the sport of football in China, where the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will play an exhibition game on August 9.

Also taking part in the kicking camp is NICK NOVAK, who kicked in 16 regular season games for the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Redskins in 2005-06, converting 13 of 20 field goals, with a long of 47 yards, and all 25 PAT attempts for a total of 64 points. British kicker RHYS LLOYD, who hails from Dover, England and starred at the collegiate level with Minnesota, is also battling for a roster spot in Florida.

List of special teams players participating in NFL Europa kicking camp:

Name Pos College NFL Team

Andrus, Shane K Murray State Indianapolis Colts

Brubaker, Mark K E. Stroudsburg State Free Agent

Fitzpatrick, D.J. K Notre Dame Free Agent

Hickok, Mark K Connecticut Free Agent

Hughes, Connor K Virginia Pittsburgh Steelers

Jacas, Andrew K Fort Valley State Free Agent

Johnson, Jaret K Idaho State Free Agent

Lloyd, Rhys K Minnesota Free Agent

Long, Ding K None Free Agent/China

Novak, Nick K Maryland Chicago Bears

Smith, Kurt K Virginia New Orleans Saints

Wei, Gao K None Free Agent/China

Yalei, Shen K None Free Agent/China

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Drew Rosenhaus, the agent for Dolphins kicker Olindo Mare, said on a Miami TV station on Sunday the Giants, Falcons and Saints are the most likely destinations for his client. Miami is currently attempting to trade Mare after signing former Giants kicker Jay Feely last week, but will be forced to cut him if no team makes an offer.

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Kickers John Vaughn, Matt Clark and Kody Bliss specialized during college, but will now have to show off their versatility to make an NFL roster. Few NFL kickers hold just one job. "The big thing is I've got to prove that it's not because I can't, but that I didn't get the chance," Vaughn said. "Coach (Eddie) Gran had three good kickers, so we specialized. The big thing is to prove you can do more." Bliss, a punter, and Vaughn, a place-kicker, each did kickoffs, while Clark, a kickoff specialist, has worked on his place-kicking.

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Lawrence Tynes (tendered at $850,000 with no compensation) appears to be the kicker of the near-term despite a breakdown in the playoff loss to the Colts. The Chiefs are expected to draft a kicker in April.

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Coach Cam Cameron has met with outgoing kicker Olindo Mare to explain why the Dolphins are trying to trade him. But despite the efforts to appease Mare, a 10-year pro, Mare is said to be unhappy that he has not been either traded or released. The longer the Dolphins hold on to Mare, the less likely he is of landing with a team that will redo his contract. The New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants initially showed interest in Mare, but none has stepped forward with a trade offer the Dolphins have accepted.

The problem for Miami is that it plans a mini-camp before the draft in April and doesn't want Mare there along with Jay Feely, who was signed to take Mare's place. The Dolphins also don't want to risk having Mare injure himself during the camp. That could lead the team to ask Mare not to attend the camp, which might cause the NFL Player's Association to become involved on Mare's behalf. So the Dolphins almost certainly will either trade or release Mare by the time that camp begins. The team last week paid Mare a $250,000 roster bonus so it could have more time to trade him.

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Preseason rosters for the six NFL Europa teams have been completed following the assignment of kickers and punters at the conclusion of a four-day special teams minicamp in Tampa, Florida.

Among the promising special teamers heading to Europe is NICK NOVAK (Chicago Bears), who kicked in 16 regular season games for the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Redskins in 2005-06, converting 13 of 20 field goals, with a long of 47 yards, and all 25 PAT attempts for a total of 64 points. He joins the Cologne Centurions in training camp and will battle it out in Florida with fellow kicker MARK BRUBAKER.

The league's leading punter from 2006 - Amsterdam's GLENN PAKULAK - returns for a second year after being allocated by the Tennessee Titans. He will once again play for the Admirals and will be joined in the Netherlands by kicker JARET JOHNSON. The Hamburg Sea Devils welcome back 2006 punter ADAM ANDERSON (Atlanta Falcons) and he is joined by kicker SHANE ANDRUS (Indianapolis Colts).

Assignment of kickers, punters and long-snappers to NFL Europa

Amsterdam Admirals

Kickers: Jaret Johnson (Free Agent/Idaho State)

Punters: Glenn Pakulak (Tennessee Titans)

Berlin Thunder

Kickers: Andrew Jacas (Free Agent/Fort Valley State)

Punters: Tom Malone (New England Patriots)

D.J. Fitzpatrick (Free Agent/Notre Dame)

Long-snappers: Matt Guardia (Free Agent/San Diego)

Cologne Centurions

Kickers: Nick Novak (Chicago Bears)

Mark Brubaker (Free Agent/East Stroudsburg State)

Punters: Joel Stelly (Chicago Bears)

Frankfurt Galaxy

Kickers: Rhys Lloyd (Free Agent/Minnesota)

Punters: Kyle Basler (Cleveland Browns)

Jeff Williams (Free Agent/Adams State)

Hamburg Sea Devils

Kickers: Shane Andrus (Indianapolis Colts)

Punters: Adam Anderson (Atlanta Falcons)

Long-snappers: Jacob Rice (Free Agent/Oklahoma)

Rhein Fire

Kickers: Connor Hughes (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Mark Hickok (Free Agent/Connecticut)

Punters: Danny Baugher (New England Patriots)

Long-snappers: Brian Jordan (Free Agent/Georgia)

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