The 2008 K thread (1 Viewer)

[Mike Herman]

Over 20 hours of 2008 have already slipped by, so I better get this thing rolling...

The following kickers are pending free agents this year:

Unrestricted

David Akers (contract extended)

Josh Brown (signed by St. Louis for big bucks)

Jason Elam (signed by Atlanta)

Lawrence Tynes (new 5-year deal with the Giants)

John Carney

Olindo Mare (released by Saints, signed by Seahawks)

Morten Andersen

Restricted

Rob Bironas (given 2nd round tender by Titans)

Dave Rayner (signed by Miami)

Michael Koenen (punter & kickoff specialist, given 2nd round tender by Falcons)

 

[Couch Potato]

Saints' HC Sean Payton said today he hopes to have Mare and Gramatica compete for the PK job next year.

Woo hoo, I posted in the new kicker thread!

 

[Tick]

I want some Capybara dynasty PK rankings this offseason, preferably before the Zealots startup drafts (generally in February-March). Gimme!

 

[Jeff Tefertiller]

thank you, Mike for keep the rest of us informed ...

 

[Nugget]

Does Justin Medlock get any more NFL looks or is he completely off te radar?

 

[Mike Herman]

PHILADELPHIA

The Eagles began taking care of some of next season's business a little Saturday by signing long-snapper Jon Dorenbos to a five-year contract extension. Dorenbos, who joined the Eagles after long-snapper/backup tight end Mike Bartrum suffered a season-ending neck injury last season, has played in the Eagles' last 22 games, including last season's two playoff contests. He was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after today's regular-season finale against Buffalo. ''Jon has been a very good long snapper for us over the last year and a half,'' Eagles general manager Tom Heckert said. ''Good, consistent long snappers are hard to find and we wanted to shore up that position for the next several years. He has worked very well with [placekicker]David Akers and [punter] Sav Rocca, and we're happy to have him back.'' Dorenbos, 27, previously playing for Buffalo in 2003-04 and Tennessee in 2005-06. He also has performed as a professional magician in Las Vegas and Hollywood.

linkDENVER

Kicker Jason Elam probably tops the team’s priority list in free agency, considering he made four game-ending field goals this season. Elam has sounded unsure of his comeback, knowing that his return to Denver isn’t guaranteed. “I don’t know what they’re thinking,” he said. “I’m not sure. I feel like I’ve done pretty well and I still feel really good.” Last month, coach Mike Shanahan strongly defended Elam and mocked a question that asked if he was bracing for Elam’s departure by signing kicker Matt Prater, who handled kickoffs the last two games.

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[Warpig]

What's the deal with UGA's kicker Coutu? That kid was booting 50+ yarders in that Sugar Bowl game. And they said he has a long of 58!!

From what I've witnessed, most college kickers are the suck, but this kid seemed to have a huge leg and was pretty accurate compared to most.

 

[Mike Herman]

What's the deal with UGA's kicker Coutu? That kid was booting 50+ yarders in that Sugar Bowl game. And they said he has a long of 58!!

From what I've witnessed, most college kickers are the suck, but this kid seemed to have a huge leg and was pretty accurate compared to most.

The 52 yarder was a BCS Bowl record.Some early K draft rankings...

Scott Wright (NFL Draft Countdown)

1. Art Carmody, Louisville

2. Brandon Coutu, Georgia

3. Garrett Hartley, Oklahoma

4. Jeremy Ito, Rutgers

5. Steven Hauschka, North Carolina St.

Mel Kiper (ESPN)

1. Brandon Coutu, Georgia

2. Jason Reda, Illinois

3. Rob Zarrilli, Hofstra

4. Arthur Carmody, Louisville

5. Alexis Serna, Oregon St.

NFLdraftscout.com

1. Art Carmody, Louisville

2. Alexis Serna, Oregon St.

3. Taylor Mehlhaff, Wisconsin

4. Brandon Coutu, Georgia

5. Jeremy Ito, Rutgers

 

[Zoomanji]

Over 20 hours of 2008 have already slipped by, so I better get this thing rolling...

The following kickers are pending free agents this year:

Unrestricted

David Akers

Akers isn't up until 2010. Are the others accurate?Link

 

[Mike Herman]

Over 20 hours of 2008 have already slipped by, so I better get this thing rolling...

The following kickers are pending free agents this year:

Unrestricted

David Akers

Akers isn't up until 2010. Are the others accurate?Link

You are correct sir! His contract extension was not accounted for. Thanks for the heads up.I just double checked the NFLPA database, and the others in the first post are still pending FAs.

 

[Mike Herman]

Wildcard Games Preview

WAS @SEA

Shaun Suisham averaged 7.5 ppg on the road this year. He averaged 7.75 ppg over the last four weeks.

Josh Brown averaged 8.9 ppg at home this year. He averaged 8.5 ppg over the last four weeks.

NYG @TB

Lawrence Tynes averaged 7.8 ppg on the road this year. He averaged 6.75 ppg over the last four weeks.

Matt Bryant averaged 9.1 ppg at home this year. He averaged 8.25 ppg over the last four weeks.

TEN @SD

Rob Bironas averaged 10.3 ppg on the road this year. He averaged 8.25 ppg over the last four weeks.

Nate Kaeding averaged 8.3 ppg at home this year. He averaged 10.75 ppg over the last four weeks.

JAC @PIT

Scobee/Carney averaged 5.8 ppg on the road this year. Josh Scobee averaged 7.25 ppg over the last four weeks.

Jeff Reed averaged 7.5 ppg at home this year. He averaged 5.75 ppg over the last four weeks.

 

[Mike Herman]

TAMPA BAY

Matt Bryant, who is 28-for-33 this season, would love to kick the Giants into the offseason. "It was definitely a rocky road from the get-go to the end," Bryant said of his two seasons with the Giants in which he made 37 of 46 field goals. "It's some series of unfortunate events that you hate to see happen, but sometimes it is not an organization, sometimes it is just people. I won't go into too much detail, but it would be fun to play this organization again."

linkSAN DIEGO

Kicker Nate Kaeding, held out of kickoffs last week against Oakland because of a bruised left leg, is "further along," said Turner, but no decision has been made whether to again limit Kaeding to extra points and field goals and have recent pickup Dave Raymer handle the kickoffs. Turner said Kaeding's field-goal range didn't figure to be a concern. Kaeding's longest of the regular season was a 51-yarder at Green Bay.

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[Mike Herman]

MIAMI

Assistant special teams coach and kicker guru Steve Hoffman was one of only two coaches to survive the recent house cleaning. He has ties to the current powers-that-be from their days in Dallas.

MINNESOTA

Ryan Longwell will continue an offseason workout program that included yoga, pilates and plyometrics and produced excellent results in 2007. Longwell, an 11-year veteran, added nearly 4 yards to his kickoff average and tripled his touchbacks, going from three to nine.

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[Mike Herman]

SAN DIEGO

Nate Kaeding says that despite not being pleased with how his bruised left (nonkicking) leg felt after Sunday's game at Oakland, he should not be limited at all kicking field goals against the Titans. “I would expect it will be the same as last week,” he said. Kaeding made three field goals at Oakland, none longer than 36 yards. But he made a 50-yarder in warm-ups.

Kickoff specialist Dave Rayner practiced field goals yesterday, working on his timing with snapper Dave Binn and holder Mike Scifres. “We've got to take every precaution,” special teams coach Steve Crosby said. It appears likely Rayner will remain on the roster as long as the Chargers' postseason lasts. The Chargers do not want to risk Kaeding being hurt when being blocked or having to make a tackle, which is how he was injured Dec. 24. “We could have him kick off (now),” coach Norv Turner said. “But it's not kicking off. It's what happens after the ball gets up in the air.”

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[Mike Herman]

SEATTLE

[special teams coordinator Bruce] DeHaven also said he’s confident that kicker Josh Brown, who struggled early in December, is back on track. Brown has made all five of his field goal attempts since Jeff Robinson took over the long snapping duties from Boone Stutz three games ago. “I’m not going to lay it all on the snapper, but I thought the rhythm of the field goal trio wasn’t very good,” DeHaven said. “But it’s much better now that Jeff’s in there snapping.”

linkTENNESSEE

No player in the league scored a higher percentage of his team's points than Rob Bironas. The Titans kicker was responsible for 44% of the scoring, tallying 133 of Tennessee's 301 points. According to STATS LLC, the next four players on that list are kickers Mike Nugent of the Jets, Matt Stover of the Ravens, Morten Andersen of the Falcons and Rian Lindell of the Bills -- none of whom made the playoffs. If Bironas winds up scoring most of Tennessee's points Sunday, the Titans will be in trouble. The Chargers have averaged 30.5 points the last six weeks, second only to Jacksonville's 34.0.

linkSAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITY

Coach Mike Feminis sent a note this week to let us know his senior placekicker/punter Shane Longest from Wilmington was one of only 10 kickers nationwide to receive an invitation to the annual NFL Combine on Feb. 20-26 at Indianapolis. Longest will be the lone NAIA player at this year's combine. "I couldn't be happier for Shane, because he had a tremendous amount of pressure on him all year," Feminis said. "Although he was graded very high by the NFL scouts last spring, it was extremely important for him to have a good senior year, and he did. To be the only NAIA player invited to the combine is a tremendous compliment. But more importantly, only 10 kickers throughout the country at all levels were invited. That means the NFL scouts have rated Shane higher than just about every NCAA Division I kicker, if not all of them."

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[Nemesis]

Shane Longest

Great name for a kicker.

 

[Mike Herman]

JACKSONVILLE

"There's no gimme out there. The previous time we played here, we had trouble with a few extra points. So it just goes to show you how hard it is to kick on this field. I have a lot of respect for [steelers kicker] Jeff Reed and the guys who have to do this on a regular basis."

- Josh Scobee after his 25 yard game winner at Pittsburgh

WASHINGTON

"You work all year and put a lot of time into this and then to finish the year off with a miss from 30 yards is disappointing. I was hoping we’d get another chance. It didn’t work out that way."

- Shaun Suisham after his missed 30 yarder in the 4th quarter at Seattle

GREEN BAY

Kicker Mason Crosby and punter Jon Ryan practiced inside Lambeau Field today and raved about the condition of the turf. Both praised the DD GrassMaster synthetic fibers that were stitched into the natural grass last offseason. “The footing for kicking and punting is really good right now,” Ryan said. “Not having to worry about whether your foot is going to hold when you plant is important.” Ryan called it “completely different” than the surface last season, which had to be re-sodded late in the year. “Last year, they cut out the middle of the field and brought in sod,” Ryan said, “but it never really took.” Crosby said the grass is shorter than it was early in the season, but still holds well. “You don’t see guys slipping too much,” Crosby said.

linkDETROIT

Jason Hanson has been one of the Lions' most reliable players throughout his 16-year career, but had his struggles this season, including a missed 29-yard field goal against the Bears. Hanson had three other key misses this season: He pulled a 48-yarder against the Vikings that would've won the game in regulation, he had a 52-yarder blocked against the Giants and he also missed a 35-yarder against the Cowboys that would've given Detroit a nine-point cushion. The Lions eventually lost that game by one point. There was something weird going on with field goals this season. In seven games this year, opposing kickers missed their first field goal attempt of the game. The Lions were 5-2 in those contests.

linkRUTGERS

PK Jeremy Ito made career long 53 yard field goal and added seven extra points in Rutgers' victory in the International Bowl.

OHIO STATE

Coach Jim Tressel sent in the paperwork for 13 of his third-year players to receive evaluations from NFL scouts on where those Buckeyes might go in next spring's draft. Tressel has declined to say who the 13 players were, but it was widely believed that PK Ryan Pretorius was one of them. Pretorius is not your typical junior. He's 28 years old, to start with. The native of South Africa played professional rugby before making dozens of copies of a videotape of himself kicking field goals to try to entice American colleges to give him a scholarship. He eventually walked on at Ohio State and did very little kicking until this season, in which he has converted 17 of 21 field goals and 45 of 46 point after kicks for a team-best 96 points. He's only missed once in six chances from 40 yards or longer, and his longest kick this year was 50 yards. Still, Pretorius said he was not one of the Buckeyes who asked for an NFL evaluation. He's not going anywhere. "I didn't even think about it," he said. "I want to come back next season. I want to be even better next year."

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[awesomeness]

What's the deal with UGA's kicker Coutu? That kid was booting 50+ yarders in that Sugar Bowl game. And they said he has a long of 58!!

From what I've witnessed, most college kickers are the suck, but this kid seemed to have a huge leg and was pretty accurate compared to most.

The 52 yarder was a BCS Bowl record.Some early K draft rankings...

Scott Wright (NFL Draft Countdown)

1. Art Carmody, Louisville

2. Brandon Coutu, Georgia

3. Garrett Hartley, Oklahoma

4. Jeremy Ito, Rutgers

5. Steven Hauschka, North Carolina St.

Mel Kiper (ESPN)

1. Brandon Coutu, Georgia

2. Jason Reda, Illinois

3. Rob Zarrilli, Hofstra

4. Arthur Carmody, Louisville

5. Alexis Serna, Oregon St.

NFLdraftscout.com

1. Art Carmody, Louisville

2. Alexis Serna, Oregon St.

3. Taylor Mehlhaff, Wisconsin

4. Brandon Coutu, Georgia

5. Jeremy Ito, Rutgers

What about Gary Cismesia from Florida State. I saw that kid kick a 60 yard field goal during the game against florida, and it was crazy. I checked his stats and he has hit 82% of his field goals which is pretty good. Is there something about this kid i dont know about?

 

[Mike Herman]

What's the deal with UGA's kicker Coutu? That kid was booting 50+ yarders in that Sugar Bowl game. And they said he has a long of 58!!

From what I've witnessed, most college kickers are the suck, but this kid seemed to have a huge leg and was pretty accurate compared to most.

The 52 yarder was a BCS Bowl record.Some early K draft rankings...

Scott Wright (NFL Draft Countdown)

1. Art Carmody, Louisville

2. Brandon Coutu, Georgia

3. Garrett Hartley, Oklahoma

4. Jeremy Ito, Rutgers

5. Steven Hauschka, North Carolina St.

Mel Kiper (ESPN)

1. Brandon Coutu, Georgia

2. Jason Reda, Illinois

3. Rob Zarrilli, Hofstra

4. Arthur Carmody, Louisville

5. Alexis Serna, Oregon St.

NFLdraftscout.com

1. Art Carmody, Louisville

2. Alexis Serna, Oregon St.

3. Taylor Mehlhaff, Wisconsin

4. Brandon Coutu, Georgia

5. Jeremy Ito, Rutgers

What about Gary Cismesia from Florida State. I saw that kid kick a 60 yard field goal during the game against florida, and it was crazy. I checked his stats and he has hit 82% of his field goals which is pretty good. Is there something about this kid i dont know about?

NFLdraftscout has him ranked all the way down at #27 for kickers. Of course you just never know... Robbie Gould was way off the radar when he came out of college, and he's done well for himself.Upcoming appearance's from two guys with higher rankings:

- Oregon State's Alexis Serna will play in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 26th.

- Oklahoma's Garrett Hartley will play in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 19th

 

[Mike Herman]

2007 NFL ALL-PRO ROSTER

Rob Bironas, first team

Phil Dawson, second team

GEORGIA

Brandon Coutu is expected to play in the Senior Bowl

SAN DIEGO

Nate Kaeding, a fourth-year pro out of Iowa, switched his practice jersey number from 10 to 21 in honor of his college teammate, Colts safety Bob Sanders, who was named Monday as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. "That's a compliment to Bob that I'm wearing his jersey," the 2007 Pro Bowl kicker said. "Bob came in the same year as I at Iowa. A lot of good memories with him. He's a good dude. I'm happy for his success." The skinny 6-0, 187-pound Kaeding was amused when asked if he portrayed Sanders on the scout team. "I do a very good Bob Sanders look in practice," he said jokingly. "I was hoping they would put me in there to do that because I'm of similar athletic ability as Bob. But they didn't want me to do that."

linkSEATTLE

Suddenly, the warm-up pants worn by kicker Josh Brown were national news Wednesday. It all started innocently enough, when Brown said on his weekly radio show on KIRO-AM that he takes the battery-powered heaters he wears while hunting and puts them in his warm-up pants for cold-weather games. "I've worn these pants for three years," Brown said. "I don't understand why it's such a huge story." Because it's the playoffs, so the quirkier the story the better. Asked if the heaters went in his uniform pants, Brown said: "Not my uniform. That would be crazy. Absolutely not. You guys are nuts."

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[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

What about that kid at New Mexico? Good story to boot...

 

[Mike Herman]

SAN DIEGO

Nate Kaeding will kick field goals in practice today, something he was unable to do last week. He won't be able to kick the 60 to 70 times he normally does between Thursday and Friday, “but it's going to be (enough) that I can make any kick I look at in the game,” Kaeding said. Kaeding, who said his bruised left leg is feeling a little better this week, missed a 45-yard field goal attempt in Sunday's wild-card game. “When I kick in the game I expect to make it regardless,” he said. “But I (was) put at a little bit of a disadvantage by not being able to practice. That's the cards I've been dealt. It's never an excuse. I don't want it to ever be portrayed like that.” Kaeding, who figures his range will be at least 50 yards in the RCA Dome, does not make excuses, either, for the fact he has missed one field goal in each of his three career playoff games – a puzzling reality in that he is the NFL's most accurate kicker over the past three seasons. “It is what it is,” he said, shrugging. “I expect to make every single kick.”

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[Mike Herman]

What about that kid at New Mexico? Good story to boot...

NFLdraftscout currently has him ranked #15.Height 5-10

Weight 158

2007: 26 of 29, 2.36 FG per game

Brian Urlacher. Terrance Mathis. And now John Sullivan. The undersize UNM kicker joined the aforementioned Lobos legends Monday, earning consensus All-American honors. Using five nationally recognized All-America teams, the NCAA determines the 28 players named consensus All-Americans with a point system. Players receive three points for first-team honors, two points for second team and one for third team. Sullivan, who kicked with a torn knee ligament in his plant (left) leg and still led the nation in field goals per game, had been recognized by the Sporting News, the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Associated Press. He didn't receive points on the other two All-American teams the NCAA counts: the Football Writers Association of America and the American Football Coaches Association. The Lobos kicker was the only consensus All-American representing the Mountain West Conference. Only one other player from a non-BCS conference - Central Florida running back Kevin Smith - made the team.

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[Mike Herman]

INDIANAPOLIS, ADAM VINATIERI

On the missed field goal at San Diego and if you have a short memory or try to learn from it

“Obviously you go back and you watch the film on it that week and then you put it to bed after that. Nothing that happened six, eight weeks ago is going to help me or hurt me at this point. You learn from the mistakes and you learn from the things that you do well and you move on. You forget about it. Just move on. This game I’m sure will be different. Any time you re-hash it, a game weeks ago, I think the next time you play them, it’s never exactly the same thing. The games are always a little bit different. And again, like I said, the team that plays better is the team that’s probably going to come out with a win.”

On if there was anything on the kick at San Diego that he saw he did wrong

“Sometimes it’s like a golf swing. Sometimes you can hit a ball and you feel it and you just go, ‘That didn’t come out right.’ I think I just short-legged it a little bit and left it out to the right. It’s one of those you wish you could have back, but you can’t, so you move on.”

On if the team likes flying under the radar with the season New England has had

“I don’t think we like it, resent it, it doesn’t make much of a difference to us. They’re clearly a great team. They went the entire season undefeated, and the last time I checked, it hasn’t happened in a long time. So rightfully so, they deserve all of the accolades they have gotten. They have a great coach, great players, all of that stuff. Now we get into the playoffs and you have to win the games now to continue to show that you’re the premier team. I think we did that last year. We’ve put ourselves in a nice position right now to continue on, but we have to go out there and play well this weekend. We’ll be watching that game, but that game means nothing to us unless we take care of our own business. So at that point, it will be interesting to see how they do and if they win, however everything goes. But clearly the only game this week that matters to us is us versus San Diego.”

On Nate Kaeding’s leg injury and how that can affect a kicker

“Any injury, depending on the severity for any player; a receiver with a hamstring, I mean, how fast can he run? How fast can he cut? What can he do? Any injury can be detrimental to any guy. But at this point in the year, if you asked anybody if they’re 100 percent or how they feel, I think the answer would be, ‘Good enough.’ I don’t know his injuries, I don’t know anything about that. I’m sure he’ll be ready to go and he’s going to play to the best of his ability. He’s a great kicker. He was the Pro Bowl kicker last year. He’s done very well this year. I hope he doesn’t get a lot of opportunities, because I expect him to make all of his kicks. So hopefully he’s not out there a bunch.”

LINK

 

[Mike Herman]

NY GIANTS

Former Murray State All-American placekicker Shane Andrus has inked a reserve/futures deal with the New York Giants. That means nothing for this season, but Andrus is now under contract for next season. Andrus (Murray, Ky.) put together a two-year career at MSU that helped the hometown hero earn fist-team all-OVC honors in 2001 and 2002, while garner first-team All-America honors following the 2001 season. He finished his career by hitting 26-of-36 field-goal attempts and converting 61-of-62 extra points. Andrus cemented his legacy in 2002 when he connected on a 52-yard field goal as time expired to give the Racers a 37-35 victory over Tony Romo led Eastern Illinois and the OVC Championship. Andrus was signed as a free agent by the Indianapolis Colts in 2006 and was the leading candidate to be the team’s kicker prior to the signing of Adam Vinatieri. Andrus spent the 2007 season kicking for the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe. He finished the season by going 15-for-19 on field goals and 27-of-29 on extra points. He also averaged 61.7 yards on 57 kickoffs.

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[Mike Herman]

What about Gary Cismesia from Florida State. I saw that kid kick a 60 yard field goal during the game against florida, and it was crazy. I checked his stats and he has hit 82% of his field goals which is pretty good. Is there something about this kid i dont know about?

Here's an excerpt from a blog entitled "10 Draft Sleepers Worth Considering"...

K, Florida State, Gary Cismesia

The senior kicker from Florida State may look inconsistent, making 27 of 34 field goals this season, but had an impressive game against Florida, in which he made a 60-yarder and was 4-4 for the game. It should also be noted that Cismesia is consistent in short range. From 40 + yards, Cismesia was 8-13. With statistics like this, he could be looked at as another Sebastian Janikowski without all the extra baggage.. Only a team as dumb as the Raiders would draft a kicker in the first round. Cismesia will likely be available on day two of the draft.

linkAnd a counter-opinion from another blog...

Here’s a sleeper list, compiled by Sporting News. Unfortunately, most of those guys aren’t sleepers. And I’m not sure they know how bad Gary Cismesia, K, Florida State really is.

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[Mike Herman]

LOUISVILLE

In the Hula Bowl

Art Carmody's 38-yard field goal gave the Aina a 24-0 lead to start the second half. He missed a 32-yarder earlier in the game.

linkNY GIANTS

Lawrence Tynes, who said he's gotten a few "Mary Lou Retton" cracks from friends after his somersault attempt to recover a fumble in Tampa last Sunday, was busy watching video of his practice kicks at Texas Stadium from before the season opener. He also watched his first attempted kick as a Giant, when a bad snap by rookie Jay Alford left holder Jeff Feagles trying to grab the bouncing ball. "Chalk that one up to nerves," said Tynes, who is 24-for-28 on field-goal tries this year. "We started out really shaky with all that, but since the bye week, we've been pretty good. Jay's got a good future as a snapper."

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[Mike Herman]

TENNESSEE

Titans kicker Rob Bironas just about did it all in 2007. He led the league with 35 field goals, broke the NFL record by making eight in a game, was named to the Pro Bowl and earned All-Pro honors. Bironas also recently changed agents, with the hope that his days with the Titans will last a long time. It's up to the Titans as to how quickly they want to make sure that happens. Bironas, who just wrapped up his third season in Tennessee, is scheduled to become a restricted free agent in March. The Titans can keep Bironas for another year by making him a tender offer. They could also decide to pursue a long-term deal. "On a normal kicker I think you probably just give him a one-year tender and then see what happens. But when you are talking about a guy who has made as many game-winning kicks as Rob has and is going to the Pro Bowl, I guess that would be a pretty dangerous position for the team, because anything can happen," said agent Harold Lewis, who also represents former Titans Kevin Carter and Fred Miller, and was hired by Bironas a few weeks ago. "When a team's season is over and you look position-by-position and say who do we want to bring back and who do we want to lock up for long term, maybe a lot of times they are not looking at the kicker, but in the situation with the Tennessee Titans, Rob has to be one of their top priorities." Bironas made $435,000 in 2007. Discussions with Titans General Manager Mike Reinfeldt about a long-term deal for the kicker have yet to begin, Lewis said. Because Bironas is a restricted free agent, other teams can sign him to offer sheets, although the Titans would have a chance to match any offer. Said Lewis: "Rob has made it clear he absolutely loves it (in Nashville) and he doesn't want to go anywhere."

linkDENVER

Jason Elam has been busy at book signings for his new novel Monday Night Jihad.

After a tour of duty in Afghanistan, Riley Covington is living his dream as a professional linebacker when he comes face-to-face with a radical terrorist group on his own home turf. Drawn into the nightmare around him, Riley returns to his former life as a member of a special ops team that crosses oceans in an attempt to stop the escalating attacks. But time is running out, and it soon becomes apparent that the terrorists are on the verge of achieving their goal: to strike at the very heart of America.

Amazon

 

[Mike Herman]

NEW ENGLAND

We've been saying that [stephen] Gostkowski has a tendency to push his kicks. He had it in camp, and he's had it at times during the year. After his initial kickoff, the rest were short. The missed 35 yard kick at a critical juncture earned him a goat. Otherwise he played just ok.

linkINDIANAPOLIS

"It's a hard pill to swallow right now. Our expectations were so much different. Watching those other teams go out and play next weekend will be tough."

- Adam Vinatieri

"There's not a man I respect more than him. He's a great man, a great coach, and he touches everyone he makes contact with. Selfishly, I'd love to have him back, but his life is more than this game and more than football... But he has to do what's right for him and his family. I'm sure he's not thinking about that today. . . . I'm sure he's hurting today like the rest of us."

- Vinatieri on possibility of HC Tony Dungy retiring

KANSAS CITY

From the rumor mill...

The Chiefs have/will sign kickers Billy Cundiff and Nick Novak. See you later John Carney.

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[Mike Herman]

SAN DIEGO

After missing his fourth field goal attempt in four playoff games, Nate Kaeding said he feels as good as he has since bruising his left leg Dec. 24 and expects to kick off in the AFC Championship Game. “I'm feeling better,” Kaeding said yesterday. “My plan is to run today. My plan is to kick off this week.” Kaeding pushed a 48-yard attempt just right, as it bounced off the upright, in the second quarter yesterday. He has missed one field goal in every playoff game of his career. Kaeding told coach Norv Turner before the game his range was about 52 yards. “I hit it pretty true,” he said. “I expect to make every one. Kaeding acknowledged that not practicing field goals much the past three weeks and not kicking off is hurting him when it comes time to kicking in games. “I'm going to go full, 100 percent in practice,” he said. “And hopefully from a rhythm standpoint I get back out there kicking off and that will help it.” Should Kaeding be able to kick off, that would make specialist Dave Rayner expendable and likely result in offensive tackle Roman Oben being activated.

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[Mike Herman]

KANSAS CITY

The Chiefs also agreed to contract terms with veteran kickers Billy Cundiff and Nick Novak. Each worked out for the Chiefs during the season when they were trying to find a replacement first for Justin Medlock and later for Dave Rayner. Cundiff, 27, kicked for the Cowboys and Saints in his five-season career and made 72.3 percent of his field-goal attempts. Novak, 26, kicked three seasons for Arizona and Washington and made 65 percent of his field-goal attempts. The Chiefs may try to re-sign incumbent kicker John Carney. Carney, who will be 44 in April, made all three of his field-goal tries for the Chiefs and 12 of 14 last season, including his eight games with Jacksonville. Carney joined the Chiefs in December but signed for only the season’s final five games.

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[Mike Herman]

OREGON STATE

Former Oregon State University placekicker Alexis Serna has accepted an invitation to participate in the 10th annual College Football All-Star Challenge Tues., Jan. 29 on the campus of Arizona State University. ESPN will broadcast the event Sat., Feb. 2 from 2-4 p.m. The second all-time leading scorer in the Pac-10 Conference with 384 points will join other kickers, receivers, quarterbacks and running backs testing their abilities against one another. Serna was a four-year letterman who concluded his career with a school record 80 field goals and set the Pac-10 record with 144 consecutive made extra points. He was the 2005 Lou Groza Award winner, signifying the nation’s top kicker, and also earned All-America honors. Serna, who will play in the Senior Bowl Jan. 26, will compete in the long distance kick and ‘round the world events. The long distance kick begins with a 40-yard field goal attempt with the kickers moving to longer distances until one is left. The ‘round the world is a 45-second event testing the ability of kickers to connect on a series of field goals from varying distances and angles.

linkWISCONSIN & OKLAHOMA

This is the final individual leader board for touchback percentage on kickoffs. To qualify for this list, the player must have a minimum of 36 kickoffs.

Player Team Kickoffs TB TB%

Adi Kunalic Nebraska 66 28 42.4%

Ryan Harrison Air Force 77 32 41.6%

Matt Szymanski Texas A&M 66 24 36.4%

Taylor Mehlhaff Wisconsin 76 27 35.5%

Vincente Rico Idaho 46 16 34.8%

Swayze Waters UAB 57 19 33.3%

Chris Nendick Northern Illinois 52 16 30.8%

Jason Bondzio Arizona 72 22 30.6%

Jose Martinez UTEP 71 21 29.6%

Dan Bailey Oklahoma State 38 11 28.9%

Jared Develli Virginia Tech 38 11 28.9%

Alex Trlica Texas Tech 90 26 28.9%

Garrett Hartley Oklahoma 104 29 27.9%

Tim Masthay Kentucky 83 23 27.7%

Kevin Kelly Penn State 78 21 26.9%

T.J. Lawrence Houston 79 21 26.6%

Jason Smith Colorado State 64 17 26.6%

Scott Webb Kansas 103 26 25.2%

Ben Vroman Utah 71 17 23.9%

David Buehler USC 84 18 21.4%

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[Mike Herman]

SEATTLE

The franchise tag belongs to [Josh] Brown for now, but if Seattle signs him to a long-term deal, it can use the tag on [Marcus] Trufant. As for Brown, [Mike] Holmgren said he is another player who should remain in Seattle. "There's nothing wrong with a player being with the same team his entire career. I try and explain that to these guys sometimes," Holmgren said. "That's probably a good thing. If you like where you're living and you like the community, if you like that, why leave for an extra hundred thousand bucks or something, whatever? If I can get that message across to some of these guys, then I will try and do that."

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[ichris]

Serna can kick, but he has let me down big before. Look up his first college game. He had a very productive career, but our relationship soured from the beginning.

 

[Mike Herman]

MIAMI

"I'm excited to see how he [Tony Sparano] handles the team and gets the ship righted," kicker Jay Feely said at noon on ESPN2. "His offensive linemen raved about him. He demanded a lot and got a lot." Feely said he and his teammates expect a lot of changes under new football operations boss Bill Parcells. "There'll be some casualties and I think everyone understands that," Feely said. "Bill Parcells when he came in was going to implement his style. He did that when he hired Jeff Ireland and now Tony Sparano. They have the same mindset. It's a no-nonsense change. Some players will have to understand there will be a different philosophy and I think that will be good for our team."

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[Mike Herman]

DENVER

Jason Elam is going into free agency as hot as any kicker in the NFL. During the past two seasons, Elam was 37-for-37 on field-goal attempts inside 40 yards and made 90 percent of his overall attempts. The Broncos are talking to Elam about an extension, but no deal appears imminent.

linkMIAMI

Jay Feely, a team captain and the club's NFL Players Association representative, said he shook hands with Sparano on Wednesday but is eager to get to know his new coach. "All the players have the same feeling," Feely said Thursday. "They're happy to know who the head coach is and try to get a direction now and move forward." Feely said he has a good idea of what to expect because of his relationship with Bill Parcells, who had Sparano on his staff in Dallas and now is the Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations. Before Feely signed with Miami last winter, he played two seasons with the Giants under Tom Coughlin, another Parcells disciple. "Everything I've heard is he's a tough guy who demands lot and has a great rapport with his players," Feely said of Sparano. "I think if you're going to be very demanding, the Bill Parcells-, Tom Couglin-type coach, you have to have a rapport with your players so they just don't tune you out."

linkNY GIANTS

Shane Andrus signed a future contract with the New York Giants for the 2008 season. The contract will give Andrus a chance to make the roster in the Giants' off-season workouts and training camp. "No contract in the NFL is guaranteed, not even Peyton Manning's," Andrus said. "So in the spring and training camp, I'll go and work out with the team and compete to win the job." The opportunity to sign with the Giants came after discussions with several NFL teams. In the 2006 season, the Indianapolis Colts signed Andrus as a free agent, and he was in position to kick for the Colts until they signed potential hall-of-fame kicker Adam Vinatieri. "We talked with the Giants about a year ago," Andrus said. "This year I worked out with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints. I knew the Giants were still interested, and they called last week and offered me a contract."

Andrus spent last year playing in the NFL Europe league for the Hamburg Sea Devils. Andrus went 15-19 on field goal tries and 27-29 on extra points. "After we talked to the Giants a year ago, it took a little too long to sign a contract, so I went to play in NFL Europe," Andrus said. "The game is the same, except that 50-yard field goals are worth four points. The game is gaining popularity in Europe and they are learning the game." In his two years at Murray State, Andrus was an All-American in 2001 and first-team All-OVC in 2001 and 2002. Andrus made 26 of 36 of his field goal tries and 61 of 62 of his extra points. Andrus's biggest highlight came in 2001 with a 52-yard game-winning field goal against Eastern Illinois to give the Racers the OVC Championship. "I came in with Coach (Joe) Pannunzio in 2001," Andrus said. "It was great to be an All-American, and it was even better to beat current Dallas Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo's Eastern Illinois team."

linkLOUISVILLE

Interview with Art Carmody... link

SAINT XAVIER

Article on Shane Longest... link

 

[Mike Herman]

SAINT XAVIER

Small School Kickers

Shane Longest (5-11 180), Saint Xavier (NAIA)

Aside from having a quintessential kicker's name, Longest has the potential to be one of 2008’s diamonds in the rough. Also a baseball player, Longest excelled for three years at SXU, an NAIA school located in Chicago. He will be the only NAIA representative at February's Combine. A known commodity amongst Midwest area scouts, Longest has been rated highly since before his senior season in which he made 27 field goals, including a 55-yarder. An All-American, he also handled punting duties, averaging 43 yards per punt. Longest has a booming leg with range superior to some kickers currently cashing NFL paychecks. In three years, he connected on 20 field goals of 40-plus yards. Longest displays tremendous distance and hang time on kickoffs, and while he's considered a kicker in the eyes of scouts, his ability to drive deep, spiraling punts only adds to his value. An NAIA kicker being drafted is a longshot, but he'll undoubtedly be in an NFL camp.

Other notables:

Piotr Czech (Wagner)

Rob Zarilli (Hofstra)

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[Mike Herman]

EAST WEST SHRINE GAME

Wisconsin's Taylor Mehlhaff made field goals of 42 and 28 yards and added one PAT for the East.

Oklahoma's Garrett Hartley made a 23 yard field goal and four PATs. He missed a FG attempt from 29 yards.

WISCONSIN

Taylor Mehlhaff - Scouts like his 23 touchbacks in 2007, which led the Big Ten. Wisconsin also led their conference in net kickoff average. Mehlhaff booted 20 of 24 field goals and 40 of 41 PAT in 2007. He finished second in Wisconsin history in scoring (290 points), was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist, and was named to the AFCA All-America Team.

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[Mike Herman]

SAN DIEGO

For the first time in his post-season career, Nate Kaeding did not miss any FG attempts in a playoff game. He was 4 of 4 in the AFC Championship Game at New England, connecting from 26, 23, 40, and 24 yards. Chargers lose.

NY GIANTS

Lawrence Tynes was good on FGs of 29 and 37 yards in the first half of the NFC Championship Game at Green Bay. In the 4th quarter he was not so good. With 6:49 remaining and the game tied, Tynes was wide left from 43 yards. With 4 seconds remaining and the game still tied, he shanked a 36 yard attempt. After a quick Favre interception in overtime, Tynes got a third chance to break the tie, and was good from 47 yards. Giants win.

"I screwed it up twice. Thank God we got another opportunity."

- Tynes

"I just ran out onto the field. I knew it was going to be close to 50 yards but I knew I could get it there. [Tom Coughlin] had to make a decision when I was out there lining up. I kind of made the decision for him. He was going to have to pull me off the field."

- Tynes regarding the winning kick

“I thought about going for it. And then I looked for a sign, and they were anxious to go and do that. They were anxious to kick it, and that was a good sign for me that Lawrence felt like he could make it.”

- HC Tom Coughlin regarding the decision to attempt the winning FG

"Well, you saw the kickoffs, the field goals, the punts. It's like kicking cardboard almost. It doesn't compress off your foot like it normally would."

- Tynes regarding the cold weather

"There was no question on that one. He just nailed it. I just can't say enough about Lawrence to come back after two misses and hit a 47-yarder to send us to the Super Bowl."

- Jeff Feagles, punter and holder

"All of a sudden, we're in a position to score. I wanted to score, I didn't want to settle for a field goal. ... You're just hoping that he makes that last one and it was a great kick by Lawrence to win it."

- Eli Manning

 

[Mike Herman]

NY GIANTS

After kicking the winning field goal in overtime, Lawrence Tynes was rewarded with a nice surprise for the plane ride home - the ball he kicked 47 yards to send the Giants to the Super Bowl. Gordon “Red” Batty, head equipment manager for the Green Bay Packers, waited for an hour after the game to meet with a Giants equipment manager to deliver the ball safely to Tynes. Batty knows the significance of history-making game balls. Throughout his 14 years with the Packers, Batty has retrieved many important mementos for quarterback Brett Favre and knew that Tynes and the Giants organization would appreciate the gift. “That’s a part of their history, and I wanted to make sure they had that ball,” Batty said. “It’s the way the Packers would want it done.”

link

The hero from the night before wasn't in the Giants' locker room yesterday to speak for himself. Lawrence Tynes, the kicker whose 47-yard field goal in overtime sent the Giants to the Super Bowl, apparently was a little under the weather. "It could have been flulike (symptoms) or something," coach Tom Coughlin said of Tynes' absence, his face breaking into a wide grin after a slight pause. "His stomach was ... off."

linkGEORGIA

A total of five Georgia and Georgia Tech players will suit up for the South All-Stars during Saturday's Senior Bowl. All of them appeared to put local rivalries aside for the first day of practice, with two sticking closer together than one may expect. Kicker Brandon Coutu (Georgia) and punter Durant Brooks (Georgia Tech) will be spending plenty of quality time together over the week. Coutu got the early work with a few field goals Monday. Brooks was his holder. "I found out why Georgia Tech hates us so much," Coutu joked. "I never lost to him, so it didn't bother me too much." Coutu, who grew up in Gwinnett Co., said the two have been friends for several years. That friendship could prove vital as players look for extra support in what promises to be a stressful week.

Both Coutu and Brooks are looking to turn successful college careers into professional campaigns. Coutu was extremely accurate, not missing a kick inside of 39 yards last season. Brooks won the 2007 Ray Guy award, which is given annually to the nation's best punter. Of course, on-the-field success is often the easy part. "Every thing is a test," Coutu said when asked about the NFL scouts on hand for the week's events. "Everything they ask you. Everything they say to you (is a test)."

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[Mike Herman]

CAROLINA

The Carolina Panthers gave the first indication they wanted to improve their field position in December, when they signed kicker Rhys Lloyd for the last game of the season. They've given a more serious indication by signing Lloyd to a two-year contract. The 25-year-old Lloyd, a kickoff specialist, played the final game of the year for the Panthers after spending most of the year bouncing from Baltimore's practice squad to the active roster. According to his agent, the Panthers had been monitoring his progress, making the decision to bring him back a "no-brainer." "They've been following him for quite a while, so this was no surprise," agent Christopher Murray said Monday. Lloyd was an exclusive rights free agent, meaning he couldn't negotiate with other teams.

The move shouldn't be construed as a lack of faith in veteran kicker John Kasay, just in his ability to kick off well. The Panthers were 19th in the league in opponent's drive start last year (29.0). They led the league in kickoffs out of bounds (six, of which Kasay had five) and had a league-low two touchbacks until Lloyd belted a pair in Week 17 at Tampa Bay. The 38-year-old Kasay, the last remaining member of the inaugural 1995 team, had an otherwise good year. He connected on 24-of-28 field goals (85.7 percent), better than his career average of 80.7 percent. Kasay's under contract through 2008, and said when he signed his five-year extension in 2004 he said he anticipated it being his last deal.

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[Mike Herman]

COMPOSITE DRAFT RANKINGS

I take the rankings from credible sites - like NFL Draft Countdown, Scouts Inc., NFL Draft Scout, and others - and average them together. This creates a composite rank of several prospects. I only rank prospects who get enough rankings from the various sites, so some guys got a few rankings but not enough.

Kickers

1. Art Carmody, Louisville

2. Brandon Coutu, Georgia

3. Alexis Serna, Oregon State

4. Taylor Melhaff, Wisconsin

5. Jeremy Ito, Rugters

6. Garrett Hartley, Oklahoma

7. Connor Barth, North Carolina

8. Rob Zerrilli, Hofstra

9. Jason Reda, Illinois

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[Mike Herman]

SENIOR BOWL PRACTICES

• Oregon St. kicker Alexis Serna showed he has 50+ yard range and he hit all of his attempts at the end of practice.

• It's a position that doesn't get a lot of attention but Indiana long-snapper Tim Bugg has been very accurate and is definitely a draftable prospect.

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Georgia PK Brandon Coutu was good on placekicks, but his kickoff distance was not great.

link

On the other side of the field Alexis Serna worked his way further and further back, ending his attempts by comfortably hitting from 52 yards. Serna closes out the practice with a 50-yard miss, short by about a foot, kicking it in the other direction.

linkWASHINGTON (history)

"This ring may wind up in a gutter. But if it does, I'll be wearing it."

- Mark Moseley after Redskins Super Bowl victory

 

[Mike Herman]

NY GIANTS

Today's big news story...

David Letterman told Lawrence Tynes that everybody the "Late Show" host knows was thinking the same thing after the Giants kicker missed two go-ahead field goal attempts in the fourth quarter of Sunday's NFC Championship game. "Please don't send him in again, for the love of God, if there's an ounce of mercy in your soul, don't send him in!" Said Tynes, "I would agree with that." The kicker went from wondering how he would ever make it onto the team's charter plane back to New York to being welcomed to Letterman's couch. Tynes, who made the winning field goal in overtime to send the Giants to the Super Bowl, appeared on the CBS show Wednesday. Tynes joked that the misses had him pondering, "What's it going to be like to live in Green Bay?"

"The first one looked like I kicked it, for God's sakes - no offense," Letterman said. Tynes replied, "No, no, I would say the second one probably looked like you would have kicked it." Letterman played the clip of Giants coach Tom Coughlin yelling at Tynes after his first miss and asked what was said. "I never hear what he's saying," Tynes answered, drawing laughs from the audience. "But, you know, he's a great guy to play for," he added. "He wants nothing but the best for you. And I know he's yelling at me, I just never hear him."

Letterman ended the interview by inquiring whether Tynes was currently wearing special kicking shoes. As a camera showed a close-up of a brown pair that looked nothing like cleats, Tynes said, "No, these are not. These are some sort of dress shoes my wife picked out."

linkBefore Tynes, the last kicker to appear on Letterman was Mike Vanderjagt, when he kicked a field goal in the streets of New York. Half a season later he was out of the NFL.

 

[Mike Herman]

Ahh the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl... A time when there is no news and an abundance of fluff...



GEORGIA

The time players spend this week at the Senior Bowl isn't simply to show what they can do on the football field, although that's obviously important. It's also a mental tryout of sorts, with each team issuing questionnaires and written psychological tests whose content sometimes baffle the test takers. "You definitely are thinking in the back of your mind, 'What do they want from this? What are they trying to find?' But I'm sure there's a reason for it," Georgia kicker Brandon Coutu said. "They've been doing it for years, so you kind of just have to go with the flow." The players dove straight into the test-taking shortly after arriving Sunday night at Mobile's Renaissance Hotel. With each NFL team using its own set of questions, the process can grow rather lengthy. Coutu said he spent several hours answering test questions Sunday, and he wasn't alone. "One guy said he came here just to get away from taking tests and here he's got to take more tests than he was in school," said Oklahoma State running back Dantrell Savage.

linkCUSTER'S LAST STAND

If you rent "Little Big Man," "The Plainsman," "They Died With Their Boots On" or any of the other movies about George Custer's disaster at the Little Big Horn, you're bound to hear some stirring music as the cavalry marches off to its bloody fate. But in reality, things were pretty quiet at the time. That's because Custer left his band behind on a steamboat, the Far West, on the Powder River. The band was led by Felix Vinatieri, an Italian immigrant and great-great-grandfather of Adam Vinatieri, who won three NFL Championship rings as a kicker with the New England Patriots and one with the Indianapolis Colts. Trumpeter Steve Charpie of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra found Vinatieri's music at the National Music Museum in Vermillion, S.D., and couldn't believe that "nobody had ever done anything with it." For him, the old manuscripts were like buried treasure. He asked for copies, brought them home and got to work on his computer.

It took him several years, but finally he was able to reconstitute Vinatieri's charts so that his group could play them. "I almost went blind reading the manuscript," he said in an interview last week. "And there were no scores, only parts." Charpie explained that the score, which is what the conductor uses, contains the parts for each instrument. But all he had were the individual parts, which he had to type into the computer, correct and then, reversing the usual process, use to create the complete score. When he had finished, he and his group recorded a CD of the music, and for the recording, the museum loaned him Vinatieri's actual cornet that it had on display. The world premiere performance was in Yankton, S.D., the home of the Vinatieris, and from there he took the antique cornet to the Great American Brass Festival in Danville, Ky., where the Custer connection made him a minor celebrity at the annual event. After that, he had to return the instrument, but he now uses his own 1870s cornet to play the music authentically.

linkSUPER BOWL HISTORY

Super Bowl XXV was to be the start of dynasty. Instead it turned into a day that Scott Norwood, and Bills fans alike, will never forget. Lining up with eight seconds remaining on the clock, the Bills kicker proceeded to push a game-winning, 47-yard field goal wide right to send the Bills to the first of their record four consecutive Super Bowl defeats. Widely marked as one of the worst moments in Super Bowl history, it gave Scott Norwood a legacy unlike any kicker before or after him. It is a legacy that Scott Norwood would proudly give up.

However, Norwood's place in history is hardly the only example of a kicker taking center stage for all the wrong reasons in the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl history books are dotted with kickers who have imprinted their unforgettable images into our memory banks for all eternity.

All kickers realize that at some point in time, they are going to have a kick blocked. However, most kickers, being non-physical specimens, have the commen sense to fall on the ball if it comes back to them following the block. That was not the case for Garo Yepremian. Yepremian, playing for the perfect 1972 Dolphins, almost cost his team that notoriety when he retrieved a blocked, 42-yard attempt and tried to heave the ball downfield. His feeble attempt at a throw flew all of three yards before being intercepted and returned for a touchdown that cut the lead to seven points before the Dolphins pulled it out.

A football field is 53 feet 4 inches wide, so it is understandable why the NFL has rules in place that penalize kickers for not putting kick-offs in bounds because there is no reason for them to not be able to do it. However, someone forgot to tell Carolina Panthers kicker John Kasay that he was expected to keep the kick from sailing out of bounds. During Super Bowl XXXVIII against New England, Kasay sent a kick-off out of bounds, allowing the Patriots to start their eventual game-winning drive on the 40-yard line.

Rich Karlis of the Denver Broncos has the dubious distinction of have the shortest missed field goal in the history of the Super Bowl, when he shanked one a 23-yard chip shot in the Broncos 39-20 loss to the Giants in 1986. Missing from 47 yards out with all the pressure in the world is one thing. Missing from 23-yards away in a game where your team has been wiped all over the field is a whole other level of notoriety.

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[Mike Herman]

GEORGIA

Brandon Coutu, the former University of Georgia place-kicker, knows exactly how many players were drafted into the NFL at his position last season. "I believe there were three," Coutu said. A lot of teams would rather spend their draft picks on position players, but Coutu will try to convince teams that he's worth it when he kicks in the Senior Bowl at 4 p.m. today at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Last season, Kansas City selected Justin Medlock in the fifth round, Dallas' Nicholas Folk and Green Bay's Mason Crosby were selected in the sixth round. "I think he's got a real strong leg," Jacksonville special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis said. "It looked to me like he's got good technique. I think he's got a chance to be real solid NFL player." Coutu will have to show that he can be effective on kickoffs. His kickoffs in practice were landing inside the 5-yard line. In the NFL, he needs to get his kickoffs into the end zone. "They went really to the left side and I was consistent," Coutu said.

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[Mike Herman]

SAN DIEGO

from the rumor mill...

Kicker Nate Kaeding played in nearly five full games with a fractured lower left leg, including hitting four field goals in Sunday's loss to New England in the AFC championship game. A person familiar with the situation confirmed the injury to The Associated Press on Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team hasn't acknowledged the extent of the injury. Kaeding's left leg is his plant leg. Kaeding was hurt helping to make the tackle on the opening kickoff of San Diego's home win over the Denver Broncos on Dec. 24. The team described it as a bruise. Kaeding continued to kick field goals and PATs, but the Chargers signed kickoff specialist Dave Rayner two days before the regular-season finale at Oakland. Rayner was not active for the AFC championship game, when Kaeding provided all of San Diego's points in the 21-12 loss to the perfect Patriots. Kaeding couldn't be reached for comment on Friday. Coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith didn't return phone calls seeking comment. "I don't talk about injuries at all," team trainer James Collins said when reached by phone.

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[Mike Herman]

SENIOR BOWL

With the South trailing 16-7 in the fourth quarter, Georgia kicker Brandon Coutu made a 20 yard field goal with 9:27 remaining. After a TD on the final play of the game, Coutu then scored the game winning extra point. The North's kicker, Alexis Serna from Oregon State, didn't fare as well, having his 22 yard FG attempt in the second quarter blocked.

 

[Mike Herman]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL ALL-STAR CHALLENGE

The event occurred yesterday, and will be aired on ESPN this Saturday Feb 2nd.

Fourteen of the best college football players from the 2007 season competed in the 10th College Football All-Star Challenge on Tuesday afternoon at the Arizona State University Soccer Stadium in Tempe. The skills competitions also involved kickers Arthur Carmody of Louisville, Jason Reda of Illinois, Alexis Serna of Oregon State and Georgia's Brandon Coutu. "It's a real relaxed atmosphere," Coutu said. "I just got back from the Senior Bowl, and that was a pretty intense atmosphere, a little more serious."

LINK

 

[Mike Herman]

SENIOR BOWL

K Alexis Sema misses a 22 yard FG. It may have been a bad hold cause it was ugly going way wide right and a low line drive.

K Brandon Coutu (UGA) misses a 33 yard field goal. Looked like a good hold from Ray Guy Award Winning P Durant Brooks (GT baby). Coutu pushed it wide right. Blogger Note: It’s highly likely the GT punter just wanted the UGA kicker to look bad.

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