We need competition for Suisham

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

C'mon now don't cop out.

Who's out there that could potentially come in and take the job?? Because with such a limited roster now you can't afford to just have competitions for the heck of it.

I have no clue...I don't pay attention to kickers, and I have mentioned in previous posts, I don't follow college football very hard...but I am sure there are several here that could know some out of work kicker from college with a booming leg.
Besides, it's kinda too late now. They should have had competition when camp started. How can you bring in a guy now? (unless of course the guy starts to suck uncontrollably.) We missed the window. Suisham really needed some competition.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by jsarno

I have no clue...I don't pay attention to kickers, and I have mentioned in previous posts, I don't follow college football very hard...but I am sure there are several here that could know some out of work kicker from college with a booming leg.
Besides, it's kinda too late now. They should have had competition when camp started. How can you bring in a guy now? (unless of course the guy starts to suck uncontrollably.) We missed the window. Suisham really needed some competition.

We didn't have room. Hard to understand? Matty has stated it twice as well as others and you ignored it. Put it this way. Who should we have cut at the begining of camp to make space for a mock competition?

[EXoffender]

Originally Posted by jsarno

Seriously????? There was just a bunch of college kickers not drafted across the country, and there was a bunch last year too, and the year before etc....are you seriously saying that there are no kickers out there???

Last I checked, we are not experts on kickers...nor are we scouts...but last I checked, the Redskins employs alot of scouts...ask them where we could find a few. Anyone will work. No one is saying to get a hall of famer to compete, just competition. Competition has never been a bad thing...ever.

jsarno is right. There may not be a lot of name guys out there (and why not bring in Vanderjagt?) but, competition is good at every position!

[Jake2008]

My 2 cents.

IMO Suisham is average at best.

Field Goal %: He was tied for 23 last year. Even missed an extra point which while not a big deal there was 20+ kickers last year that didn't.

I also don't like the fact that anything over 45+ yards is iffy and we wouldn't want to try anything 50+ yards unless we were forced to. There are always a couple of games that come down to that last drive and knowing your kicker can't hit from long range makes it that much tougher to try and get that extra 10 yards with time running out.

Leg Strength: Suisham is definitely lacking here. We were in the bottom of the league on TBs and the other teams starting field position. Starting at the 20 and starting at the 35 does make a big difference to your defense. Or even better being able to pin them inside the 20 which we never had to worry about.

I also think they could easily free up a spot for competition if they wanted to, but they obviously don't want to at this time anyway.

[ChillWill]

Suisham is fine I just wish we could get someone to drive the kickoffs into the end zone consistently. Too many of his balls last year only made it to the 10 yard line.

[over the mountain]

kickers are so important in this league. they are the highest scorers on their teams yet the skins have paid little attention to addressing our need for an nfl leg. dont throw stats at me, we all know shazaam needs to add some consistent length to his kickoffs and he is not reliable past the 40 and we dont even attempt 50 yarders with him.

we are not a 13-3 team that can ignore the importance of a good kicker. we are a team that is one win or loss away from making the playoffs and a kicker determines at least 1 game a year. atleast once or twice this year a game will come down to whether shazaam makes or misses a kick with less than a minute to go, i just hope its inside the 40.

i wonder if the skins figured they couldnt make roster space to have a competition for both kicker and punter so after review decided punter was the spot that needed competition? either way, shazaam isnt horrible but thats about as big a compliment as i can give him right now. as long as all our field goals to win it are inside the 40, we should be alright.

go skins!

[BDBohnzie]

Here are a few contenders we can bring into camp:

[MTK]

Originally Posted by BDBohnzie

Here are a few contenders we can bring into camp:

LOL we got ourselves a competition!!

[FRPLG]

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.

[DGreene28]

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

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by DGreene28

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

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?

[DGreene28]

The interesting thing about Czech is he can be a very capable backup punter as well... He'd obviously be a big upgrade on kickoffs. I think the Skins have an eye on that competition over in MD and would be willing to bring either Stover or Czech in as soon as one is cut. It may be Stover the way Czech's kicking right now.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by FRPLG

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?

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by jsarno

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?

Maybe Brooks can win the kick off specialist job, and then it doesn't matter whether or not Suisham has competition.

I mean, Suisham looked good on kickoffs on Sunday, but he's also incredibly inconsistent.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

Maybe Brooks can win the kick off specialist job, and then it doesn't matter whether or not Suisham has competition.

I guess time will tell on that one. We don't really have an option here...we're just "hoping".

I mean, Suisham looked good on kickoffs on Sunday, but he's also incredibly inconsistent.

It's also 80+ degrees. The football doesn't have the consistancy of a rock yet. I did see one kick that went into the back of the endzone and had to rewind it to see if that was suisham. I find it hard to beleive that he all of sudden got stronger, but you never know. Hopefully this won't be an issue all season. Hopefully he'll hit 85%+ of his kicks and is clutch all season, then we won't have to worry at all. Like I said before, hopefully Suisham proves me wrong...I'd love to see it.