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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:26 pm
by MDSKINSFAN
JSPB22 wrote:
Fios wrote:A 2 game opinion ... thank god fans don't run the team

Unfortunately, they do.

Image


:lol: i was gonna post something like that until i saw yours. it is true. he's just one, big, rich redskins fan

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:02 pm
by KazooSkinsFan
Redskin in Canada wrote:A thought provoking but demeaning insult against other posters whose only sin appears to be the expression of diverse opinions on a punter position.

Interestingly, the same statement can be equally re-arranged to read:

A fan who's accomplished a lot more than most of the rest. A FAN who in imparting HIS endless knowledge of how to run a football organization actually demonstrates only HIS complete lack of knowledge in running a football organization.

As opposed to "most other fans" who may express opinions which may or may not be shared by others and whose consequences are harmless to the future of the team, the opinion of this ONE fan has proven to produce nothing but a dismal record of failure in an endeavour he knows only precisely as a fan.

But let me address the main topic of the thread. I liked Frost as a person even if his performance was far from outstanding at times. His record this season has been good with his next team. Some might wish to recall the professional career of a certain pro-bowl kicker named Akers for a perspective on what might happen to us -again-.

I hope the new guy will perform well for us. He has all the tools to be a great player with us. He should also be given a decent opportunity to succeed before we have ourselves another Akers, or another Frost succeeding elsewhere.

Question. Do you think your statement that it's "demeaning" to criticize anyone holding a view is hypocrisy on your part? Have you criticized anyone, say people who DEFEND Dan Snyder before? Have you had a live and let live attitude towards every holder of every view or have you criticized them before? We'll go with your answer, if you can say honestly you've never criticized anyone who holds any view before we'll go with that.

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:58 pm
by Champsturf
crazyhorse1 wrote:
Irn-Bru wrote:How many bad games did we have with Frost?

It may only be the second game, but I'm willing to give Brooks a little more time to adjust. Everyone gets at least one.


Not time yet to worry about Brooks. He'll kick like he did it college or improve. It's BS that it's harder to kick in the NFL than other places. In fact, the conditions in the pros are better than they are in college.
Tell Mike Nugent that...He was $$$ for the Buckeyes, from ANYWHERE! He's not doing quite as well with the Jets...

As far as Brooks goes, leave the kid alone. He just started. If he sucks in a couple of YEARS, not games, then we can try again with a new punter.

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 9:32 am
by saratogan
How many rookies in other positions have a bad game? When they have a bad game, do we call for them to be axed?

Give Brooks some time. I hope the coaches give him some support. His potential is huge. His past 4 years proves that. His pre-season shows that. His first game was good.

I do wonder if holding for field goals is affecting his mental state. Did the bobble that cost a field goal carry over into the remainder of the game?

I think, as another blogger elsewhere commented, why not have a QB ( I like Brennan for this) be the holder? Then you have the option of a pass and that makes the special teams on the other side always have to account for that possibility.

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 9:57 am
by SkinsFreak
saratogan wrote:I hope the coaches give him some support. His potential is huge.

First, welcome saratogan, glad to have you join us.



Here is a piece I thought was good...

For Redskins' Brooks, It's Punt or Be Punted

Early during practice yesterday at Redskins Park, Vinny Cerrato, Washington's executive vice president of football operations, left the seat he usually occupies to watch team drills and focused on the Redskins' biggest concern. As struggling rookie punter Durant Brooks worked individually on a side field with special teams coach Danny Smith, Cerrato closely monitored the session, often standing a few yards from the player he drafted.

After a poor performance in Sunday's 29-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints, Brooks is attempting to regain his confidence and retain his job. Brooks averaged 33 yards on his only two punts, and Reggie Bush returned his ineffective second punt 55 yards for a touchdown.

Apparently, Brooks must work quickly. If he fails to show significant improvement this week against the Arizona Cardinals at FedEx Field, Brooks said, the Redskins probably would bring in punters to challenge for the job. Brooks became the starter less than three weeks ago after competing with veteran Derrick Frost in training camp and the preseason.

Shaken by a bad experience in only his second game, Brooks said he still believes he has the mettle to make it in the NFL. The Redskins also plan to provide more help for veteran punt returner Antwaan Randle El, who is off to a slow start, but Brooks is under the most scrutiny as the Redskins strive for better special teams play.

"Wednesdays don't [mean] a damn to me. I need to see something on Sunday," Smith said. "We're working at it. He's a young kid and, really, it's very, very difficult. He has not punted the ball well. There's a lot of bad punting going on in the league, and we happen to be in the middle of [it], which I don't like, and nobody likes. We're going to weather the storm and hope he comes out of it quick."

From the outset of practice yesterday, Smith directed Brooks in a lengthy workout, simulating scenarios Brooks could encounter during games. As Smith held a stopwatch and provided instruction, Brooks received snaps from Pro Bowl long snapper Ethan Albright and punted as he normally would in most situations, from his end zone and directionally. Place kicker Shaun Suisham stood at the opposite end of the field and shouted out the yard lines where balls landed.

"We've put him in some tough situations," Smith said. "God knows I'm hard on him. I'm not easy on him. I'm real hard on him, but he's got to punt well on Sundays."

Brooks also worked on his holds after botching one on a short field goal try against the Saints that contributed to a miss by Suisham. Brooks caught balls Albright fed through a machine at different angles, and while he mishandled one snap, he said he was pleased overall with his effort.

"I can do it," Brooks said. "I have the ability. There were a lot of little things that went wrong in that game. There were things that I can fix, things that I know I have to fix, because that can't ever happen again."

Smith agrees. He has been supportive of Brooks since Cerrato made the unusual move of drafting a punter, selecting Brooks from Georgia Tech in the sixth round with the 168th overall pick. Brooks won the Ray Guy Award as college football's top punter in the 2007 season.

Brooks had a 42.8-yard average on 13 punts -- of which five were downed inside the 20 -- in the preseason. Through the Redskins' first two regular season games, however, Brooks has a 36.8-yard average, and a net of 28.3 yards, on nine punts.

"He's got to execute under pressure," Smith said. "He's got to execute under pressure to prove that he belongs in this league. We, I thought, had the same pressure in the preseason, but, obviously, that hasn't been true. He's got to get it going. He's got to get it going quick. We don't have a timeline or [have said], 'Hey, it's got to be this punt, or it's got to be this next play.' But we need to see improvement."


Glad to see Brooks is getting some one-on-one attention and coaching from Smith.

Link

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:08 am
by PulpExposure
Redskin in Canada wrote:[His record this season has been good with his next team.


RiC, you do know that in the last game, Frost let a ball go through his hands and out of the endzone for a safety...

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:25 am
by Fios
PulpExposure wrote:
Redskin in Canada wrote:[His record this season has been good with his next team.


RiC, you do know that in the last game, Frost let a ball go through his hands and out of the endzone for a safety...


I look forward to seeing how this is Snyder's fault

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:40 am
by BnGhog
I think Brooks will get better. That was his first game in the NFL ever. There has to be some nerves. And now that all this pressure is on him, makes it even harder for him to relax and do what he does.

I just hope he is given a real chance.

Also, I would like to see Colt holding for field goals. That leaves the option for fakes. And I would bet Colt has better hands.

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:23 am
by SkinsJock
Danny Smith is one of the best Teams coaches in the league and he will help Brooks be as good as he can be. IF that is up to the standard the Redskins expect, then he will continue to be our punter. We saw (with Frost) what happens when you don't measure up.

I thought it was the better decision to keep Brooks over Frost - I am very surprised that some would think a player was kept because he was a draft pick and not because he was considered a better player for the team than the other options at that position.

I also think that Smith wants to have his punter or a ST player as the holder because he is always available whereas a back-up QB has other things to do and is not always available to Smith for practice. I think that is just how Smith likes to do things with the holder.

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 12:51 pm
by Paralis
BnGhog wrote:I think Brooks will get better. That was his first game in the NFL ever. There has to be some nerves. And now that all this pressure is on him, makes it even harder for him to relax and do what he does.

I just hope he is given a real chance.

Also, I would like to see Colt holding for field goals. That leaves the option for fakes. And I would bet Colt has better hands.


Colt can't come into the game, in any capacity, until the 4th quarter unless he's part of the 45-man roster, or Campbell and Collins become ineligible for return to the game.

But, yeah. Durant Brooks sucks. So does Derrick Frost. So does, and so has, most of the special teams performance from the Skins (kickoff returns aside) for the last few years. Although he's a rookie, I hardly think he deserves special notice for his shortcomings.

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 2:01 pm
by VetSkinsFan
Paralis wrote:
BnGhog wrote:I think Brooks will get better. That was his first game in the NFL ever. There has to be some nerves. And now that all this pressure is on him, makes it even harder for him to relax and do what he does.

I just hope he is given a real chance.

Also, I would like to see Colt holding for field goals. That leaves the option for fakes. And I would bet Colt has better hands.


Colt can't come into the game, in any capacity, until the 4th quarter unless he's part of the 45-man roster, or Campbell and Collins become ineligible for return to the game.

But, yeah. Durant Brooks sucks. So does Derrick Frost. So does, and so has, most of the special teams performance from the Skins (kickoff returns aside) for the last few years. Although he's a rookie, I hardly think he deserves special notice for his shortcomings.


He could if he was moved to #2 :twisted:

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 2:43 pm
by BnGhog
I forgot about that. Well, have Collins do it.

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:10 pm
by vwoodzpusha
Irn-Bru wrote:How many bad games did we have with Frost?

It may only be the second game, but I'm willing to give Brooks a little more time to adjust. Everyone gets at least one.


I cringed everytime Frost took a punt because you never knew what would happen. It seemed like when we needed a short punt we got a long one...when we needed a long one we got a short one...Give Brooks sometime and I think everyone will be happy with him.

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 6:16 pm
by Thundersloth
Here's the thing about punters and place kickers, during practices, they don't have to go through individual drills, then group drills, then team drills, they just kick.

They don't have to worry about learning complex offensive or defensive schemes. They kick. I'm not saying they're not important, punters can change the battle of field position and place kickers score points that could potentially win the game.

Having said all that, it's only the second game of the season. I hope the kid does well and I think he will...eventually. I just wish we could have picked up a solid offensive or defensive player and signed a punter as a free agent instead of drafting one.

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:09 pm
by Gibbs4Life
When was the last time we faked a field goal? I can't remember any under Gibbs. Durant should get some slack, he's new at this and we know he has the leg, he'll come around

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:13 pm
by CanesSkins26
Having said all that, it's only the second game of the season. I hope the kid does well and I think he will...eventually. I just wish we could have picked up a solid offensive or defensive player and signed a punter as a free agent instead of drafting one.


Agree 100%. There was no reason whatsoever to draft a punter. No other NFL did.

Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:51 pm
by BigRedskinDaddy
Warmother wrote:I think Brooks will work out eventually, but I think the Skin's should find somebody else to hold for kicks. Let Brook's consentrate on punting only.
Why can't Todd Collin's be the holder? If nothing else the threat of a fake FG would be there.


I like your thinking, Warmother. Two birds with one stone. I hope they put TC back there soon.

Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 5:26 am
by Redskin in Canada
KazooSkinsFan wrote:
Redskin in Canada wrote:A thought provoking but demeaning insult against other posters whose only sin appears to be the expression of diverse opinions on a punter position.

Interestingly, the same statement can be equally re-arranged to read:

A fan who's accomplished a lot more than most of the rest. A FAN who in imparting HIS endless knowledge of how to run a football organization actually demonstrates only HIS complete lack of knowledge in running a football organization.

As opposed to "most other fans" who may express opinions which may or may not be shared by others and whose consequences are harmless to the future of the team, the opinion of this ONE fan has proven to produce nothing but a dismal record of failure in an endeavour he knows only precisely as a fan.

But let me address the main topic of the thread. I liked Frost as a person even if his performance was far from outstanding at times. His record this season has been good with his next team. Some might wish to recall the professional career of a certain pro-bowl kicker named Akers for a perspective on what might happen to us -again-.

I hope the new guy will perform well for us. He has all the tools to be a great player with us. He should also be given a decent opportunity to succeed before we have ourselves another Akers, or another Frost succeeding elsewhere.

Question. Do you think your statement that it's "demeaning" to criticize anyone holding a view is hypocrisy on your part? Have you criticized anyone, say people who DEFEND Dan Snyder before? Have you had a live and let live attitude towards every holder of every view or have you criticized them before? We'll go with your answer, if you can say honestly you've never criticized anyone who holds any view before we'll go with that.

As tempted as I had been, I have never called you a hypocrite. No name calling is allowed in this forum according to the rules and I always try to engage in intelligent and educated debates. I referred to your statement as DEMEANING of others who hold a different view than yours simply because you seemed to give greater value to the views of the owner simply because, in YOUR view, he has "accomplished" more than most other fans.

First of all, the adjective "accomplished" depends on what you mean, Is it money? Then you may be right. But this would not be the case in my book according to my values. I consider people, fans included, ACCOMPLISHED according to their values and the consistency with which they live their lives according to those values. There are tons of people in the world with A LOT LESS MONEY for whom I have much greater respect than the favourite laughing-stock of the NFL.

Second, the issue of Dan Snyder was brought up by JSPB as an ironic statement and by -you- as a way to criticize the views of others posters. I just showed how easy is to change your own statement to demonstrate his incompetence as a fan and not a professional football expert.

I could care less if some decide to like or dislike Dan Snyder or whether others agree with me or not. But I will NEVER use the term "accomplishment" associated with his name as a way to try to put other posters down with which I might have differences of opinion.

Let us hope that this time, for an exceptional change, you can stick to the point of contention and not build a straw man over different points which I have not argued in this or other posts in this thread.

Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 5:40 am
by Redskin in Canada
PulpExposure wrote:
Redskin in Canada wrote:[His record this season has been good with his next team.


RiC, you do know that in the last game, Frost let a ball go through his hands and out of the endzone for a safety...

First of all, my point was not that he was a GREAT player with us. If you review my post, I even said that his performance had been far less that spectacular at times with us. I said that I liked him as a person. Please check his interview with US. He was one of the few players to ever give us HIS time to speak to THN. I like and I am grateful for that.

My second point was that there had been ALREADY another example of a player who did not pan out with us and we were all too quick to get rid off far too soon. That kicker, AKERS, has been playing as a STELLAR pro-bowl kicker for the hated Pheagles for years. What gives? Bad coaching or a Front Office with the lack of knowledge to scout talent and give them enough time to fluorish with us or both ???

My point is also that Frost may still prove this move wrong with another team. And quite frankly, I hope he does.

At the same time, I see already some urgency among some fans to repeat the same darn cycle all over again. The punter screws up ONE game and some fans are ready to dump him. I do wonder if they could hold themselves in their professonal lives to the same degree of scrutiny and accountability during their first day at work that they put these players under.

The new punter had his FIRST game in the NFL. It does not take much to feel that kind of pressure. Give him time, after all, he was DRAFTED due to his brilliant track record in college.

I hope this clarifies my views.

Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 7:20 am
by BossHog
Seems to be a lot of beating around the bush in this thread...

So far - Brooks has been awful. A liability. It doesn't matter how you want to dial it up, if your punter starts costing you valuable field position game after game, you replace him. Have him pull a hamstring and have to go on the IR.

- It's no more likely that a punter will succeed in the NFL, than any other former college stand out. Plenty of examples of them not panning out every year...

- A kicker doesn't have to forget how to kick, to lose his confidence.

- Had the Redskins not drafted Brooks, the only thing that would have prevented him from being cut after the last two games, would be the fact that he wouldn't likely have won the spot in the first place.

- I know Frosty might have shanked the odd one and at bad times, but that's better than shanking every one, and I don't care if Frost happened to have a snap go through his hands this weekend, it didn't happen in Washington, and I know from talking to Suisham that (he thought) Frost was an exceptional holder. Obviously making kicks is Suisham's job, but he's established that he is very dependable, and right now, the FG unit looks to still be trying to get their rhythm down. That's an added negative that rarely gets addressed in the equation.

But we have to sleep in the beds we make, so my vote - give him another game while you look for a possile alternative. If he shows signs of coming around - leave it be. If he bombs again this weekend, then you have to start thinking about what's best for the team. You can't keep averaging 5.5 net yards per punt and bobbling snaps. IMO, he's had one good punt this season. You can't continue to dump field position and expect to stay competitive - especially not in the NFC East.

Wake up kid - just because you were drafted, doesn't mean that you can't play your way out of a job... at least it SHOULDN'T.


My 2 cents

Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:12 am
by VetSkinsFan
BossHog wrote:Seems to be a lot of beating around the bush in this thread...

So far - Brooks has been awful. A liability. It doesn't matter how you want to dial it up, if your punter starts costing you valuable field position game after game, you replace him. Have him pull a hamstring and have to go on the IR.

- It's no more likely that a punter will succeed in the NFL, than any other former college stand out. Plenty of examples of them not panning out every year...

- A kicker doesn't have to forget how to kick, to lose his confidence.

- Had the Redskins not drafted Brooks, the only thing that would have prevented him from being cut after the last two games, would be the fact that he wouldn't likely have won the spot in the first place.

- I know Frosty might have shanked the odd one and at bad times, but that's better than shanking every one, and I don't care if Frost happened to have a snap go through his hands this weekend, it didn't happen in Washington, and I know from talking to Suisham that (he thought) Frost was an exceptional holder. Obviously making kicks is Suisham's job, but he's established that he is very dependable, and right now, the FG unit looks to still be trying to get their rhythm down. That's an added negative that rarely gets addressed in the equation.

But we have to sleep in the beds we make, so my vote - give him another game while you look for a possile alternative. If he shows signs of coming around - leave it be. If he bombs again this weekend, then you have to start thinking about what's best for the team. You can't keep averaging 5.5 net yards per punt and bobbling snaps. IMO, he's had one good punt this season. You can't continue to dump field position and expect to stay competitive - especially not in the NFC East.

Wake up kid - just because you were drafted, doesn't mean that you can't play your way out of a job... at least it SHOULDN'T.


My 2 cents


Isn't logic and straightforwardness against the rules here?

Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:50 am
by Irn-Bru
BossHog wrote:- I know Frosty might have shanked the odd one and at bad times, but that's better than shanking every one


I also thought that we saw marked improvement each year that he stayed on the squad.

I don't care if Frost happened to have a snap go through his hands this weekend, it didn't happen in Washington, and I know from talking to Suisham that (he thought) Frost was an exceptional holder. Obviously making kicks is Suisham's job, but he's established that he is very dependable, and right now, the FG unit looks to still be trying to get their rhythm down. That's an added negative that rarely gets addressed in the equation.


My dad really wants the Skins to use Collins as the holder, and I think I tend to agree with him here. Maybe Brooks can handle it a year or two from now.

Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 12:11 pm
by KazooSkinsFan
Irn-Bru wrote:My dad really wants the Skins to use Collins as the holder, and I think I tend to agree with him here. Maybe Brooks can handle it a year or two from now.

It would be good to let Brooks focus on punting right now.

Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 12:31 pm
by Deadskins
Wow! holding suddenly became an important part of the equation in deciding who got the punting job. Where did I read that before?

Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 1:52 pm
by Countertrey
Wow. I mean, when the standard for all time quality punting in DC is Sam Baugh, and the consistency standard for the last 30 years is Mike Bragg... to find the occasional game changing "at the worst possible time" shanked punt to be acceptable is... well, wow. I mean, you could practically set your watch by it... late in the 4th quarter, 'skins up by 3, need a big punt from their 30... and Frosty'd drive it 14 yards out of bounds. Same punt, up by 20... probably get ripped for 70 yards...

Look, Frosty is a good guy... and as punters go, is one hell of a tackler... plus, he has a true Ray Guy cannon for a leg... but he had absolutely no focus unless he was fighting for his job. It simply isn't practical to keep an extra punter on hand, simply to help pressure him keep his focus.

He had ample time to convince management that he could be reliable... and couldn't.

Time to move on.

Come on, Brooks... time to settle down, rook.