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I think you just talked yourself into keeping both kickers!
that's true !
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Keep in mind that it wasn't that long ago that Gramatica was one of the games best kickers. Not only was he one of the games best kickers but he also has kicked in pressure situations including several playoff games, a conference championship and a super bowl.
Injuries, and probably a lack of confidence, curtailed what was once a stellar career for this guy but if he's back healthy and in the proper mindset (as appears to be the situation in both cases) this guy could be a very capable and competant addition for us. And, compared to other PK's, he's not that old either (30 years).
If we keep two QB's we could carry 2 kickers, makes sense to me. I mean the Ghost for QB #3
Caldwell's the one tossing the spiral in the reverse option play.
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Gramatica is a damned good kicker who was suffering fropm a serious injury. I believe he wil be our kicker, and IMO, an improvement, especially on kickoffs.
Quote:
"Martin Gramatica’s kickoffs were a little short today and he missed a field goal attempt at the end of practice. The veteran also had one of his long kicks go through the uprights, although it was tipped at the line of scrimmage."
Tom Casale, PFW 8/8/2006
Gramatica has a career KO AVE of 62.9, kicking for a warm weather team in a warm weather division. He has a career PK % of 76.5.
AV has a career KO AVE of 62.4, kicking for a cold weather team in a primarily cold weather division. He has a career PK % of 81.9. His distance and accuracy are markedly better in warm weather or indoor venues, as are almost all kickers...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobs My Uncle
Keep in mind that it wasn't that long ago that Gramatica was one of the games best kickers. Not only was he one of the games best kickers but he also has kicked in pressure situations including several playoff games, a conference championship and a super bowl.
Injuries, and probably a lack of confidence, curtailed what was once a stellar career for this guy but if he's back healthy and in the proper mindset (as appears to be the situation in both cases) this guy could be a very capable and competant addition for us. And, compared to other PK's, he's not that old either (30 years).
He'll be 31 in November. Gramatca has never been a terribly popular teamate which likely explains why someone dubbed Automatica would be cut by his SB team half way through a season less than 2 years into a long term deal at a dead cap cost of over $2M if the only real problem he had was a sports hernia.
As I said in my earlier post, IF they had a VIABLE plan...this was stop gap. They didn't contact Martin until after Adam signed, and they didn't begin scouting college kickers until then either. Which was a strange strategy for a team planning to replace a HOF PK in a weak veteran FA market.
Hopefully it works out OK over the long haul. But we won't know until the season is over. My guess is it will be a 2 kicker season unless injuries force their hand from a roster standpoint.
And he's a child compared to the likes of Kasey, Stover, Karney and Elam.
He's also younger than Nedney, Mare, Longwell, Akers, Wilkins and plenty more starting PK's in the NFL.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoLewisrocks
Gramatca has never been a terribly popular teamate which likely explains why someone dubbed Automatica would be cut by his SB team half way through a season less than 2 years into a long term deal at a dead cap cost of over $2M if the only real problem he had was a sports hernia.
As long as he can make kicks he doesn't need to be popular.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoLewisrocks
As I said in my earlier post, IF they had a VIABLE plan...this was stop gap. They didn't contact Martin until after Adam signed, and they didn't begin scouting college kickers until then either. Which was a strange strategy for a team planning to replace a HOF PK in a weak veteran FA market.
I think this regime has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to planning their rosters.
Kicking on a practice field and kicking in game conditions in the NFL are two entirely different things. Pre season will show us more, but likely not enough since our chances of encountering bad weather or real (as opposed to contrived) pressure are almost nil. And it will be the guy who sends the most PK down the middle who starts the season, not the guy with a little more leg who just manages to get them through. Coaches need to make their decisions based on consistency - not possibility.
The kid would have had to be a real phenom to nail the position. He was the best of a weak kicking draft class. If Belichick had any faith in Dramatica he wouldn't have drafted a kicker in the 4th. Either one of these guys could fold like a cheap shirt on a moments notice and at the most inopportune juncture - like December or January. Smart money says Belichck won't risk the season on either of them so he'll carry both.
So much for how easily replaceable a HOF kicker is. These two will cost half as much on the cap, but they will take up two roster spots. If Gramatica ends up performing he'll want an expensive LT deal. If the kid remains a question mark they will have to try another veteran and probably another draftee heading into 2007. Vinatieri was their one mis step of the off season. They misread his market and his resolve. Otherwise they would have had a viable fallback plan in place, as they actually did for Givens (Caldwell and a 1st or 2nd round WR) and Willie (Vrabel moving back and Colvin ready to start FT).
A lot of "ifs" in this scenario, not the smallest of which is that AV is a HOFer. Almost every sentence in the last two paragraphs is emminently debatable. But why do you say we did not have a fallback position? Who's to say their fallback wasn't signing a veteran kicker for insurance and drafting high enough to ensure they got the best kicker in the draft? You make it sound like a negative, but what better fallback position could there be than the best young kicker avaialble and an insurance veteran?
I don't think they misread anything regarding AV. If they really wanted him they could have franchised him.
A lot of "ifs" in this scenario, not the smallest of which is that AV is a HOFer. Almost every sentence in the last two paragraphs is emminently debatable. But why do you say we did not have a fallback position? Who's to say their fallback wasn't signing a veteran kicker for insurance and drafting high enough to ensure they got the best kicker in the draft? You make it sound like a negative, but what better fallback position could there be than the best young kicker avaialble and an insurance veteran?
I don't think they misread anything regarding AV. If they really wanted him they could have franchised him.
No they couldn't. They had agreed not to when he quietly signed his second franchise tender in the span of 3 Superbowl Championships in 2005. They really wanted him, enough to carry him on thier cap for $2.5M+ in consecutive seasons, they just didn't want to commit to a 5 year deal by giving him the requisite signing bonus money up front. Push come to shove (which they didn't think it would) they apparently would have. But at that point he didn't give them that one last chance because as he said they had 2 years to get a LT deal done. Oh well...
If you think a retread with a history of more than physical problems and the top PK prospect in a weak draft represents a (and I said) VIABLE fallback....dream on. They aren't stupid or willful or unmotivated to win as some have suggested here today. But they are stubborn and occasionally make a miscalculation or mistake. This was likely one, because he should have been extended long term two years ago, but it's done now and so we move on as best we can. That is what Gramatica and Gostkowski represent. Hopefully one or both of them or some other combination (including a ramped up offense if Jackson and Branch can get themselves on the field) takes the FO off the hook for a rare misstep.
A buddy of mine has been saying for months that he believes Belichick will carry two kickers this fall. Not sure if I agree with him yet. On the same note, I don't see Gostkowski landing on the practice squad - I see him being scooped up by another team if he is waived.
Call me crazy, I think BB's going with two kickers. I suspect that's why he didn't pick up a veteran QB to back up Brady. Just going with Cassel gives them an extra roster slot.
Re: Kicker
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