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

When Mike Shanahan took over the helm in Denver he started off 8-8. His 2nd season he led them to an 13-3 record.
This year he would have led us to an 9-7 or even a 10-6 record had it not been for Gano. To me, he cost us at least 3 games. To me we've been without a good, reliable kicker since the Mosley days..well maybe since the Lomiller days.
Last year Gano had ZERO competition for his job & I think he got complacent because of it.
I've heard people say that he has a strong leg & that he's still young so we should all give him a break & let him "grow" as a kicker. I don't buy into that. How can an NFL kicker hit on only 68% of his kicks? when all he has to do for a living is kick a ball. I saw him miss on short "gimmies" & on long "tough ones". I have yet to see him hit for over 50. & don't tell me that he hit that 50yarder against Huston that got called back because if he could hit it the 1st time he should've done it again. Tell me that a good kicker shouldn't be able to do that.
I'm a firm believer in 2nd chances & I'm willing to give Gano another one. But I also believe that everyone should have some serious competition to keep themselves honest & improve their level of play. If he hits on only 68% of his kicks again next season, then I say it's time for him to hit the bricks!

What say all of you?

Competition shouldn't be brought in, a replacement should be brought in

Where was his strong leg when he came up way short on that 47 yard FG last season?

I hope we bring in some competition because right now (as of last season), I think he's the worst kicker in the NFL. I'm not saying he can't turn it around and be a good; even a great kicker, but last season he sucked, plain and simple.

brad7686 wrote:Competition shouldn't be brought in, a replacement should be brought in

Well I kinda agree. Although I would hate to release him & have him to turn into another David Aikers. I say let's give him 1 more chance before we give him the "boot". We should make darn sure that he's a bum before he's released.

fanforlife wrote:Last year Gano had ZERO competition for his job & I think he got complacent because of it.
I've heard people say that he has a strong leg & that he's still young so we should all give him a break & let him "grow" as a kicker. I don't buy into that. How can an NFL kicker hit on only 68% of his kicks? when all he has to do for a living is kick a ball. I saw him miss on short "gimmies" & on long "tough ones". I have yet to see him hit for over 50. & don't tell me that he hit that 50yarder against Huston that got called back because if he could hit it the 1st time he should've done it again. Tell me that a good kicker shouldn't be able to do that.
I'm a firm believer in 2nd chances & I'm willing to give Gano another one. But I also believe that everyone should have some serious competition to keep themselves honest & improve their level of play. If he hits on only 68% of his kicks again next season, then I say it's time for him to hit the bricks!

What say all of you?

Didn't they bring someone in for about a week last year?

True he had a sub 70% FGM average but then again he made more field goals than about a third of the guys that had better averages

I'm not sure MS will someone in or not, he should considering he said he wants competition at every position. He said that last years too.

He does have a strong leg... but the kickoff has been moved up 5 yards, so that wouldn't mean much except for the fact that Dan Carpenter from Miami was the only kicker better than Gano from between 40-49 yards out.

I think Gano's problem is in his head and even he has said it is. He admitted to having a mental lapse in the Houston game. He has all the physical ability so I have hope for him.

fanforlife wrote:

brad7686 wrote:Competition shouldn't be brought in, a replacement should be brought in

Well I kinda agree. Although I would hate to release him & have him to turn into another David Aikers.

And, there you go...

If Gano is going to stay here and continue to not be able to consistently make the field goals he is capable of - then I hope he goes somewhere else and becomes the best kicker ever in the NFL

we need a FG kicker that is reliable AND we need coaches that can get the most out of each and every player that is on the roster - keeping ANY player who does not live or play up to his abilities just so he cannot go and become a good OR great player somewhere else is stupid

SkinsJock wrote:If Gano is going to stay here and continue to not be able to consistently make the field goals he is capable of - then I hope he goes somewhere else and becomes the best kicker ever in the NFL

we need a FG kicker that is reliable AND we need coaches that can get the most out of each and every player that is on the roster - keeping ANY player who does not live or play up to his abilities just so he cannot go and become a good OR great player somewhere else is stupid

Exactly, kicker is not a position you need to develop you just need to find someone who isn't an embarrassment

The competition for Gano plays down Lewisdale near UMD (Coll. Park) on a field across from the Auto store opposite the pool.

1niksder wrote:True he had a sub 70% FGM average but then again he made more field goals than about a third of the guys that had better averages

OK, but I would rather have him kick less FGs & have a better % than have him kick more FGs than 1/3 of the other kickers & have a lower %. A kicker is supposed to WIN games for you, not LOSE games for you.

The less FGs he kicks the better. That means that the "O" is doing it's job & turning those FGs into TDs.

fanforlife wrote:

1niksder wrote:True he had a sub 70% FGM average but then again he made more field goals than about a third of the guys that had better averages

OK, but I would rather have him kick less FGs & have a better % than have him kick more FGs than 1/3 of the other kickers & have a lower %. A kicker is supposed to WIN games for you, not LOSE games for you.

The less FGs he kicks the better. That means that the "O" is doing it's job & turning those FGs into TDs.

Can't argue with that logic

langleyparkjoe wrote:

fanforlife wrote:

1niksder wrote:True he had a sub 70% FGM average but then again he made more field goals than about a third of the guys that had better averages

OK, but I would rather have him kick less FGs & have a better % than have him kick more FGs than 1/3 of the other kickers & have a lower %. A kicker is supposed to WIN games for you, not LOSE games for you.

The less FGs he kicks the better. That means that the "O" is doing it's job & turning those FGs into TDs.

Can't argue with that logic

Can't blame the kicker for not the team not scoring TDs. There are just five kickers with more attempts than Gano, and only 1 with more attempts from 40 yards or longer. That's not helping your rookie kicker, is no excuse for Gano but it's not all on him.

1niksder wrote: There are just five kickers with more attempts than Gano, and only 1 with more attempts from 40 yards or longer.

Really? there were 6 kickers with more attempts than Gano as far as I knew. & that 1 guy that you speak of (John Kasay) had as many attempts as Gano. They both went 11 of 14 from the 40.

Now out of all the kickers in the league, how many attempted to hit from 50+? I'll tell you, all of them. & of all those kicker, who was the ONLY 1 to not hit 1? I'll tell you again...Gano! He went 0-3.

Look, I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, I'm just saying that we're all focused on the "D" & on the "O" but we can't neglect the silent partner on the team, which is to say the special teams & in this case...the kicker.

fanforlife wrote:

1niksder wrote: There are just five kickers with more attempts than Gano, and only 1 with more attempts from 40 yards or longer.

Really? there were 6 kickers with more attempts than Gano as far as I knew.

Really... Dan Carpenter and Sebastian Janikowski both had 41, that's two plus Josh Brown and Nick Folk both had 39, bring the number up to four add David Akers with 38. That's only 5 where are you getting 6 from?

fanforlife wrote: & that 1 guy that you speak of (John Kasay) had as many attempts as Gano. They both went 11 of 14 from the 40.

I wasn't speaking of John Kasay.... He only had 29 attempts I was speaking of kickers with MORE attempts than Gano (it was only five and Kasay wasn't one of them... ) Of the FIVE kickers with MORE attempts than Gano, Dan Carpenter was the only ONE that had more attempts of 40 or longer

fanforlife wrote:Now out of all the kickers in the league, how many attempted to hit from 50+? I'll tell you, all of them.

That's funny because Shane Andrus SF, John Carney NO, Shayne Graham NE, Steven Hauschka DEN, Ryan Longwell MIN, Aaron Pettrey CIN, Jeff Reed SF, Clint Stitser CIN, Shaun Suisham PIT, and Adam Vinatieri IND all collected NFL pay checks as place kicker and none of them had attempts beyond 49 yards

fanforlife wrote:& of all those kicker, who was the ONLY 1 to not hit 1? I'll tell you again...Gano! He went 0-3.

Now you're really cracking me up because Phil Dawson from the Browns Billy Cundiff from the Ravens and Stephen Gostkowski from the Pats both missed kicks from 50 or better last year.

fanforlife wrote:Look, I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, I'm just saying that we're all focused on the "D" & on the "O" but we can't neglect the silent partner on the team, which is to say the special teams & in this case...the kicker.

I agree that Gano needs to get it together but you can't say he was the ONLY one to miss from 50 or more when 3 other seasoned kickers missed from that distance. That's like saying every kicker in the league tried kicks from 50 or more when TEN kickers never even lined up for anything longer than 49 yards .
I'm not trying to argue either... If I wanted to argue I would've pointed out Phil Dawson only missed 5 FGs last year and more than half were from 50+

1niksder wrote:

fanforlife wrote:

1niksder wrote: There are just five kickers with more attempts than Gano, and only 1 with more attempts from 40 yards or longer.

Really? there were 6 kickers with more attempts than Gano as far as I knew.

Really... Dan Carpenter and Sebastian Janikowski both had 41, that's two plus Josh Brown and Nick Folk both had 39, bring the number up to four add David Akers with 38. That's only 5 where are you getting 6 from?

fanforlife wrote: & that 1 guy that you speak of (John Kasay) had as many attempts as Gano. They both went 11 of 14 from the 40.

I wasn't speaking of John Kasay.... He only had 29 attempts I was speaking of kickers with MORE attempts than Gano (it was only five and Kasay wasn't one of them... ) Of the FIVE kickers with MORE attempts than Gano, Dan Carpenter was the only ONE that had more attempts of 40 or longer

fanforlife wrote:Now out of all the kickers in the league, how many attempted to hit from 50+? I'll tell you, all of them.

That's funny because Shane Andrus SF, John Carney NO, Shayne Graham NE, Steven Hauschka DEN, Ryan Longwell MIN, Aaron Pettrey CIN, Jeff Reed SF, Clint Stitser CIN, Shaun Suisham PIT, and Adam Vinatieri IND all collected NFL pay checks as place kicker and none of them had attempts beyond 49 yards

fanforlife wrote:& of all those kicker, who was the ONLY 1 to not hit 1? I'll tell you again...Gano! He went 0-3.

Now you're really cracking me up because Phil Dawson from the Browns Billy Cundiff from the Ravens and Stephen Gostkowski from the Pats both missed kicks from 50 or better last year.

fanforlife wrote:Look, I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, I'm just saying that we're all focused on the "D" & on the "O" but we can't neglect the silent partner on the team, which is to say the special teams & in this case...the kicker.

I agree that Gano needs to get it together but you can't say he was the ONLY one to miss from 50 or more when 3 other seasoned kickers missed from that distance. That's like saying every kicker in the league tried kicks from 50 or more when TEN kickers never even lined up for anything longer than 49 yards .
I'm not trying to argue either... If I wanted to argue I would've pointed out Phil Dawson only missed 5 FGs last year and more than half were from 50+

When your right...your right. I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong...& I was wrong.

But I still think Gano has to shape up. He's let us down too many times. Bring on some competition!!!

fanforlife wrote: When your right...your right. I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong...& I was wrong.

You were right....

When you said:

If he hits on only 68% of his kicks again next season, then I say it's time for him to hit the bricks!

1niksder wrote:

fanforlife wrote:

1niksder wrote: There are just five kickers with more attempts than Gano, and only 1 with more attempts from 40 yards or longer.

Really? there were 6 kickers with more attempts than Gano as far as I knew.

Really... Dan Carpenter and Sebastian Janikowski both had 41, that's two plus Josh Brown and Nick Folk both had 39, bring the number up to four add David Akers with 38. That's only 5 where are you getting 6 from?

fanforlife wrote: & that 1 guy that you speak of (John Kasay) had as many attempts as Gano. They both went 11 of 14 from the 40.

I wasn't speaking of John Kasay.... He only had 29 attempts I was speaking of kickers with MORE attempts than Gano (it was only five and Kasay wasn't one of them... ) Of the FIVE kickers with MORE attempts than Gano, Dan Carpenter was the only ONE that had more attempts of 40 or longer

fanforlife wrote:Now out of all the kickers in the league, how many attempted to hit from 50+? I'll tell you, all of them.

That's funny because Shane Andrus SF, John Carney NO, Shayne Graham NE, Steven Hauschka DEN, Ryan Longwell MIN, Aaron Pettrey CIN, Jeff Reed SF, Clint Stitser CIN, Shaun Suisham PIT, and Adam Vinatieri IND all collected NFL pay checks as place kicker and none of them had attempts beyond 49 yards

fanforlife wrote:& of all those kicker, who was the ONLY 1 to not hit 1? I'll tell you again...Gano! He went 0-3.

Now you're really cracking me up because Phil Dawson from the Browns Billy Cundiff from the Ravens and Stephen Gostkowski from the Pats both missed kicks from 50 or better last year.

fanforlife wrote:Look, I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, I'm just saying that we're all focused on the "D" & on the "O" but we can't neglect the silent partner on the team, which is to say the special teams & in this case...the kicker.

I agree that Gano needs to get it together but you can't say he was the ONLY one to miss from 50 or more when 3 other seasoned kickers missed from that distance. That's like saying every kicker in the league tried kicks from 50 or more when TEN kickers never even lined up for anything longer than 49 yards .
I'm not trying to argue either... If I wanted to argue I would've pointed out Phil Dawson only missed 5 FGs last year and more than half were from 50+

I read it as Gano was the only one not to notch a kick from 50+ yards not the only one who missed one.

broomboy wrote:I read it as Gano was the only one not to notch a kick from 50+ yards not the only one who missed one.

Try it again:

Now out of all the kickers in the league, how many attempted to hit from 50+? I'll tell you, all of them. & of all those kicker, who was the ONLY 1 to not hit 1? I'll tell you again...Gano! He went 0-3.

Regardless how you read it ... 10 guys didn't even attempt one and 3 besides GG missed at least one, one of those three went 0 for 3 just like Gano

I would expect that Gano is THE guy at this time - as we have noticed, Mike S is not easy to predict and has made some bad errors in judgement - IF Gano is the FG kicker this September, then that is because Mike thinks that he's the best available otherwise another guy is going to be doing it

FG kickers need to make a high percentage of FGs that are within their range or they should be sent packing - I do not care that David Akers became a really good kicker after he left here - fact is the guys in charge here made a mistake - this happens all the time when you have bad talent evaluators and guys running the show that should NOT be doing that

Mike will make this franchise better or he will be gone

IMO - Gano gets another chance but he's gone (AND quickly) if he's not a lot more reliable

SkinsJock wrote:I would expect that Gano is THE guy at this time - as we have noticed, Mike S is not easy to predict and has made some bad errors in judgement - IF Gano is the FG kicker this September, then that is because Mike thinks that he's the best available otherwise another guy is going to be doing it


FG kickers need to make a high percentage of FGs that are within their range or they should be sent packing - I do not care that David Akers became a really good kicker after he left here - fact is the guys in charge here made a mistake - this happens all the time when you have bad talent evaluators and guys running the show that should NOT be doing that

Mike will make this franchise better or he will be gone

IMO - Gano gets another chance but he's gone (AND quickly) if he's not a lot more reliable :D

That's what I'm trying to say, he needs some competition to see if he really is the GUY or not. No more free passes.

What is his range??? He's missed from inside the 20 to 50+. That's why we're having this disscussion, he misses from EVERYWHERE!!!. I do care if Aikers has become a good kicker, he was 1 of us & we let him go. That's where it gets sticky for me. I don't want to let Gano go just to find out that he's become another Aikers. But you're right, talent evaluation has been lack-luster for us & you must put the full blame on Vinny "the rat" Ceratto.

I think Mike will turn things around sooner rather than later. Just look at what he did in Denver in his 2nd season. Like I said above, we should've been 9-7 in his 1st season. I just hope that we can be 13-3 in his 2nd season with us like he was in Denver (wishful thinking I know).

But nobody is bigger than the team. Gano get's 1 more season to prove himself. Shanny get's 2-3 more season to turn things around. By them he'll have had 4 seasons to do his "thing" & if he doesn't show MARKED IMPROVEMENT then he must go as well.

coulda, woulda, shoulda, don't do anything for me - I could care less if we have 1 or 20 FG kickers trying out - all I want is a FG kicker that consistently does his job - I do not agree that games are won OR lost based on one play or one player
this is a team game and all the parts need to work and we have not had that here for over 10 years

I think from what we've seen, Gano has the talent, he just needs to believe in himself and show everyone that he can get it done - I don't think it helps to just bring someone else in - this kid can be a much better FG kicker than we've seen


the past is gone - I predict Gano will be a much better kicker this season

SJ.. you know I value your opinion my friend but Gano is a bum and he better improve this season.

Cut him lose. A LONG tradition of failure....