Sticking with Piniero was the right choice

[TN05]

Like most everyone else here, I was calling for Eddy Piniero’s head after the Atlanta game - but sticking with him has been the right choice.

Piniero is now 2nd in the league in both field goals made (31) and field goal accuracy (93.9%) and 7th in field goals attempted (33). Since the Atlanta game, he’s 17/17 in field goals and has made three field goals in each of the the last four games.

Making a kneejerk move based off of a single bad game would have likely led to a downgrade in kicker quality.

[Harbingers]

4 minutes ago, TN05 said:

Like most everyone else here, I was calling for Eddy Piniero’s head after the Atlanta game - but sticking with him has been the right choice.

Piniero is now 2nd in the league in both field goals made (31) and field goal accuracy (93.9%) and 7th in field goals attempted (33). Since the Atlanta game, he’s 17/17 in field goals and has made three field goals in each of the the last four games.

Making a kneejerk move based off of a single bad game would have likely led to a downgrade in kicker quality.

While I actually agree with this, when he’s under pressure again(aka potentially in the playoffs) will he cave like the Atlanta game? There’s only one way to find out. It’s my biggest concern though. 

[PanthersGTI]

Sometimes sticking with a guy pays off. Shows him you believe and lets the locker room know you got their backs. It is a risk but in a season like this it was worth it. You either gain all the positives or cut him the next week. 

[1of10Charnatives]

This post seems too reasonable and thoughtful for this forum. The willingness to admit being wrong in the past is just not what we do here, sir.  I'm gonna have to ask you to take this to the Scandinavian artwork subreddit as a more appropriate venue of enlightened discussion. Football fans don't do this sort of thing in public.

[falconlynx]

25 minutes ago, Harbingers said:

While I actually agree with this, when he’s under pressure again(aka potentially in the playoffs) will he cave like the Atlanta game? There’s only one way to find out. It’s my biggest concern though. 

I feel the same way. 
 

He’s been great with the routine kicks, but has he really been tested in a high pressure situation since the Atlanta debacle? Hope it doesn’t come to bite us. 

[TNPanther]

Eddy Money wouldn't have been put in that situation to begin with had the refs not gone full tard in flagging DJ after that touchdown.

Having to see that poo in person right behind that endzone and hear it from the ghetto trash Falcons fans made it 10X worse.

[WUnderhill]

This dumbass org will probably stick with pineiro over Gonzalez next season and it will bite us in the ass.

[KSpan]

I'm not saying that I disagree with the overall sentiment, as you can't just drop every player that makes a mistake, but this thread will not hold up if he misses another kick in another imporrtant situation. 

[TylerDurden]

I agree with the sentiment but the ATL game still pisses me off. It's rare a guy gets 2 shots to win the game with a walk-off kick, and it's even more rare that the guy misses both of them - horribly. That was like Jim Marshall running the wrong way, but for kickers. It was like Scott Norwood in the Super Bowl, except twice in one game. It was all-time, two for the history books bad.

 

 

 

That being said, he has been incredibly reliable outside of that game. But again, the thing that worries me is that most other games, he has essentially been able to go in playing with house money. That ATL one was so bad, because they, we, and he knew something was on the line, and he choked. My Chicago buddy said the same thing when he saw what happened here - "Yup.  Same thing that happened here.  He was money when it didn't matter, but when it did, he folded."  I hope he's over that after Wilks kept him through that and showed belief in him...  sometimes that's all it takes.

[SCMunnerlyn1]

1 hour ago, TNPanther said:

Eddy Money wouldn't have been put in that situation to begin with had the refs not gone full tard in flagging DJ after that touchdown.

Having to see that poo in person right behind that endzone and hear it from the ghetto trash Falcons fans made it 10X worse.

We don't know that only because that 2nd kick he missed was iirc the same distance as a NFL extra point. 

[Carl Spackler]

1 hour ago, Harbingers said:

While I actually agree with this, when he’s under pressure again(aka potentially in the playoffs) will he cave like the Atlanta game? There’s only one way to find out. It’s my biggest concern though. 

Yeah this could really age poorly. Pineiro is 0-2 on clutch kicks this season and while he's (thankfully) been excellent since then, there's no way you can bet on him until he doesn't choke when it matters.

[Harbingers]

Just now, Carl Spackler said:

Yeah this could really age poorly. Pineiro is 0-2 on clutch kicks this season and while he's (thankfully) been excellent since then, there's no way you can bet on him until he doesn't choke when it matters.

I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just after, but before too, where he was either perfect or near perfect. Which points to Atlanta being an anomaly. That said, I just have this nagging feeling about him. It’s not like he doesn’t have the best LS in the game and a decent holder. I haven’t figured out which is his weak hash yet but if Atlanta is any indication he has a weak hash. 

[stratocatter]

Yep jury is still out. Fat lady hasn’t sung. All of that happens when season ends and all kicks have been made or missed.   
so far he has rewarded Wilkes’ faith. 
 

I would have sent him packing or at the least had kickers in for tryouts Monday morning. 

[SZ James (banned)]

the fact that he's been automatic in less stressful situations is still something to be applauded

not being a liability and screwing us over & forcing the O to chase points, is HUGE