Following up on the thread earlier in the week in talking about Jasper Brinkley. With change to McAdoo and new assistant coaches, we know there is going to be increased scrutiny of the players on the roster and whether they should be brought back or not. This addition, kicker Josh Brown.
On the surface, Brown, 36 years old, had a very good year. Brown went 30-32 on field goals, good enough to lead the NFL with a 93.8% success rate. He was also 44-45 on extra points, considering that they were moved back to 33 yards was impressive on it's own right. And he was 3-3 on 50+ yard attempts. He would score a career high 134 points.
So what's the problem? Well, the problem is one that creeps up on kickers as they get older, which is kick off distance. In a time when there are more touchbacks than before, Brown was not very good in 2015. The eye test showed it, with several shanks and low line drives. And the numbers backed it up too, Brown only got 36 touchbacks on the season. That ranked him 26th in the NFL. The converse side of things, Brown "allowed" an NFL high 54 returns in 2015, which translated to 1095 yards in returns, the 3rd highest total in the NFL.
By contrast, probably the best kicker in the NFL, Gostkowski on the Pats had an NFL high 69 touchbacks, allowed only 28 returns and 526 yards. Justin Tucker had 63 touchbacks and only 9 returns for 225 yards. Pat McAfee, a punter used for kickoffs, boomed 67 touchbacks and allowed only 8 returns all year, for a miniscule 156 yards.
That type of field position goes hand in hand with a bad defense to equate to losses. So the question do the Giants look to bring back the 37 year old Brown, who earned $1,250,000 in 2015? Do the Giants consider looking into a kickoff specialist and potentially burn a roster spot on that role. Do they look to see if Wing can kick off, similar to McAfee?
Or do the Giants look to start fresh, keeping in mind the past couple of seasons, they actually did a good job with young kickers in camp who have been productive elsewhere (McManus in Denver and Boswell in Pittsburgh)...dare we say, a nod to Quinn?
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Robbie, good point, I"m looking for that stat now. However, I think the goal of the special teams coaches, unless it's a squib or onside kick (or a special pooch play), I'd say that 95% of the time, the goal is a touchback. Brown wasn't good in this category last year, no matter how you slice it. Statistically, he was one of the worst full time kickers in the NFL.
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What is the average starting field position based on kickoffs? That is more relevant. Yes, more returns could lead to more kickoff returns for TDs but they could also lead to more fumbles by the return team. We need more statistics to make a valid argument.
Robbie, good point, I"m looking for that stat now. However, I think the goal of the special teams coaches, unless it's a squib or onside kick (or a special pooch play), I'd say that 95% of the time, the goal is a touchback. Brown wasn't good in this category last year, no matter how you slice it. Statistically, he was one of the worst full time kickers in the NFL.
Giants we're 6th in the NFL for Avg. Starting Field Position (Defense)
Drive Stats 2015 - ( New Window )
And as a whole, I prefer reliable scoring to long kickoffs, so Brown fits that well.
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What is the average starting field position based on kickoffs? That is more relevant. Yes, more returns could lead to more kickoff returns for TDs but they could also lead to more fumbles by the return team. We need more statistics to make a valid argument.
Robbie, good point, I"m looking for that stat now. However, I think the goal of the special teams coaches, unless it's a squib or onside kick (or a special pooch play), I'd say that 95% of the time, the goal is a touchback. Brown wasn't good in this category last year, no matter how you slice it. Statistically, he was one of the worst full time kickers in the NFL.
I don't think a TB was always the goal under TC. We employed the mortar kick fairly regularly and TC noted before that it was intentional, in hopes of forcing fumbles or tackling the runner before the 20.
i would take a Kicker like Brown with fewer touchbacks but only missing 1 XP .
there were many kicks this year who missed 5+ XP's
Don't forget one kicking this weekend (McManus)
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In comment 12782334 robbieballs2003 said:
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What is the average starting field position based on kickoffs? That is more relevant. Yes, more returns could lead to more kickoff returns for TDs but they could also lead to more fumbles by the return team. We need more statistics to make a valid argument.
Robbie, good point, I"m looking for that stat now. However, I think the goal of the special teams coaches, unless it's a squib or onside kick (or a special pooch play), I'd say that 95% of the time, the goal is a touchback. Brown wasn't good in this category last year, no matter how you slice it. Statistically, he was one of the worst full time kickers in the NFL.
I don't think a TB was always the goal under TC. We employed the mortar kick fairly regularly and TC noted before that it was intentional, in hopes of forcing fumbles or tackling the runner before the 20.
This is my thinking as well.
This!
Move of a reflection of kick coverage than distance. If he consistently kicks it inside the 10, there's no reason the opponent should start beyond the 25-30.
kicked an OT winner vs Detroit a couple of years back. How many pressure kicks has he honestly had here?
a decent amount and a younger kicker could be added.
On the other hand Wing is still pretty inexperienced.
Give. The Giants are a 6-10 team, I'd lean towards reallocating those dollars unless his all in number is around $ 1 Mil.