Merged: Kicker Situation

[neepo13]

[quote name='JO_75' date='08 November 2009 - 10:15 PM' timestamp='1257736511' post='278213']
Checking up on the Kicker we released because Steve "won" the Kicking job, Gano is now kicking in the UFL for the Las Vegas Locomotives(yes that is actually the team's name) and to Gano's credit he will forver be known as the player who put up the first points of this new UFL League by converting a [b]32 Yard Field Goal[/b] and currently has the LONGEST FG in the UFL with a [b]53 Yard FG[/b]

That's pretty impressive and looking back, if Gano is the kicker..... Ravens beat the Vikings; Gano probably makes that 38 yard kick Steve missed today and Flacco from there probably takes the Ravens down field to take the Ravens/Bengals game into OT. That sits us at 5-3 one game behind the Bengals and tied with Pittsburgh. Can we take Gano off the UFL team now or do we have to wait for the league to end?

There's the update on the Kicker the Ravens cut in favor of Steve Hauschka.
[/quote]
That really irks me. Gano was truely a rookie and he's got a better leg. Harbaugh gambled on the wrong guy. If you were going to take the time to develop a kicker, which he clearly wants to do, why not go with the guy with more potential. But instead we cut him because he missed a couple of kicks, for a guy who missed a couple of kicks himself but just happened to make a few.

[FerrariFan87]

We're stuck between a rock and a hard place with Hauschka... he stinks, but there's nothing we can do about it. What free agent kickers are available?

[neepo13]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' date='08 November 2009 - 10:59 PM' timestamp='1257739167' post='278253']
We're stuck between a rock and a hard place with Hauschka... he stinks, but there's nothing we can do about it. What free agent kickers are available?
[/quote]

IDK. We could always gamble on Vanderget. He's inconsistant but atleast you know he wont poo his pants every time a crucial field goal needs to be kicked. With the way Hauschka is going, I dont expect him to hit a field goal in a pressure situation all season. My expectations for him have hit rock bottom.

[BmoreFlacco]

^^^^ Regarding this whole Kicking situation..In the words of a pissed off Brain Billick- "OH THAT JUST REALLY CHAPS MY *A$$!... "

[FerrariFan87]

[quote name='neepo13' date='09 November 2009 - 12:03 AM' timestamp='1257739425' post='278256']
IDK. We could always gamble on Vanderget. He's inconsistant but atleast you know he wont poo his pants every time a crucial field goal needs to be kicked. With the way Hauschka is going, I dont expect him to hit a field goal in a pressure situation all season. My expectations for him have hit rock bottom.
[/quote]

Sadly, I knew he would miss that kick, and like you said, I also don't expect him to make a pressure kick; he doesn't have the mental make-up to be able to handle it.

[neepo13]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' date='08 November 2009 - 11:07 PM' timestamp='1257739639' post='278259']
Sadly, I knew he would miss that kick, and like you said, I also don't expect him to make a pressure kick; he doesn't have the mental make-up to be able to handle it.
[/quote]

Yeah. Just call it a fans intuition. As I saw him running out there I told my boyfriend now watch this dope miss the kick. And sure enough.Arrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhh! I hope they left him Cinci.

[H8R]

Well, I think we are stuck with him for now. I can say his kick-offs have sucked too for the most part. I thought maybe his confidence was back judging from last week but man he has to prove he can be a pressure kicker instead of being pressure cooked! Problem is, the only way we find out is to have him in the same situation AGAIN. The kick was missed the EXACT way as he did in Minnesota, he isn't trusting himself and this will be weekly event unless he fixes it,otherwise look for more missed kicks..

[Fred Sanford]

We should've kept Rhys Lloyd. Guy led the league in kickoff touchbacks last year, and he's at least as accurate as Hauschka, probably a good deal more so.

Kickers on the street? Mike Nugent, that's about it. Average kicker, might be worth looking at.

I have no clue what Harbaugh is talking about with the "He has fundamentals as good as any young kicker I remember." He hooks it left consistently with great mechanics? I see. His mechanics are great like Armando Benitez and Daniel Cabrera's are great.

Harbaugh's refusal to throw his players under the bus, much like Billick, is publicly laudable. His apparent private belief in the smoke screen he throws up on guys like Carr and Hauschka is much like Billick's Bollerian stubbornness.

[JO_75]

I have to agree we are stuck with him for now, or at least until Stover is released from Indy and just maybe Ozzie will make the phone call and bring back Stover. I just can't believe Ozzie decided to cut Stover and bring in basically a rookie kicker and expect him to take over and turn into Mr. Automatic immediately. I know too there was the factor of not wanting to carry 2 kickers on the roster, which I understand but this year it seemed like the year we needed to have 2 kickers on the 53 man roster. Here's how I would have handled the kicking situation:

Sign Matt Stover to a 2 year deal, cut Hauschka put Graham Gano on the Practice Squad, have Gano develop on the PS and have a year to learn and develop from Stover and when Stover calls it quit for real Gano would have been ready to take over.

[H8R]

I remember Harbs saying in an interview that they made the decision on keeping Steve and "we'll see if that was the right one later down the road" At this point he picked the bum. Why even draft a kicker if you don't really want to keep him?

[TSizzle00]

[quote name='JO_75' date='08 November 2009 - 10:57 PM' timestamp='1257739020' post='278247']
Matt Stover is 6/6 on Field Goals made this season. Stover's longest being a [b]40 Yard FG!!![/b] How much longer is Vinateri out, because Ozzie should sign Matt as soon as the Colts cut Stover and bring him back and give stover a 2-3 year deal and cut Hauschka.
[/quote]

2-3 year deal? O.o

[Reddawn36]

[quote name='PuRock' date='08 November 2009 - 08:00 PM' timestamp='1257728424' post='277981']
I don't see how anyone could trust our kicker after he blew 2 big pressure kicks.

He's a fine kicker if we have the lead and are tacking on more points. But when its on the line. He can't kick.

Is this a problem that can be solved with time? Who knows. One would have thought he would have sured up after the Minny game.
[/quote]

i sure as hell dont
[quote name='btully27' date='08 November 2009 - 08:14 PM' timestamp='1257729258' post='278004']
This is basically his rookie yr..give the kid a break if u recall a K known in Baltimore as "AUTO-MATIC" MATT, he went 16 for 22 his 1st yr.21 for 29 his 2nd yr. n 16 for 22 his 3rd..so he went 54 for 73 his first three yrs of his career, thts only a 73% fg percentage...Give the kid a break n focus more on our inconsistant D-Fense.
[/quote]

its not the fact that he missed, its when he missed... odds are if he can't handle the pressure now, he won't be able too.... what do you think is gonna happen if we are ever in the SP and we need him to make a F.G. for the win.... would you trust him

[quote name='JO_75' date='08 November 2009 - 10:15 PM' timestamp='1257736511' post='278213']
Checking up on the Kicker we released because Steve "won" the Kicking job, Gano is now kicking in the UFL for the Las Vegas Locomotives(yes that is actually the team's name) and to Gano's credit he will forver be known as the player who put up the first points of this new UFL League by converting a [b]32 Yard Field Goal[/b] and currently has the LONGEST FG in the UFL with a [b]53 Yard FG[/b]

That's pretty impressive and looking back, if Gano is the kicker..... Ravens beat the Vikings; Gano probably makes that 38 yard kick Steve missed today and Flacco from there probably takes the Ravens down field to take the Ravens/Bengals game into OT. That sits us at 5-3 one game behind the Bengals and tied with Pittsburgh. Can we take Gano off the UFL team now or do we have to wait for the league to end?

There's the update on the Kicker the Ravens cut in favor of Steve Hauschka.
[/quote]

Don't mean to hate on you here, but we would be tied with the bengals at 5-3 if we had beaten them today, and up until tommorow we would be one game behind pitt.... but thats of course if we were to have won today... bring gano back

[quote name='neepo13' date='08 November 2009 - 10:58 PM' timestamp='1257739096' post='278251']
That really irks me. Gano was truely a rookie and he's got a better leg. Harbaugh gambled on the wrong guy. If you were going to take the time to develop a kicker, which he clearly wants to do, why not go with the guy with more potential. But instead we cut him because he missed a couple of kicks, for a guy who missed a couple of kicks himself but just happened to make a few.
[/quote]
hmm almost sounds like a repeat story of joe flacco.... he looked horrible during T.C. and pre season... and boller and T. Smith looked "incredible" .... well we know how that ended.... no chance that the ravens could go 2 for 2 ?

[quote name='JO_75' date='08 November 2009 - 11:52 PM' timestamp='1257742375' post='278313']
I have to agree we are stuck with him for now, or at least until Stover is released from Indy and just maybe Ozzie will make the phone call and bring back Stover. I just can't believe Ozzie decided to cut Stover and bring in basically a rookie kicker and expect him to take over and turn into Mr. Automatic immediately. I know too there was the factor of not wanting to carry 2 kickers on the roster, which I understand but this year it seemed like the year we needed to have 2 kickers on the 53 man roster. Here's how I would have handled the kicking situation:

Sign Matt Stover to a 2 year deal, cut Hauschka put Graham Gano on the Practice Squad, have Gano develop on the PS and have a year to learn and develop from Stover and when Stover calls it quit for real Gano would have been ready to take over.
[/quote]

agreed

[Reddawn36]

[quote name='H8R' date='08 November 2009 - 11:59 PM' timestamp='1257742795' post='278318']
I remember Harbs saying in an interview that they made the decision on keeping Steve and "we'll see if that was the right one later down the road" At this point he picked the bum. Why even draft a kicker if you don't really want to keep him?
[/quote]

rookie free agent signee i thought

[H8R]

[quote name='Reddawn36' date='09 November 2009 - 12:10 AM' timestamp='1257743438' post='278333']
rookie free agent signee i thought
[/quote]

You're right, I mis spoke,

[DocMartin]

[quote name='Moderator 2' date='08 November 2009 - 08:02 PM' timestamp='1257728556' post='277985']
If you recall before Denver they brought in kickers.
[/quote]
Well, he wasn't the reason we lost the game, but sure helped it, in a way. I'm no sure if there are any good kickers available, but I got the feeling, that if misses another short one, he'll be on his way out.

[darklight1216]

[quote name='DocMartin' date='09 November 2009 - 12:30 AM' timestamp='1257744639' post='278370']
Well, he wasn't the reason we lost the game, but sure helped it, in a way. I'm no sure if there are any good kickers available, but I got the feeling, that [b]if misses another short one, he'll be on his way out.[/b]
[/quote]
Too little, too late.

[ravens1977]

Is it true what I heard that our kicker Hauschka lands his foot way too low on the ball and boots it too high, that is why he misses so much? I heard the CBS guys tlaking about that yesterday right after the missed FG attempt when we were down 7 - 17.

[jschultz]

Personally, I didn't like that the coaches called on him in that situation. The Bengals repeatedly showed real cajones going for it on 4th down on borderline ranges. We put the game in the hands of a kicker who's already shown himself not to like pressure. We needed a touchdown and more to tie so why put the game in the hands of a shaky kicker at that point? I'd much prefer putting such an important play in the hands of Rice. Once H missed our chances of tying or winning went really low.

[BmoreFlacco]

[quote name='jschultz' date='09 November 2009 - 01:01 AM' timestamp='1257746506' post='278392']
Personally, I didn't like that the coaches called on him in that situation. The Bengals repeatedly showed real cajones going for it on 4th down on borderline ranges. We put the game in the hands of a kicker who's already shown himself not to like pressure. We needed a touchdown and more to tie so why put the game in the hands of a shaky kicker at that point? I'd much prefer putting such an important play in the hands of Rice. Once H missed our chances of tying or winning went really low.
[/quote]
Yeah call me crazy, but Im not used to having a crap Defense where teams feel confident going for 4th downs on us! Our D used to take so much pride on 3rd down stops. Teams would be reluctant to go for it on 4th down..

[smashmouth]

I was one to believe we should give the guy a chance to become better. After the Min game I was mad, but still had feeling we should give him another chance.
But now its just getting bad, he needs to be demoted if and when Stover gets the boot from Indy. What ever happend to Gano? I'd rather give him a chance at this point.

[jschultz]

I can see the wisdom in trying to move on from Stover. His leg was getting weak and he required a kick off specialist on the roster too. So, I don't think going back to Stover is a good move, assuming he'd even have us back.

I'm not ready to declare H awful and done yet, but he is young and the coaches need to build him up by putting him in easy situations. Personally, when I have play makers like Flacco and Rice and I need a touchdown + more to tie, I wouldn't put the game in the hands of a shaky and young kicker unless I had no other choice (e.g. - 4 & 20).

[Ed_Reed_Pick_Six]

[u]I'm worried[/u]. Firstly, the two vital kicks that have been missed aren't huge in distance. [b]38 yards and 42 yards in fine weather and no wind/a dome must be made, especially in such tight games. [/b]

Now I won't for one instant imply I can do better, but his technique to me seems a tad off. I think he approaches the ball too directly, and needs to come in from more of an angle. If you approach too straight as a right-footed kicker, the ball will hook the way it did on these misses.

I just say this from several years of place kicking in Rugby. Different game and different ball, but essentially the same technique from what I can see. Just my thoughts. I think I speak for [i]everyone[/i] in saying I hope this situation is rectified.

[Reddawn36]

[quote name='jschultz' date='09 November 2009 - 01:01 AM' timestamp='1257746506' post='278392']
Personally, I didn't like that the coaches called on him in that situation. The Bengals repeatedly showed real cajones going for it on 4th down on borderline ranges. We put the game in the hands of a kicker who's already shown himself not to like pressure. We needed a touchdown and more to tie so why put the game in the hands of a shaky kicker at that point? I'd much prefer putting such an important play in the hands of Rice. Once H missed our chances of tying or winning went really low.
[/quote]

I mean honestly in a tactical perspective, looking at the situation in real time, it was the right call.... say what you want, but hind sight is 20/20, we needed a FG and a TD to go to OT... which would have put us in the position to win, if we don't score either on that first drive we lose, and would you really want to risk the O that was struggling all day against cincy? If they didn't get the TD I bet alot of you would have been asking we didn't go for the FG

[bauer77]

no. and to be honest i havent trusted him since the beginning. we should have kept stover. i no it would have been 2 roster spots taken but at least stover is pretty much a guarentee from inside the 40. thats why we had steve for 40+ last year. IMO we should bring back stover when indy lets him go

[Runnin Raven]

Sorry to say but Hauschka needs to go. He's mentally screwed now. Bring in Gano from that other league. I don't trust our ability to judge talent anymore either.

[Tomb]

Why we let Stover go still boggles my mind. Of course he can't kick forever, but he obviously still has plenty in the tank. Matt knew that and the damn Ravens knew that. As we've seen and know, the kicker is an extremely important position on the team and why it was left up to an unknown instead of a true professional is plainly a stupid decision which is costing the team. Can we also say Jim Leonard???

[shaikh015]

I don't trust this kicker with a 10 foot pole...After the Vikings game it all went down the tube...He has not done enough to change my perspective on things...You only get so many chances in this league...

[jschultz]

[quote name='Reddawn36' date='09 November 2009 - 09:24 AM' timestamp='1257773071' post='278502']
I mean honestly in a tactical perspective, looking at the situation in real time, it was the right call.... say what you want, but hind sight is 20/20, we needed a FG and a TD to go to OT... which would have put us in the position to win, if we don't score either on that first drive we lose, and would you really want to risk the O that was struggling all day against cincy? If they didn't get the TD I bet alot of you would have been asking we didn't go for the FG[/quote]
For me, it wasn't hindsight. When Harbs put the FG unit on my stomach dropped for exactly the reasons I listed above. This kicker is young and shaky. It was a high pressure situation and we haven't built this kid up yet by putting him in lots of easy situations. We were in a manageable field position 4th & 4 on the cincy 20 for the first down. We needed a TD + a stop / turnover + a FG to tie. We had driven deep into their territory with decent momentum; if you settle for the FG you'll have to do it again. I hate putting the game in the hands of a kicker (other than Stover).

In short, I'd much rather put the game in the hands of Ray Rice or Joe Flacco than our kicker.

I know it's his job and he is supposed to be able to do it, but you have to evaluate your player's performances and go with your strengths while avoiding your weaknesses.

[Whitty Hutton]

Kid looked suicidal on the sideline after the miss yesterday. I give this guy one more blown clutch kick til he loses his mind and turns into Ray Finkle

[ravensfan160]

[quote name='PuRock' date='09 November 2009 - 12:52 PM' timestamp='1257789128' post='278787']
So you think he'll have a sex change?
[/quote]
And kidnap Dan Marino?