Justin Tucker

[frankw]

1 minute ago, BlazeCarolina said:

I only pay attention to the Panthers.  I was just trying to prove the point that you don't have to draft a kicker.  4/5 of the top kickers right now were undrafted.

I believe kicking is just one of those positions that is a bit fickle and you have to have a bit of luck.  It takes some trial and error sometimes.  We have to trial Fitz to see what we have.

There's a combination of contributing factors but there just isn’t staying power with the position anymore. But it also doesn’t need to be a situation where it hurts you worse than other teams if it is managed correctly. We'll just have to see how Morgan handles it and how his approach varies from the last several years. But we definitely do need to take a different angle.

[frankw]

3 minutes ago, BlazeCarolina said:

Yeah, and trying to say we will find the best kicker ever (or even need to) is a bit ridiculous to me.  He was one of a kind.

If you go up and down the list of GOAT kickers many are undrafted. But that was a different time for football. That was the only point I was making. Not that it was best kicker ever or bust. Anyways I've said all I can idk why some of you are so grumpy about this discussion but carry on.

[BlazeCarolina]

1 minute ago, frankw said:

There's a combination of contributing factors but there just isn’t staying power with the position anymore. But it also doesn’t need to be a situation where it hurts you worse than other teams if it is managed correctly. We'll just have to see how Morgan handles it and how his approach varies from the last several years. But we definitely do need to take a different angle.

The answer may already be on the roster.  If he starts shanking them in game, maybe we revisit this.

Right now is not the time to panic.  We just signed a guy with an outstanding resume.  Did you guys not see how he was being talked about before being signed?

[BlazeCarolina]

Just now, frankw said:

If you go up and down the list of GOAT kickers many are undrafted. But that was a different time for football. That was the only point I was making. Not that it was best kicker ever or bust. Anyways I've said all I can idk why some of you are so grumpy about this discussion but carry on.

I am not grumpy at all brother.  I didn't even know what the stats would be before I posted them.

I just thought, hey, we are both talking out of our ass here on our opinion.  Let's introduce some facts.  I just happened to come out looking good on that statistically.

I prefer facts over opinion when I can get them.  I would have just as easily said maybe you have a point.  I didn't know, so I looked.

[BlazeCarolina]

For further discussion, a lot of what I am pulling is from this site.  Here is a quote, and I will link the whole thing afterwards.  I feel they didn't talk this well about the #1 guy on the list.

"Fitzgerald projects as an immediate NFL starter with the potential to become a franchise cornerstone at the position. His remarkable improvement curve, particularly his perfect 2024 campaign, suggests a kicker who's figured out both the mental and physical aspects of his craft. The leg strength is NFL-ready, as evidenced by his ACC-record 59-yarder, and his near-perfect accuracy on PATs will be particularly valuable given the NFL's longer extra point distance."

 

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Ryan-Fitzgerald-PK-FloridaState

 

[PleaseCutStewart]

9 minutes ago, TD alt said:

I appreciate what you're saying, but Vinatieri was the most clutch kicker ever. I can't say that for those guys (I'll take Boswell though). 

That's like comparing apples to hand grenades...

Vinatieri is one of the best ever and will be one of the handful of kickers that are in the hall of fame. Whether you draft a kicker in the 1st or they are UDFA - you are very unlikely to find another like him.

[TD alt]

4 minutes ago, BlazeCarolina said:

Yeah, and trying to say we will find the best kicker ever (or even need to) is a bit ridiculous to me.  He was one of a kind.

Never ridiculous trying to acquire the best. Anything less is anti-football.

[TD alt]

1 minute ago, PleaseCutStewart said:

That's like comparing apples to hand grenades...

Vinatieri is one of the best ever and will be one of the handful of kickers that are in the hall of fame. Whether you draft a kicker in the 1st or they are UDFA - you are very unlikely to find another like him.

True, but that shouldn't stop you from trying.

[frankw]

1 minute ago, BlazeCarolina said:

I am not grumpy at all brother.  I didn't even know what the stats would be before I posted them.

I just thought, hey, we are both talking out of our ass here on our opinion.  Let's introduce some facts.  I just happened to come out looking good on that statistically.

I prefer facts over opinion when I can get them.  I would have just as easily said maybe you have a point.  I didn't know, so I looked.

Impossible to say who will be good mediocre or great from that group. Could be none. Which would follow the norm for the position as of late.

We would all love another young Kasay aside from the Super Bowl gaffe. For right now I'll just settle for stability for a few seasons. Whether it's a UDFA or a vet. I think that's best case scenario for the time being.

[BlazeCarolina]

3 minutes ago, TD alt said:

Never ridiculous trying to acquire the best. Anything less is anti-football.

I never said that you shouldn't try.  We may have the best right now.  He is untested.

Going out there expecting to find the best ever is fantasy land.  It could happen, but better to talk realistic expectations.

[BlazeCarolina]

3 minutes ago, frankw said:

Impossible to say who will be good mediocre or great from that group. Could be none. Which would follow the norm for the position as of late.

We would all love another young Kasay aside from the Super Bowl gaffe. For right now I'll just settle for stability for a few seasons. Whether it's a UDFA or a vet. I think that's best case scenario for the time being.

How many seasons has Fitz been unstable for us?

Crazy he is being condemned already.

[PleaseCutStewart]

3 minutes ago, TD alt said:

True, but that shouldn't stop you from trying.

The hard part is kicking has such a mental component and we see what happens when a kicker cracks. Hell, I thought Tucker was going to end up being the best kicker ever the rate he was going before turning into a predator and forgetting how to kick a football.

We honestly have been decently lucky at kicker. Kasay and Gano were mostly good for us and they were our kickers for roughly 2/3 of our NFL existence. Even weak legged Eddie did good enough for for FGs under 50

[PleaseCutStewart]

1 minute ago, BlazeCarolina said:

How many seasons has Fitz been unstable for us?

Crazy he is being condemned already.

I'm honestly intrigued to see how he does. As an FSU fan, I hated the dude for the 2022-2023 season because he seemed to shank just about every FG he took. His last 2 years, he was automatic - many of which were from 50+. Hell, he hit that 59 yard bomb over in Ireland when they crapped the bed against GT

[TD alt]

4 minutes ago, BlazeCarolina said:

How many seasons has Fitz been unstable for us?

Crazy he is being condemned already.

No one is "condemning him," but even "Coach" said he has to finish. And, yes, there are grumblings in media---not just on our message board---that we may need to acquire other options, the latest being Greg Joseph.