The Kicking Game

Some more numbers on Suisham:

He's hitting on 84.6%, the league average is 82.1%.

From 30-39 this year he's 7 of 8.

From 40-49 this year he's 9 of 11.

He's been pretty damn solid. The numbers don't lie.

I'm happy w/shazam, makes the kicks he's expected to w/in 40 yards & is pretty decent beyond that, that's about all we can ask for.

Someone might get on me for taking it way back to 1999, but since you bring it up... Am i the only one who still has nightmares of Kip Vickers getting beat all day long in that game? My position was always that if Andy Heck was healthy he would have been able to slow down the pass rush enough that the Skins could have won. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Vickers give up a sack just before that field goal attempt that made it much longer than it would have been otherwise?

I got a chance to work with Heck a bit when I was at UVa and mentioned that to him once. He agreed (of course), though he also said that he thought that if they beat Tampa then they would have taken out St. Louis and gone to the dance. Not sure about that one.

Sorry for the digression. That one sticks with me for some reason. Maybe I need to get some counseling or something :)
I think we would have beaten St. Louis if we hade made that kick. We had already kicked there butts that year during the season and if I remember correctly St .Louis barley beat the Buc's.
That Buc's playoff game still hurt's me when I think about it.

thanks for the stats, i guess im giving shazaam alil bit of an unfair shake . . just dont have too much confidence in him but he is a servicable kicker which we havent had in awhile.

ps - i saw dexter manley and his big ol' superbowl ring at lunch today!! said whats up, nice guy, real nice suit with red socks! the man can dress

lol....What do I think of Shazaam?...just read my signature... :D

I still stand by it...

thanks for the stats, i guess im giving shazaam alil bit of an unfair shake . . just dont have too much confidence in him but he is a servicable kicker which we havent had in awhile.

ps - i saw dexter manley and his big ol' superbowl ring at lunch today!! said whats up, nice guy, real nice suit with red socks! the man can dress

I think you were on to something but didn't quite put your finger on it. He's only 1-3 on 50+ FGs in his career because coaches don't feel comfortable with giving him a shot from that distance. He doesn't have the kind of leg that inspires confidence there, so Gibbs typically prefers to either go for it or just punt when faced with a 50 yarder.

He has been very solid on the medium and short range FGs. Overall I like him. But the % stats are a little misleading, because the best kickers in the league are going to get several shots from that distance each year, and will hit on more than half of them.

He'll do. Nothing special, and not a long term answer, but I'll take merely reliable given where we've been recently.

I'd disagree that he can't be a long term answer. Kickers typically only get better over time and based on what he's done here, why can't he be our long term answer??

I'd disagree that he can't be a long term answer. Kickers typically only get better over time and based on what he's done here, why can't he be our long term answer??

Because legs don't usually get stronger with age.

If I were running the team I'd be searching for an upgrade in leg strength, especially for kickoffs. At the same time, I'd be perfectly fine keeping the guy until I found an upgrade.

To echo the only gets better over time statement, there is a reason Morten Andersen is still playing at Age 47.

When I think of the league's most consistent kickers, I come up with Jason Hanson (37, 15 years in league), Jason Elam (37, 14), John Kasey (38, 16), Matt Stover (39, 17), David Akers (33, 10), John Carney (43, 19). It takes time to figure out consistency. These guys have been doing it for years.

Suisham is in his 3rd year, and kicking at an 85% clip. Not too shabby...the Skins have the opportunity to foster his ability and watch him grow as a kicker. The carousel the Skins have been on kicker-wise hopefully has come to an end with Suisham.

To echo the only gets better over time statement, there is a reason Morten Andersen is still playing at Age 47.

When I think of the league's most consistent kickers, I come up with Jason Hanson (37, 15 years in league), Jason Elam (37, 14), John Kasey (38, 16), Matt Stover (39, 17), David Akers (33, 10), John Carney (43, 19). It takes time to figure out consistency. These guys have been doing it for years.

Suisham is in his 3rd year, and kicking at an 85% clip. Not too shabby...the Skins have the opportunity to foster his ability and watch him grow as a kicker. The carousel the Skins have been on kicker-wise hopefully has come to an end with Suisham.

Yes but all those guys you named have huge legs.

Suisham is very accurate, which is great and you need that, but he's not long like those guys.