Cowboys Release Vanderjagt

[htownskinfan]

Originally Posted by dmek25

this analogy sucks, because kickers tend to decline all at once. and vanderjagt is 36 years old, and i doubt he stays in this league into his forties

I disagree,I agree with Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post,who says

"Just wait and see. Vanderjagt will be the free agent -- and a comparatively cheap one -- who got away. Somebody will sign him, this season or next. And he'll be a big success again. The history of NFL kickers over the last 25 years says that he'll probably have multiple excellent seasons ahead of him, with five to 10 more productive years.

Who says so? Morten Andersen, Gary Anderson, Matt Bahr, John Carney, Steve Christie, Al Del Greco, Nick Lowery and Eddie Murray, among others. All of them switched teams after 11 to 14 highly successful seasons in the NFL. All were close to Vanderjagt's age, if not older. All were gold to the teams that grabbed them. Andersen and Anderson, who each have more than 500 field goals, switched teams after 13 years in the league, yet played for at least 10 more years. That's t-e-n more years. Andersen has come out of retirement again this year. The list is endless. Pete Stoyanovich left Miami after seven years, then made 70 of 83 field goals in his first three years in K.C.

Once a fine kicker, always a fine kicker -- albeit with interludes of bad mechanics or lost confidence -- until he's too old to swing his leg. Kickers are like vampires. You have to drive a stake through their hearts to get rid of them once and for all."