Tag: rams kicker

Rams have ‘pretty good clarity’ at kicker but not revealing their choice

It could be Austin MacGinnis or Matt Gay kicking for L.A. on Monday night.

Some teams don’t like to reveal their starting quarterback for strategic reasons. For the Rams, they’re not giving anything away about who their kicker will be on Monday night against the Bucs.

It could be either Austin MacGinnis or Matt Gay as the replacement for Kai Forbath, who landed on injured reserve last week.

Sean McVay has a good feeling about who it will be, but he’s not tipping his hand.

“Yeah. I’m going to wait,” McVay said. “I’m going to talk to those guys. We do have some pretty good clarity, but we’ll not share that with you guys right now.”

Gay was signed as a free agent last week and just joined the Rams on Saturday for practice. MacGinnis is on the practice squad, so he’ll need to be called up.

Saturday was their first practice together, but it wasn’t necessarily an open competition.

“No, I wouldn’t really look at it that way,” McVay said of whether Saturday was a competition. “We just got Matt in today and he got an opportunity to kick and showcase his stuff. Austin was kicking earlier this week. So, the good news is that with either one of these players, we feel really good about our situation, very confident. It’ll be a good thing for us on Monday.”

The Rams have missed at least one kick in eight of their nine games, struggling to find consistency at kicker. The team is hopeful that Gay or MacGinnis can solve those issues, but that’s far from certain.

Rams undecided on starting kicker, could have two active vs. Bucs

The Rams haven’t decided whether Austin MacGinnis or Matt Gay will be their top kicker this week.

It’s been a revolving door at kicker for the Rams this season, cycling through player after player in an attempt to replace the departed Greg Zuerlein. Samuel Sloman failed to and Kai Forbath got hurt after experiencing struggles of his own, opening the door for two more kickers: Austin MacGinnis and Matt Gay.

MacGinnis is on the practice squad and Gay was signed to the 53-man roster, but both are eligible to kick on Monday night against the Buccaneers. MacGinnis has an edge, having been with the Rams during the offseason and now again in-season, while Gay will be eligible to practice for the first time Saturday.

Sean McVay likes what he’s seen from MacGinnis, but he’s not ready to make him the team’s primary kicker for Week 11.

“He’s done really well with that,” McVay said of his kick height and hangtime. “You can see guys are excited. He’s had two good practices now and definitely been positive. There’s nothing quite like getting into those real games. But with what he can control, he’s done a really nice job these last couple of days. We’ve been very pleased with Austin.”

Gay will have one day to prove himself to the coaches, with his arrival being delayed due to COVID-19 protocols. If he kicks well in practice on Saturday, however, he could get the nod against the Buccaneers.

“I mean, (MacGinnis) has done a great job controlling what he can, but Matt is going to get an opportunity to come in here Saturday, compete, and we’re going to make the best decision for the Rams,” he said Friday. “… The kickoff thing is a big part of it as well. So, we’ll take all those things into consideration. One of those two guys will kick for us on Monday, but definitely nothing is set in stone and we’re going to be open-minded when Matt comes in here.”

Because of new rules put in place by the NFL to help teams through the pandemic and positive COVID-19 tests, the Rams could very easily have both kickers active on Monday night without needing to create an extra roster spot.

MacGinnis can be elevated from the practice squad to the game-day roster twice and the Rams wouldn’t need to cut anyone to make room for him. Gay is already on the 53-man roster, so he’s eligible to kick right away, but it’s not out of the question for the Rams to have both active Monday.

“You can do that because the nice thing is, because (MacGinnis) is on our practice squad, you have two opportunities to be able to bring him up with the situation and it doesn’t affect your 53,” McVay explained. “So, that could easily be something that we would do. Then if you feel like that’s your guy moving forward, then maybe you decide, ‘OK, do we need to create a spot?’ But because we’ve been able to stay fairly healthy and then put some of those other guys on IR, it’s not like we’re really reaching to feel like, ‘Oh man, we have to get this guy up or I have to get this guy down.’ Because you can only have those 48 on game day anyways. If that’s a direction that we go, it doesn’t hinder us at all.”

Saturday’s competition will likely decide which kicker the Rams roll with in Tampa Bay, but that could also change in Week 12 against the 49ers if whoever they pick struggles Monday night. Los Angeles has options and it seems the team is going to consider every possibility this week.

Sean McVay gives brutally honest take on Rams’ kicking struggles

The Rams have had issues at kicker all season long and McVay is growing frustrated.

Sometimes, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.

That phrase applies perfectly to the Los Angeles Rams’ kicking carousel this year after letting Greg Zuerlein walk in free agency. His departure came after eight quality years with the Rams, a span in which he made 82.3% of his field goal attempts and 97.2% of his PATs.

This year, the Rams’ kickers have made just 70.6% of their field goal tries and 84.6% of extra-point attempts, both of which rank fourth-worst in the NFL. Their long of 42 yards is the worst in football, going just 1-for-4 beyond 39 yards. Zuerlein hasn’t been perfect with his new team this year, but he does have a pair of game-winners for Dallas and has still been more accurate than the Rams’ kickers.

Samuel Sloman was supposed to be Zuerlein’s replacement, but he missed at least one kick in six of his seven games. Kai Forbath took Sloman’s spot, but he was also inaccurate and now has an ankle injury that will land him on injured reserve.

So as the carousel continues to turn with Austin MacGinnis and Matt Gay up next, Sean McVay’s frustration grows by the week.

“It’s a big deal. Sometimes you don’t realize how good you have it until you don’t anymore and I think that’s the honest answer. I think it’s been a struggle,” he said Monday. “It’s been something that I know we’re working and guys are certainly trying to get it figured out. Both Sam and Kai are competing to the best of their ability, but it hasn’t worked out. We haven’t had the production we want.”

The Rams’ kicking issues aren’t exclusive to making field goals and extra points, either. McVay pointed out that the hangtime on kickoffs hasn’t been good enough, which has led to some bigger returns because the coverage unit can’t get down the field quickly enough.

“Then even in some instances, it’s affected our coverage units because a big part of being an efficient unit covering the football when you’re kicking off is being able to get some good hang time so guys can get down in their coverage lanes. The spot and the accuracy of where you’re able to put it and that hang time is a big part of enabling guys to get down the field and cover these kicks. That’s something that we’re going to make a big point of emphasis on and we’re hopeful that whether it’s Austin or Matt, we’ll be able to address it and have some more consistency from that spot that unfortunately we haven’t had this year.”

MacGinnis and Gay will compete to replace Forbath in Week 11, though Gay won’t be able to practice with the team until Saturday at the earliest due to COVID-19 protocols. Fortunately, the missed field goals and PATs haven’t cost the Rams a win yet, but with each game being more important than the last, accuracy and consistency are paramount.

 

 

Rams sticking with Kai Forbath at kicker this week vs. Seattle

It’s not time to make a change at kicker – yet.

It’s not time for the Rams to hit the panic button a kicker just yet. They’re going to give Kai Forbath another shot to prove himself after missing a 48-yard attempt in Week 8 by a wide margin.

Sean McVay doesn’t want to overreact to that one miss, especially considering it was Forbath’s first game with the Rams after L.A. cut Samuel Sloman. Forbath did make both of his extra-point attempts and a 23-yarder against the Dolphins, but that 48-yard miss loomed large.

The Rams do have Austin MacGinnis on the practice squad and McVay said there will be competition at the position, but Forbath will maintain his job this week.

Forbath was a perfect 10-for-10 on field goals and 10-for-10 on PATs last season with the Cowboys, so he is accurate. He doesn’t have the biggest leg, but the Rams need someone who can make kicks in the 40-yard range, which Sloman was unable to do consistently.

Rams still have a kicking conundrum to solve during bye week

Is Kai Forbath really the answer at kicker?

We’re now eight weeks into the regular season and the Los Angeles Rams still have not securely filled the void at kicker left by Greg Zuerlein. They gave rookie Samuel Sloman a shot after picking him over Lirim Hajrullahu and Austin MacGinnins in camp, but he only lasted seven games. Kai Forbath was signed off the Bears’ practice squad to replace Sloman, but he missed a 48-yarder on Sunday against the Dolphins – and it wasn’t even close.

MacGinnis is back on the Rams’ practice squad and will have a chance to once again prove himself to the coaching staff, but even he’s not a proven solution for Los Angeles’ kicking woes. In eight games, the Rams’ kickers have already missed seven attempts: four field goals and three PATs.

Sean McVay and John Bonamego will have some extra time to mull things over during the team’s bye week, deciding whether to continue forward with Forbath or give MacGinnis a chance. Based on McVay’s comments Monday, it sounds like Forbath will remain the top option.

“Obviously it was disappointing to see the result on the one field goal that we attempted to try to cut it to a one-possession game and miss-hit that,” he said. “I do think you want to still demonstrate a little bit of patience, understanding that one kick – that was big – it didn’t help us yesterday, but I think you want to give a guy a chance to continue to compete and evaluate. With that small inventory that we had from yesterday, we’ll continue to evaluate both of those guys and Kai will remain in that role right now.”

The trade market is an option for the Rams if they don’t feel great about either of their current candidates. However, it’s rare for a team to part ways with a good kicker via trade, given the low return that comes with it.

The free-agent market is barren, too, providing no better options to Los Angeles than Forbath and MacGinnis. In all likelihood, the competition between those two will be ongoing into Week 10 against the Seahawks, thanks to the expanded practice squad that allows the Rams to keep two players in-house.

Until they find a consistent solution to this problem, they should keep scouring for candidates. Because although their kickers haven’t cost them a win yet, that could very well happen in the second half of the season if things don’t improve.

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Rams sign K Kai Forbath off Bears practice squad

The Rams have added a kicker in wake of Samuel Sloman’s recent struggles.

Fans have been calling for the Rams to make a change at kicker with Samuel Sloman missing three PATs and two field goals in six games, and they could be on the verge of doing so. The team announced on Tuesday that it has signed kicker Kai Forbath off the Bears’ practice squad, adding him to the 53-man roster.

Sloman is still on the roster, however, so this could be a sign that the Rams will allow him to compete with Forbath throughout the week.

Forbath previously spent time with the Vikings, Jaguars and Cowboys, most recently kicking for Dallas late last season. He began his career with Washington in 2012 and has made 86.8% of his field goal attempts in his career.

To make room for Forbath on the 53-man roster, the Rams placed Ogbonnia Okoronkwo on injured reserve.

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Sean McVay explains why Rams picked Samuel Sloman as their kicker

Sam Sloman beat out Lirim Hajrullahu and Austin MacGinnis in camp.

One of the biggest decisions the Rams had to make this week was at kicker, where they had three guys competing for one spot. Although it seemed like Lirim Hajrullahu was leading the race over Samuel Sloman and Austin MacGinnis, he wasn’t the last kicker standing.

Instead, the Rams chose Sloman, whom they drafted in the seventh round this year out of Miami (Ohio). Being a draft pick did nothing to guarantee him a spot on the team, but he earned it in camp with a strong performance.

After making their final roster cuts Saturday, Sean McVay explained why the Rams chose Sloman over the other two kickers, and it obviously came down to the wire.

Although Sloman had the worst conversion rate in the Rams’ two scrimmages, he apparently had a great final week of practices in Thousand Oaks. That’s encouraging heading into the regular season, where he’ll be thrown to the fire on Sunday Night Football against the Cowboys at SoFi Stadium.

He was also the youngest of the bunch at only 22 years old, though he’ll turn 23 on Sept. 19.

Sloman also spoke to reporters Saturday and he found out he made the team in the most 2020 way possible: by getting a COVID test on his way into the facility.

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Rams expected to go with rookie Sam Sloman at kicker

The Rams have apparently made a decision at kicker, going with the rookie from Miami (Ohio).

The Los Angeles Rams have decided on which kicker will replace Greg Zuerlein for the 2020 season. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Rams are expected to go with Sam Sloman, who competed with Lirim Hajrullahu and Austin MacGinnis for the job in training camp.

This comes as somewhat of a surprise as it seemed Hajrullahu was the lead candidate to replace Zuerlein. He was the most consistent kicker in camp and had the most experience, spending several years in the CFL.

Sloman was drafted by the Rams in the seventh round this year, hailing from Sean McVay’s alma, Miami (Ohio).

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press also reported the news of Sloman’s apparent victory, with Hajrullahu being waived.

Based on reports out of camp, Sloman had been the least consistent kicker of the three. He went 5-for-8 in the second scrimmage and 3-for-5 in the first, which isn’t exactly a great rate of conversion.

Hajrullahu, on the other hand, was a combined 10-for-13 in the two exhibition games. MacGinnis went 9-for-13, as well.

Rams ‘not in a rush’ to pick a kicker, won’t rule out keeping two

Sean McVay left the door open for the Rams to keep two kickers, or stash one on the practice squad.

The Rams’ search for a kicker to replace Greg Zuerlein has not exactly been easy. They’ve turned over stones at just about every level of football, bringing in one kicker each from the CFL, XFL and college.

The mostly virtual offseason prevented the Rams from truly evaluating Lirim Hajrullahu, Austin MacGinnis and Sam Sloman before training camp, condensing the window to only a few short weeks. And you can bet the Rams are going to use just about every grain of sand in the hourglass before picking their kicker for the 2020 season.

With restrictions on what can and can’t be reported out of training camp, it’s hard to get a feel for which kicker has the lead in this race. Sean McVay hasn’t even indicated that one has pulled ahead when talking to the media. He said Wednesday that the team is going to take as long as it can to decide, indicating the competition will go right up to final cuts on Sept. 5.

“That’s a really important part of what we’re evaluating right now. All three guys bring certain things to the table. That’s another thing – it’s how many different pressure situations can you try to create in these practice settings to truly evaluate guys that are younger players? You’ve got a rookie and some other guys that don’t have a whole lot of experience at this level, but I think they’ve done a nice job. Coach (John) Bonamego has been excellent leading the way for them. … We’ll see if one of these guys starts to really separate themselves from the other two.”

McVay won’t rule anything out at this point, either. He didn’t shoot down the possibility of stashing an extra kicker on the practice squad, considering the NFL has increased the number of players a team can carry on its practice squad to 16.

“That’s a possibility, it’s something you can look into just given the fact that they’re expanding the practice squad rosters,” he said. “Those will be decisions we’re certainly not in a rush to make and we’re going to use every day that we have to really evaluate them.”

The fourth-year coach wouldn’t even guarantee that the Rams will only keep one kicker on the 53-man roster, leaving the door open for the possibility of retaining two of the three when the regular season begins – one for kickoffs and one for field goals.

Of course, the Rams would prefer to have a kicker who can do both, and McVay acknowledged that in his response.

“That’s always a part of the consideration,” McVay said of possibly keeping two kickers. “I think the ideal approach is to be able to have a guy that can do both. Just because of how minimal, even though you have the ability to have 48 guys up this year on the game-day roster, you want to be able to try to have that guy be able to do both, unless you’re in a situation when your punter ends up kicking off. We’ll let Hekker continue to be the best at what he’s doing with punting and holding.”

It seemed Hajrullahu pulled ahead slightly in the team’s scrimmage on Saturday after making all five of his kicks in the exhibition game. MacGinnis went 4-for-5, while Sloman lagged behind with a 3-for-5 showing.

However, in Wednesday’s practice, Hajrullahu missed two field goal attempts, which made the competition even more interesting.

The Rams haven’t committed to one kicker yet and they may not until they trim their roster, but time is running out for them to pick someone to replace Zuerlein.

Watch: Rams kicker Lirim Hajrullahu drills FGs from 75 and 77 yards

Lirim Hajrullahu has a strong leg, and he showed it off on the practice field this week.

There are a lot of position battles that will need to be sorted out this summer in training camp, one of which is at kicker. It’s not a marquee competition like inside linebacker and guard will be, but it’s an important one after the departure of Greg Zuerlein.

The Rams currently have three kickers on the roster, two of which hailed from other football leagues, and another who was a seventh-round pick. Lirim Hajrullahu was signed by the Rams out of the CFL, and he’ll be competing against former XFL kicker Austin MacGinnis and rookie Sam Sloman out of Miami (Ohio).

Hajrullahu was a prolific kicker in the CFL and this week, he showed off his leg strength by drilling field goals from 75 and 77 yards out.

Hajrullahu did acknowledge that there was some wind (5 mph), but that’s merely a breeze and calmer than most NFL games played in outdoor stadiums. Hajrullahu clearly has a strong leg and his career-long is 56 yards, but he’s also accurate.

In his CFL career, he made 83.3% of his field goal attempts across six seasons, including a career-best season in 2016 when he made 88.1%. And from 50-plus yards, Hajrullahu was 19-for-23 in his career, making his last 10 attempts since 2018.

All that’s well and good, but his spot on the team will come down to beating out MacGinnis and Sloman in camp where the coaches will be watching.

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