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2002 camp battles: Getting a leg up on place-kickers

Team observers say Bill Gramatica hasn't completely recovered from this freak injury. Jamie Squire/Allsport

By Bob Harris, Special to CNNSI.com

The fifth and final column in a five-part series previewing some of this year's more interesting NFL training camp battles -- both traditional and non-traditional -- from a fantasy perspective. This week: Place-kickers.

Arizona Cardinals: Bill Gramatica vs. "Youthful Exuberance"
Gramatica was enjoying a very solid rookie season, making 16-of-20 field goals, including 5-of-8 beyond 40 yards, when he was hurt late last year.

In case you missed it, the youngster suffered an injury to his plant leg while celebrating a successful field goal during a Dec. 15 loss to the Giants.

According to the observers, Gramatica made seven field goals in nine attempts during an Aug. 3 intrasquad scrimmage, but special teams coach Hank Kuhlmann told the Arizona Republic it doesn't appear Gramatica is fully recovered from knee surgery yet.

"I don't think all his strength is back," Kuhlmann said.

Bottom line? Fantasy owners should take a wait-and-see approach with Gramatica to make sure that: a) he fully recovers from surgery, and b) he tones down his celebratory antics if he does recover.

Atlanta Falcons: Jay Feely vs. "Total Anonymity
While his 115 points last year were third most in franchise history and his 29 field goals were the second-highest total in team history, questions remain regarding Feely's ability to hit the longer kicks.

The truth is Feely, who was only 4-for-9 from 40 to 49 yards as a rookie last year, must become more consistent from beyond the 40-yard mark before we categorize him as a true fantasy threat. But the fact that he's hit all eight of his field goal attempts so far this summer is certainly promising.

One last note here: Feely's impressive rookie effort benefited greatly from the shortcomings of Atlanta's red zone offense, a unit that scored touchdowns on just 15 of the team's final 42 trips inside the 20-yard line.

Chicago Bears: Paul Edinger vs. Jon Hilbert
Edinger quietly emerged as a consistent pressure kicker from longer range last season after setting a club record with 13 conversions (in 16 tries) from 40 yards or longer. Overall, the former sixth-round draft pick has made 47-of-58 field goals in his first two seasons as a pro.

Unfortunately, a lack of length on kickoffs -- an ongoing concern -- prompted the Bears to sign former Dallas place-kicker John Hilbert in an effort to gain more depth on kickoffs without sacrificing field-goal accuracy.

Hilbert, who hit 11-of-6 as a Cowboy last season, supposedly has superior leg strength, but his longest field goal last season was 43 yards, five yards shorter than Edinger's best.

Of course, team officials shuffled a variety of free-agent kickers through training camp early last season, but no move was made and Edinger went on to hit 26-of-31 field goals and score 113 points, the most by a Chicago kicker since Kevin Butler’s 114 in 1995.

Cincinnati Bengals: Travis Dorsch vs. Neil Rackers
According to those who follow the team closely, the decision to select Dorsch in the fourth round of this year's draft, the Bengals’ highest pick at the position since selecting Chris Bahr in the second round of the '76 draft, is almost certain to put an end to the Neil Rackers era.

The fact that Rackers has only hit 29-of-49 field goal attempts as a Bengal is significant.

The book on Dorsch coming out of college was that he hits the ball squarely, is consistent in his approach and rhythm and has the leg strength to kick effectively into the wind.

And according to those who follow the team closely, this one appears to be working out as the Bengals hoped. Rackers has had an excellent summer, but Dorsch came off a good week to perform well in the team's second preseason game -- which means the inclumbent might want to invest in a ticket to Jacksonville (see below).

Cleveland Browns: Phil Dawson vs. "Lingering Expansion Woes"
Dawson may have enjoyed a breakout 2001 season by hitting 22-of-25 field goal attempts, but lingering questions surrounding Cleveland's still-developing offense keep me from enthusiastically endorsing the former University of Texas star.

Remember: We're talking about a guy who hit only 22 field goals in 29 tries over his first two seasons as a pro.

Nonetheless, Dawson's .880 percent conversion rate last season was second best in the league. For his career, Dawson, who has made his last 15 field goal tries, has converted 44-of-54 field goals and 70-of-72 extra points for 202 points

Dallas Cowboys: Tim Seder vs. Billy Cundiff
The Cowboys' special teams were among the worst in the NFL and their league- and franchise-high six blocked kicks are evidence of just how much they struggled. Those problems explain the team's decision to spend top dollar for the services of former Ram Jeff Robinson, who is considered one of the NFL's best deep snappers. The Cowboys handed Robinson a whopping $1.1 million signing bonus, in large part to ensure that Seder can relax and do his job without worrying about whether the ball will be there for him.

According to Cowboy coaches, poor deep snaps cost Dallas at least two games and played a large role in two other losses last year. Seder often wound up rushing his kicks because the snaps were poor and he had to adjust on the fly.

Of course, the fact that Robinson went down with a season-ending knee injury earlier this week probably wasn't viewed as good news. Then again, with all due respect to the need for a solid snap from center, I have a hard time buying into the notion that lousy snaps fully accounted for Seder's injury-impaired, 51-point effort last year.

In fact, my guess is that less-than-impressive effort probably explains the Billy Cundiff's presence in camp this summer.

According to the Sports Xchange, Seder has the advantage because he is the incumbent and is game-tested. However, that is offset a little by the fact that Cundiff has a bigger leg. So far, they’ve battled to a 3-for-3 standoff on field goal attempts in preseason game. Seder has hit from 24, 49 and 35 yards, Cundiff from 36, 52 and 32.

The Cowboys want only one kicker for the final preseason game. So the duel might come down to how each fares against the Falcons this weekend.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Hayden Epstein & Derek Schorejs vs. "Guys Who Aren't Even Jaguars Yet"
The Jaguars haven't been especially pleased with either of their place-kicking candidates -- Hayden Epstein and Derek Schorejs. According to the Florida Times-Union, team officials would be interested in San Francisco rookie Jeff Chandler should the Niners release him.

The same can probably be said of the loser of kicking competitions in Cincinnati and Seattle.

In case you're wondering just how bad Epstein and Schorejs can be, those who follow the team closely say the "dynamic duo" have missed more than they’ve hit this month.

Oakland Raiders: Sebastian Janikowski vs. Sebastian Janikowski
As long as he can avoid all the off-the-field trouble -- and foot infections -- that have highlighted his first two years as a pro, Janikowski will almost certainly wind up among this year's top 10 fantasy place-kickers.

Unfortunately, his ability to stay out of the headlines -- and/or local hospital wards/police stations, etc. -- hasn't been something fantasy owners can count on.

It's all about upside for Janikowski, who last year demonstrated both the leg strength and the accuracy that prompted the Raiders to burn a first-round draft pick on the former Florida State star in April 2000.

If he can stay out of trouble and off his back long enough to hit the field in all 16 regular-season games, 2002 might very well be the year Janikowski finally lives up to his lofty potential.

San Francisco 49ers: Jose Cortez vs. Jeff Chandler
The Niners might have reached for Chandler when they selected him out of the University of Florida in the fourth round of April's draft, but not without good reason. Chandler is accurate, rarely has kicks blocked and he's more than capable of handling the team's kickoff chores.

But the real reason San Francisco drafted him is that three of its four losses were by six points or fewer.

Oh, yeah. ... and incumbent place-kicker Jose Cortez had five kicks blocked and three more that were tipped. That's not good.

The club resolved to improve its special teams, and Chandler, who hit 56-of-65 field goal attempts over the last two years -- with 57 touchbacks in 1999-2000 -- could be the answer. San Francisco special teams coach Bruce DeHaven told reporters shortly after the draft: "I felt of all the kickers out there he was the one I had no doubts about."

But guess what?

Cortez, who hit field goals from 27, 24, and 46 yards -- without missing a kick -- against the Broncos on Aug. 19, heads into the final two preseason games with a slight edge over Chandler, who missed a 45-yarder in the first quarter against Denver before rebounding to hit a 38-yarder in the second half.

Seattle Seahawks: Rian Lindell vs. Aaron Elling
GM/head coach Mike Holmgren is far from sold on the erratic Lindell, who had a shaky 2001 campaign after hitting 15-of-17 field goal attempts the previous season, including 10-of-11 from beyond the 40.

Last year, Lindell was just 20-of-32 and the only thing keeping him from losing his job was the fact that team officials couldn't find anyone better. According to those who follow the team closely, Lindell's problems are primarily mental; he often struggles with technique because he attempts to over-kick the ball.

That said, Lindell stands to benefit greatly from what should be a more potent offensive attack -- if he's still around come September. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Lindell holds an edge over Elling. "Rian has probably been a little more consistent," Holmgren said Wednesday.

But if you ask me, Holmgren probably had the best overall take on all this year's place-kicking battles. Asked earlier this month if he thought his team's place-kicking competition was spirited, the coach quickly replied: "It's hard for me to define the kicker competition as 'spirited' … but it is a competition."

There you have it folks. Check back next week when I'll review some of the biggest Fantasy winners and losers of the 2002 preseason.

Bob Harris is Editor and Webmaster of the TFL Report and Senior Editor for Fantasy Sports Publications. He will be one of the many experts competing in the World Championship of Fantasy Football, drafting in Las Vegas on Sept. 7.

 

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