We need competition for Suisham

Let's look at his numbers since there seems to be too much subjective opinion being tossed around here for my taste. He was definitely in the top 15 in most categories. Let's take a look:

Points: 13th
%: 23rd
FG attempts: 5th
FG made: 5th
20/29: 11th (10/10)
30/39: 11th (8/10)
40/49: 3rd (10/13)
50+: 12th (1/2)


Link: ESPN - NFL Football Statistics and League Leaders - National Football League (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/statistics?stat=kick&league=nfl&season=2&year=2007)

I guess leg strength doesn't matter?

By your standards Morton Anderson is a stud. 25 of 28, (89.3%), 24 of 24 (100%) PAT's. (47 yards was his long)
Suisham 29 of 35 (82.9%), 29 of 30 PAT's (96.7%). (50 was his long)

By those numbers, Anderson is better...maybe we should have invited him into camp? (note- sarcasm)

Who here would take Anderson over Suisham???? This is a case where stats don't prove everything. Let us not forget that missed kick vs Seattle, and he just missed an easy kick in his first preseason game.

Suisham was 18 for 20 inside 39. Only 6 players had more attempts from that length.

There's no baaaaah there, just numbers.

Since you editted this in, I will make a separate comment on it.

Do you recall how he hit that 50 yarder? It was WITH the wind. His other 50 yard attempt was short. Where in your numbers does it show leg strength? Cause at this point, I think we can all safely assume you could care less about leg strength. Is that true? I think several of us would have been happy with a kicker just to do kickoffs at the league min. Someone who could reach the endzone.

Side note, football reference has him down as 0 attempts from 50. I wonder how often they are wrong?

Shaun Suisham Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/suishsha01.htm)

Since you editted this in, I will make a separate comment on it.

Do you recall how he hit that 50 yarder? It was WITH the wind. His other 50 yard attempt was short. Where in your numbers does it show leg strength? Cause at this point, I think we can all safely assume you could care less about leg strength. Is that true? I think several of us would have been happy with a kicker just to do kickoffs at the league min. Someone who could reach the endzone.

Side note, football reference has him down as 0 attempts from 50. I wonder how often they are wrong?

Shaun Suisham Statistics - Pro-Football-Reference.com (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/suishsha01.htm)

So you would prefer Sebastian Janikowski, then?

I think some people are forgetting what it is like to have a bad kicker. I also think some are completely ignorant to the level of skill held by a large portion of NFL kickers. There are maybe 5 kickers in the NFL who are clearly better than Suisham. The rest are essentially the same guy. All prone to good times and bad times. I have no problem with competition but it has to be real competition and no one has even sniffed at mentioning a guy who could have been brought to really provide competition. Bringing someone in just to provide some mockish competition is silly because it takes a roster spot from a position player that WE NEED to keep our 53 guys fresh and healthy. If we could have brought in say Vinatieri for competition we'd do it obviously but if the competition is someone like Nick Novak then what the hell is the point? If Suisham goes into a funk and sucks wind then we'll go find another guy off the scrap heap. But having some other stiff in camp taking up a roster spot justs seems dumb. I dont see how it helps the kicking game or our team.

I know it won't help this season, but I'd love to see Vinny use a late round choice in the next draft to select PK Sam Swank from Wake Forest. Swank has hit a number of 50 yard FGs in his career. I saw him live at UVA last year, and the guy puts serious height AND depth on his kickoffs.

The highest rated kicker in the draft was Brandon Coutu from Georgia. He has the strong leg (kicked a 58 yarder at UGA) .... one of the strongest you'll ever see with range extending to 60+

He is currently in competition with Olindo Mare in Seattle... I'm pretty sure the Skins would bring him in to compete if the Seahawks cut him.

The 2nd rated kicker in the draft was Piotr Czech from Wagner.. He's 6'5" and has range well over 50 making a 56 yarder last season.

"04/29/08 - Two of the greatest and most decorated football players in Wagner College history, kicker/punter Piotr Czech (Keyport, NJ/ Keyport) and cornerback/return specialist Al Phillips (Hialeah, FL/ American), have signed NFL free agent contracts with the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets, respectively. Czech, an American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-American, possessed the strongest leg of any placekicker to ever compete in the Northeast Conference during its 12-year football history. The 6-foot-5 inch Czech converted on field goal attempts of 56 and 50 yards this season. The 56-yarder, which came against Saint Francis (PA) at windy Wagner College Stadium, is the longest in league and Wagner history. With two successful tries from 54 yards out during the 2006 season, Czech now owns the three longest field goals ever converted in the NEC. His accuracy was also second to none as evidenced by his 84.2 percent (16-19) field goal success rate. Czech's strong leg was also a major weapon on kick-offs. In addition, his 40.2 yards per punt average was third-best in the league and his net average of 36.68 yards was the conference's best mark and the nation's seventh-highest average. He dropped 26 of his 64 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. "During the final round of the draft, I started receiving calls from various teams," said Czech. "The Ravens were the team that showed the most interest. Their special teams coach, Jerry Rosburg, called me and indicated that he was excited to have me come down and show what I can do. "They have a veteran kicker in Matt Stover who has been in the league a long time," Czech added. "So, they wanted to bring in a young guy to compete with him. I am grateful for this opportunity and I am looking forward to going down there and doing my best." - Wagner Football "

Czech is trying to unseat Matt Stover in Baltimore so that is another competition to keep an eye on.
Baltimore Ravens' Realm: Piotr Czech works hard to prove his mettle - Examiner.com (http://www.examiner.com/a-1512170~Baltimore_Ravens__Realm__Piotr_Czech_works _hard_to_prove_his_mettle.html?cid=rss-Baltimore)

So you would prefer Sebastian Janikowski, then?

If we could have gotten him for league min solely to do kickoffs, then absolutely. He instantly would get us 10+ yards on every kick. But your comment proves a point...no one gave Janikowski competition in Oakland, and how did that turn out for him?

BTW- Janikowski gets a bad wrap because his FG% is always low. However, he made 6 50+ FG's last year, and had 11 attempts from 50+.
From 20-39 Suisham missed 2 FG's, Janikowski, only 1. Also, in Janikowski's 8 year career, he has missed only 11 fg's from 20-39. (that's an average of a little over 1 a year, 1.375) Any kicker should be able to hit FG's from 20-39, but the measure of a kicker is how good he is from long range. No one really wants a kicker that can't kick from 50. So to answer your question, if we brought in Janikowski to compete, then I would have been ecstatic about that. If Suisham beat him out in camp, then he deserves the job.

I think some people are forgetting what it is like to have a bad kicker. I also think some are completely ignorant to the level of skill held by a large portion of NFL kickers. There are maybe 5 kickers in the NFL who are clearly better than Suisham. The rest are essentially the same guy. All prone to good times and bad times. I have no problem with competition but it has to be real competition and no one has even sniffed at mentioning a guy who could have been brought to really provide competition. Bringing someone in just to provide some mockish competition is silly because it takes a roster spot from a position player that WE NEED to keep our 53 guys fresh and healthy. If we could have brought in say Vinatieri for competition we'd do it obviously but if the competition is someone like Nick Novak then what the hell is the point? If Suisham goes into a funk and sucks wind then we'll go find another guy off the scrap heap. But having some other stiff in camp taking up a roster spot justs seems dumb. I dont see how it helps the kicking game or our team.

So you're saying Suisham is a "dime a dozen" type of player...yet he has NO COMPETITION for his job. You don't see a problem with that?

The highest rated kicker in the draft was Brandon Coutu from Georgia. He has the strong leg (kicked a 58 yarder at UGA) .... one of the strongest you'll ever see with range extending to 60+

He is currently in competition with Olindo Mare in Seattle... I'm pretty sure the Skins would bring him in to compete if the Seahawks cut him.

The 2nd rated kicker in the draft was Piotr Czech from Wagner.. He's 6'5" and has range well over 50 making a 56 yarder last season.

"04/29/08 - Two of the greatest and most decorated football players in Wagner College history, kicker/punter Piotr Czech (Keyport, NJ/ Keyport) and cornerback/return specialist Al Phillips (Hialeah, FL/ American), have signed NFL free agent contracts with the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets, respectively. Czech, an American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-American, possessed the strongest leg of any placekicker to ever compete in the Northeast Conference during its 12-year football history. The 6-foot-5 inch Czech converted on field goal attempts of 56 and 50 yards this season. The 56-yarder, which came against Saint Francis (PA) at windy Wagner College Stadium, is the longest in league and Wagner history. With two successful tries from 54 yards out during the 2006 season, Czech now owns the three longest field goals ever converted in the NEC. His accuracy was also second to none as evidenced by his 84.2 percent (16-19) field goal success rate. Czech's strong leg was also a major weapon on kick-offs. In addition, his 40.2 yards per punt average was third-best in the league and his net average of 36.68 yards was the conference's best mark and the nation's seventh-highest average. He dropped 26 of his 64 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. "During the final round of the draft, I started receiving calls from various teams," said Czech. "The Ravens were the team that showed the most interest. Their special teams coach, Jerry Rosburg, called me and indicated that he was excited to have me come down and show what I can do. "They have a veteran kicker in Matt Stover who has been in the league a long time," Czech added. "So, they wanted to bring in a young guy to compete with him. I am grateful for this opportunity and I am looking forward to going down there and doing my best." - Wagner Football "

Czech is trying to unseat Matt Stover in Baltimore so that is another competition to keep an eye on.
Baltimore Ravens' Realm: Piotr Czech works hard to prove his mettle - Examiner.com (http://www.examiner.com/a-1512170~Baltimore_Ravens__Realm__Piotr_Czech_works _hard_to_prove_his_mettle.html?cid=rss-Baltimore)

Excellent post.

Odd that Stover (who is better than Suisham IMO and is a HOF kicker if the HOF took kickers seriously, but age is a factor) is in competition for his job but not Suisham.
I may be recalling incorrectly, but isn't there a back up kicker "competing" in the Colts camp too?

If we could have gotten him for league min solely to do kickoffs, then absolutely. He instantly would get us 10+ yards on every kick. But your comment proves a point...no one gave Janikowski competition in Oakland, and how did that turn out for him?

BTW- Janikowski gets a bad wrap because his FG% is always low. However, he made 6 50+ FG's last year, and had 11 attempts from 50+.
From 20-39 Suisham missed 2 FG's, Janikowski, only 1. Also, in Janikowski's 8 year career, he has missed only 11 fg's from 20-39. (that's an average of a little over 1 a year, 1.375) Any kicker should be able to hit FG's from 20-39, but the measure of a kicker is how good he is from long range. No one really wants a kicker that can't kick from 50. So to answer your question, if we brought in Janikowski to compete, then I would have been ecstatic about that. If Suisham beat him out in camp, then he deserves the job.

Suisham was more accurate inside of 50 yards last season. 81% to 85% in favor of Suisham, so Janikowski deserves his bad rap. He's a mediocre kicker with a big leg.

I think carrying 2 kickers is a waste of a roster spot. It's pretty difficult to shave down a roster and being forced to carry 2 kickers doesn't make it any easier.

The ideal thing would be to get a great kicker, sign him for forever and forget about the position, but there aren't that many out there.

Now, I'm not really saying he shouldn't have had to compete, I just disagree that because Suisham doesn't have a big leg, he shouldn't be on the team. If Brooks works at punter, they should see if he can kick kickoffs, but I don't want to see a second kicker who only kicks kickoffs and 50+ yard field goals.