The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

hkHog wrote:Remember, kicker may be the strongest and deepest position in FA this year. I wouldn't be surprised if we went that route to pick up a PK. I think that's more likely than getting one through the draft.

darkwing99 wrote:The kicker from Memphis looks good, and I would for once like to get a young kicker who will be with us for a long time. Our pick in the 6th round = Gostkowski, Stephen

Comon , I think he will be perfect. A young kicker with a very strong leg and good size, and has depth on kickoffs for us. What do you guys think?

hkHog wrote:Remember, kicker may be the strongest and deepest position in FA this year. I wouldn't be surprised if we went that route to pick up a PK. I think that's more likely than getting one through the draft.

Place-kicker
Last season New England placed its franchise tag on Adam Vinatieri, a 10-year veteran who remains a model of consistency. Vinatieri gets the ball up quickly and with authority, handles poor weather extremely well and arguably is the best high-pressure kicker in the history of the league. Expect the Patriots to franchise him again if they aren't able to come to terms on a long-term deal.
Mike Vanderjagt probably is headed out of Indianapolis, especially in the wake of his badly shanked attempt (which would have tied the game) in the Colts' playoff loss to Pittsburgh. He missed only two field goals last season and accounted for 121 points, but Vanderjagt has caused some friction in the locker room in the past. He still is an excellent kicker and, far more often than not, has been effective in pressure situations.

Though his home field is indoors, Vanderjagt has performed well in the elements. One glaring weakness: his poor performance on kickoffs. Worse, Vanderjagt openly dislikes those duties and doesn't want to work to get better at them. That said, there will be a strong market for his services.
Matt Bryant, Todd Peterson and Joe Nedney were solid last season, and their respective teams would love to bring each of them back.

Minnesota's Paul Edinger was inconsistent in 2005, but he has loads of talent. Potential suitors might be somewhat turned off by his slow, awkward approach on place-kicks. But with teams such as Dallas having had so many issues at the position, Edinger will be in demand.

Though he represented only one of many areas in which Green Bay came up short in '05, Ryan Longwell struggled more than the Packers could have expected. A steady veteran until last season, he will get another shot, probably with a new team. But his stock has dropped quite a bit in the last year.
Restricted free agent Josh Brown is a talent who made a number of clutch kicks for Seattle last season. The Seahawks have bigger priorities -- RB Shaun Alexander and LG Steve Hutchinson are key free agents -- but shouldn't forget about Brown, who should be an upper-echelon kicker for years to come. Expect Seattle to get Brown signed to a long-term deal before others can get to him.

Overall, this is an excellent group of free-agent kickers.


Punter

After averaging 43.5 yards per punt in just his fourth NFL season, Baltimore's Dave Zastudil could be the most sought-after punter in this free-agent class. His directional punting still needs a lot of work, but the lefty has a big leg and should continue to improve.
Carolina's Jason Baker, a five-year veteran, is coming of a fine season. He dropped 23 punts inside the 20-yard-line (compared to just four touchbacks). He also can kick off in a pinch and is one of the league's top directional punters.

Cleveland's Kyle Richardson struggled for much of last season, and the Browns likely will try to upgrade. Though Richardson gets decent hang time, he ranked near the bottom of the league in punting average and has had durability issues over his career.

Bryan Barker didn't make many mistakes with St. Louis, but after 16 years in the league and an unspectacular '05 season (his 42.7-yard average ranked 19th in the league) he appears to be slowing down. Barker initially won't get many looks in free agency, but he could be a down-the-line fallback option for a needy team.

A team or two could make a run at restricted free agent Dirk Johnson, who has a lot of upside. But Philadelphia would have the potential to match any offer he receives.

This year's group of free-agent punters is an ordinary one.

This is what I think are more pressing needs then kicker in order:
1. WR
2 DT, DE
3. gaurd
4. cb
5. punter
6. then kicker.

darkwing99 wrote:

This is what I think are more pressing needs then kicker in order:
1. WR
2 DT, DE
3. gaurd
4. cb
5. punter
6. then kicker.

Comon that does not make any sense. How in this world would any sane person want to draft a punter in the 5th round? Makes no sense at all, punters you can get in free agency. However it is hard to find a good kicker in free agency that I feel we won't over pay. I would rather draft a kicker in the 6th round, where other positions start to drop in thier level of talent but kickers are still good. Nobody drafts a punter in the 5th round period.That is reserved for depth at other positions, prefferably o-line or d-line.

darkwing99 wrote:

This is what I think are more pressing needs then kicker in order:
1. WR
2 DT, DE
3. gaurd
4. cb
5. punter
6. then kicker.

Comon that does not make any sense. How in this world would any sane person want to draft a punter in the 5th round? Makes no sense at all, punters you can get in free agency.

I would rather draft a kicker in the 6th round, where other positions start to drop in thier level of talent but kickers are still good. Nobody drafts a punter in the 5th round period.That is reserved for depth at other positions, prefferably o-line or d-line.