Tag: kicker

Brandon McManus representing Broncos players in vote on new CBA

Broncos kicker Brandon McManus will represent Denver players in a vote on the NFL’s proposed new CBA.

NFL owners voted to approve terms of a new collective bargaining agreement with players on Thursday. Now the players have to vote on the possibility of accepting the proposed CBA.

The NFL Players Association is holding a conference call Friday with representatives from each of the league’s 32 teams. Broncos kicker Brandon McManus is serving as Denver’s representative.

The NFLPA executive committee voted not to recommend the CBA proposal, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. That recommendation is not the final say, though, the players — including McManus — still have to vote.

Under the proposed new CBA, the regular season will expand to 17 games within the next few years. The playoffs will expand from 12 teams to 14 teams, with that change happening as quickly as next season.

NFL teams would also be allowed to bring back a third player from injured reserve with the new CBA and practice squads will increase from 10 players to 14 players in 2022, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

The current CBA was ratified in 2011 and lasts through the 2020 season.

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2020 NFL Scouting Combine: The specialists planning to attend

Here’s a list of the kickers, punters, and long snappers planning to attend the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine this year ahead of the NFL draft.

This piece rounds out our series on all the prospects at each position planning to attend the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine.

The Seahawks struggled a bit on special teams last season and will be making a concerted effort to improve heading into 2020. Seattle could very well be looking at a specialist or two to add to the competition this offseason.

Below is a look at the kickers, punters and long snappers slated to be participating in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis at the end of the month.

SPECIALISTS
Tyler Bass, K, Georgia Southern
Rodrigo Blankenship, K, Georgia
Joseph Charlton, P, South Carolina
Blake Ferguson, LS, LSU
Sterling Hofrichter, P, Syracuse
Braden Mann, P, Texas A&M
JJ Molson, K, UCLA
Alex Pechin, P, Bucknell
Arryn Siposs, P, Auburn
Tommy Townsend, P, Florida
Michael Turk, P, Arizona State
Steven Wirtel, LS, Iowa

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After solid 2019, Seahawks kicker Jason Myers still has room to grow

Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers had a relatively solid season for the team in 2019, but there is still room for improvement in 2020.

Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers had a rough start to the 2019 season. However, he rebounded in a big way and became reliable in the second half of the year, helping the team make it to the divisional round of the postseason where they lost to the Green Bay Packers.

Myers made 23 of his 28 field goals in the 2019 regular season, good for 82.1 percent. He also made 40 of his 44 extra points (90.9 percent) on the year. After a particularly shaky performance in Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which he made but also missed two field goals – including the game-winner that forced overtime – Seahawks fans were calling for Myers to be released.

He answered the outcry by making all 12 of his field-goal attempts through the next six games, which is how he finished the regular season. However, Myers has to clean up his misses to fulfill the four-year, $15.5 million contract the Seahawks signed him to in the 2019 offseason. He made only two of his four field goals in the postseason, which will not cut it in the playoffs.

Myers had a good year in 2019, but he must be more consistent with his kicks in the future to live up to his lucrative contract.

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Jets ranked 8th in special teams in 2019 despite key losses

The Jets special teams unit played well thanks to solid kick return and kick coverage play by Brant Boyer’s squad.

Believe it or not, the Jets ranked in the top-10 in something in 2019.

During a season of mediocrity, the Jets special teams unit once again proved to be one of the team’s best assets. Brant Boyer’s unit finished No. 8 in Rick Gosselin’s special teams ranking report. 

Gosselin, a 47-year vet on the NFL beat and a member of the Hall of Fame selection committee, compiled 22 categories surrounding special teams to create a list of the league’s best. The Jets ranked eighth overall thanks to top-three finishes in punt return yards (second, 11.6), yards allowed per kickoff (third, 19.0), yards allowed per punt (third, 43.67), and net yards allowed per punt (third, 38.8) despite a lot of turnover on the unit.

When the Jets elected to let Pro Bowl kicker Jason Myers and return specialist Andre Roberts leave in free agency, many believed the special teams would suffer mightily after finishing first in the NFL in 2018. But Boyer persisted and told his team back in June that there would be “no steps back.” 

“It’s a tough situation,” Boyer said last offseason. “Those guys were awesome for us… You gain players every year, you lose players every year. And, is it hard to replace guys like that? It sure is. I’m confident that somebody will emerge and we can get that done.”

General manager Joe Douglas found his punt returner replacement quickly when he claimed former Patriots wideout Braxton Berrios, off waivers soon after joining the Jets. Berrios returned all 21 punts for the Jets this season and finished second in the league in average punt return yards.

As for his kick returners, duties were split between backup running back Ty Montgomery and wide receiver Vyncint Smith. The duo performed well enough – Montgomery averaged 20.2 yards per return and Smith averaged 29.9 yards per return. Second-year running back Trenton Cannon appeared in line for the majority of returns, but he landed on injured reserve after Week 7.

Where the Jets faltered in the rankings was their kicking and punting. They cycled through a few kickers before sticking with Sam Ficken, who only hit 19 of 27 field goals (70.4 percent), 23 of 26 of his extra points (88.5 percent) and ranked 39th in average kickoff yards. Punter Lac Edwards, meanwhile, ranked 15th in average punt yards (45.9) despite leading the league in punts (87) and total punt yards (3,991).

It’s hard to replicate the success of Myers, Roberts and the 2018 team, but Boyer did an admirable job coaching a unit that no one thought could maintain its excellence. There was bound to be a drop off in production when you lose a top-six kicker and the top return specialist and the Jets saved around $15 million by not re-signing their Pro Bowl special teams pair.

The Jets still need to solve the kicker issue for the longterm, but the rest of the unit seems sound heading into the 2020 season.

Broncos spoke with kicker Rodrigo Blankenship at Senior Bowl

The Broncos spoke with Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship after a Senior Bowl practice this week.

The Denver Broncos spoke with Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship after a Senior Bowl practice on Jan. 21, according to Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com. Blankenship is widely considered one of the top kickers in this year’s NFL draft class.

After converting 27-of-33 field goal attempts as a senior, he earned All-SEC first-team honors from the Associated Press in 2019 and won the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation’s top placekicker.

During his four years as the Bulldogs’ kicker, Blankenship was a perfect 200-of-200 on extra point attempts and converted 82.5 percent of his field goal attempts (80-of-97), accounting for 440 points.

He kicked in four different bowl games, including the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship. Blankenship converted a 51-yard field goal in overtime of that national championship game but Georgia went on to lose to Alabama 26-23.

Last summer, the Broncos signed kicker Taylor Bertolet in the spring but he didn’t even make it through training camp before being cut.

Brandon McManus probably isn’t in danger of losing his job but Denver might bring in some competition this summer. McManus converted 29-of-34 field goal attempts and 25-of-26 extra point attempts in 2019.

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Penn State punter spends uses Cotton Bowl prep time to bounce footballs off Jerry World Jumbotron

Penn State’s kicker had some extra Christmas fun with the Jumbotron at Jerry World. Jordan Stout showed off his target shooting, Tweeting a (now-deleted) video of him punting three footballs at the mega-sized video board that hangs over the field at AT&T Stadium. Stout tweeted “Sorry @dallascowboys I didn’t mean to hit your TV.. #MerryChristmas.” The Nittany Lions (10-2) take on the Memphis Tigers (12-1) in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Tex. Saturday.

Penn State’s kicker had some extra Christmas fun with the Jumbotron at Jerry World. Jordan Stout showed off his target shooting, Tweeting a (now-deleted) video of him punting three footballs at the mega-sized video board that hangs over the field at AT&T Stadium. Stout tweeted “Sorry @dallascowboys I didn’t mean to hit your TV.. #MerryChristmas.” The Nittany Lions (10-2) take on the Memphis Tigers (12-1) in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Tex. Saturday.

Texans K Ka’imi Fairbairn has turned his season around after early kicking woes

Houston Texans placekicker Ka’imi Fairbairn struggled early in 2019. However, since then, he has turned it around, coach Bill O’Brien says.

It wasn’t long ago when Houston Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn was not well-beloved within the team’s fan base.

The third-year placekicker started the season cold, missing four extra point attempts and three field goals by the mid-way point of the year. However, recently, he’s hot.

Since Week 9, Fairbairn is playing the part of one the NFL’s best kickers. Though he missed an extra point and two field goals (one being a 58-yarder in London, the other a 43-yarder), he has not missed a kick of any kind since Week 11.

“In the beginning, he had a couple of misses,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said on Thursday. “But he’s definitely turned it over around. I think in the Tampa Bay game, I would say one of the main reasons why we won was because of how we kicked the ball.”

In the Texans latest bout — a 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Fairbairn was perfect. He made all three of his extra points, both field goal kicks and even punted once, downing the Bucs at their 10-yard-line.

“Ka’imi’s kickoffs, for example, were very accurate and placed exactly where we wanted to place them,” O’Brien said. “Then obviously he made his field goals and PATs, which are points on the board, which is huge.”

Fairbairn’s early kicking woes sparked a yearn among the Texans’ fan base to release him and find a new option. However, Houston stuck with him and are now reaping the benefits of the results that they expected of him coming into the 2019 campaign.

In 2018, in his second-year in the Texans’ organization, Fairbairn led the NFL in scoring with 150 and field goals made with 37. Though he won’t boast the same achievements in 2019, it’s fair to say that O’Brien and Co. are happy to have him on the roster.

“Ka’imi’s a very good kicker,” O’Brien said. “And we are glad he’s on our team.”

WATCH: Patriots still without a kicker before Week 14 showdown with Chiefs

This is the fifth kicker that New England will sign since Stephen Gostkowski was placed on injured reserve with a left hip injury on Oct. 2.

The defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots are licking their wounds after their 28-22 loss to the Houston Texans last Sunday.

Offensively and defensively, the struggles continued plus the team released eight-year NFL veteran Kai Forbath this week and have not signed a replacement on special teams just yet.

Forbath made 1 of 2 for extra points and was successful on a 23-yard field goal in the loss.

This is the fifth kicker that New England will sign since Stephen Gostkowski was placed on injured reserve with a left hip injury on Oct. 2.

Although special teams were not the reason for taking their second loss of the season, New England felt a change was needed.

Brandon McManus, Vic Fangio weigh on on nixed 65-yard field goal attempt

“I’m mad because I didn’t get to kick,” Broncos kicker Brandon McManus said.

Just before halftime of Sunday’s game against the Chargers, the Broncos were within range of a 65-yard field goal attempt. Had the team let kicker Brandon McManus attempt it, he would have been attempting to set an NFL record for the longest field goal in league history.

Fangio changed his mind about the attempt, though, and had McManus return to the sideline. The kicker was clearly furious about the decision and slammed his helmet on the ground. McManus was asked about his outburst after the game.

“I think we’re two grown men and we understand the ebbs and flows of the game,” McManus said. “He hasn’t been here that long to see my total range in training camp over the years and stuff like that. I knew I could make it. They’ve seen me make it in practice.

“We were right at the line that they gave them. I went out there the first time, went out there a second time, I was just proud. There is one way that you can take the frustration and let it affect you later throughout the game, but I was just happy with myself to hone it in.”

McManus got some consolation later in the game when he nailed a 53-yard game-winning field goal as time expired. Fangio believes not allowing McManus to attempt a 65-yarder may have helped him convert the game-winner later in the contest.

“I didn’t want to try the 65-yarder,” Fangio said on Sunday evening. “At that point, I didn’t think it was desperation. I’ve seen many times where guys go out there and try extra-long kicks. They alter the mechanics and it affects him the rest of the game. I’m going to say that that decision not to let him go out there for the 65-yarder led him to making the 52 and the 53-yarder.”

The coach and kicker aren’t necessarily on bad terms — McManus is upset he didn’t get a chance to break the record but he understands Fangio’s viewpoint.

“At the end of the day, I’m mad because I didn’t get to kick, and in his mind, he made the right decision for the team,” McManus said following a 23-20 win. “I have no problem with that, but like I said, I would love to have my name in the history books.”

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