Report: No franchise tag for Hauschka

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We rarely kick a field goal over 50 yards. Replacing a kicker in Seattle would not be that difficult. Let him leave if he wants to go or wants too much money. We can draft a kicker for minimum salary.

Replacing him wouldn't be hard? When was the last time you remember having a kicker who you really just felt like "he's got this" every single time he goes out?

He's proven clutch situations don't bother him, he kicks outdoors often in the rain, and we rarely attempt 50+yarders because of Ryan and the defense... if we had freakin Janikowski in his prime I doubt we attempt many more if any....... if I can have Hauschka at 2.5 mil or some FA/rookie for 1.0, I'm taking the guy whose only gotten better every season and is proven outdoors in the rain and in clutch situations. He had one freak miss, and one blocked kick (3 OL+TE+FB out as blockers), in 35 attempts.....

3.5 is too steep but do you really want a rookie kicker when the game is on the line? Call me crazy but you try to keep a 28 year old kicker whose gotten better every season since arriving here around if you can, over saving 2 mil and and wasting a draft pick on one.

"He's got this" because we rarely go for deep field goals. If he was really as great as you are making him out to be, he wouldn't had told Pete "I don't think I can make it" during the playoffs this year. He's the guy you want to spend more than 3 million a year for?

Again, Seattle doesn't usually kick far. Decent kickers come a dime a dozen.

Don't get me wrong, if Hauschka wants to stay for cheap, I'm all for it. But if he wants too much money, Seattle should not be afraid to let him walk and test out free agency.

 

[UK_Seahawk]

"He's got this" because we rarely go for deep field goals. If he was really as great as you are making him out to be, he wouldn't had told Pete "I don't think I can make it" during the playoffs this year.

I actually think situational awareness is a plus rather than a negative. That said I wouldnt pay top end money for him.

 

[-The Glove-]

We rarely kick a field goal over 50 yards. Replacing a kicker in Seattle would not be that difficult. Let him leave if he wants to go or wants too much money. We can draft a kicker for minimum salary.

Replacing him wouldn't be hard? When was the last time you remember having a kicker who you really just felt like "he's got this" every single time he goes out?

He's proven clutch situations don't bother him, he kicks outdoors often in the rain, and we rarely attempt 50+yarders because of Ryan and the defense... if we had freakin Janikowski in his prime I doubt we attempt many more if any....... if I can have Hauschka at 2.5 mil or some FA/rookie for 1.0, I'm taking the guy whose only gotten better every season and is proven outdoors in the rain and in clutch situations. He had one freak miss, and one blocked kick (3 OL+TE+FB out as blockers), in 35 attempts.....

3.5 is too steep but do you really want a rookie kicker when the game is on the line? Call me crazy but you try to keep a 28 year old kicker whose gotten better every season since arriving here around if you can, over saving 2 mil and and wasting a draft pick on one.

"He's got this" because we rarely go for deep field goals. If he was really as great as you are making him out to be, he wouldn't had told Pete "I don't think I can make it" during the playoffs this year. He's the guy you want to spend more than 3 million a year for?

Again, Seattle doesn't usually kick far. Decent kickers come a dime a dozen.

Don't get me wrong, if Hauschka wants to stay for cheap, I'm all for it. But if he wants too much money, Seattle should not be afraid to let him walk and test out free agency.

How is that a negative? If it wasn't for him making that judgement call, we very well might have lost. A kicker that understands the gravity of the situation and is bold enough to say, "hey let's not kick it into the wind here" is exactly what I think you would want out of a player.

 

[Evil_Shenanigans]

We rarely kick a field goal over 50 yards. Replacing a kicker in Seattle would not be that difficult. Let him leave if he wants to go or wants too much money. We can draft a kicker for minimum salary.

Replacing him wouldn't be hard? When was the last time you remember having a kicker who you really just felt like "he's got this" every single time he goes out?

He's proven clutch situations don't bother him, he kicks outdoors often in the rain, and we rarely attempt 50+yarders because of Ryan and the defense... if we had freakin Janikowski in his prime I doubt we attempt many more if any....... if I can have Hauschka at 2.5 mil or some FA/rookie for 1.0, I'm taking the guy whose only gotten better every season and is proven outdoors in the rain and in clutch situations. He had one freak miss, and one blocked kick (3 OL+TE+FB out as blockers), in 35 attempts.....

3.5 is too steep but do you really want a rookie kicker when the game is on the line? Call me crazy but you try to keep a 28 year old kicker whose gotten better every season since arriving here around if you can, over saving 2 mil and and wasting a draft pick on one.

"He's got this" because we rarely go for deep field goals. If he was really as great as you are making him out to be, he wouldn't had told Pete "I don't think I can make it" during the playoffs this year. He's the guy you want to spend more than 3 million a year for?

Again, Seattle doesn't usually kick far. Decent kickers come a dime a dozen.

Don't get me wrong, if Hauschka wants to stay for cheap, I'm all for it. But if he wants too much money, Seattle should not be afraid to let him walk and test out free agency.

How is that a negative? If it wasn't for him making that judgement call, we very well might have lost. A kicker that understands the gravity of the situation and is bold enough to say, "hey let's not kick it into the wind here" is exactly what I think you would want out of a player.

^+1

Hauschka is worth the money!

 

[volsunghawk]

"He's got this" because we rarely go for deep field goals. If he was really as great as you are making him out to be, he wouldn't had told Pete "I don't think I can make it" during the playoffs this year.

I actually think situational awareness is a plus rather than a negative. That said I wouldnt pay top end money for him.

Agreed with this.

I've already gone on record arguing that kickers - even the top ones considered "clutch" - are always replaceable. There's just not that much difference between the great ones and the good ones. As long as you avoid the out and out bad ones, your team should be fine.

As for the guy asking when we have had a kicker like Hauschka that we could trust that he would perform every time out... well, we had him in Olindo Mare - the kicker we employed just before Hauschka. Look at their stats sometime and you'll see that they're very similar. It's not like we've been wandering in a desert of Randy Bullocks waiting to find a solid kicker.

With all that said, I would like to keep Hauschka on a reasonable deal (no more than $2M a year). His argument to Carroll regarding the 53 yarder into the wind is a mark in his favor, not against him. He seems to work well with the other specialists, and the team likes him. But if he's looking to break the bank at the kicker position, he can walk. That money can be spent better elsewhere.

 

[Kennedyin92]

Kickalicious incoming.

I hope Hauschka sticks around though. He, Jon Ryan and Clint Gresham are like the three amigos of special teams.

Thanks for the memories Hauschka. Can't remember the last time paying a kicker top-dollar was worth it (see Josh Brown). It would be even tougher for Hauschka to use Brown's excuse that he "just wants to win" though...

 

[onanygivensunday]

He's worth $1.75M/year imo, which is a very nice raise.

If he won't sign for less than $2M/year, let him go.

 

[sutz]

IIRC, this idea of franchising a kicker started with the Patsies. But, of course, Vinatieri had just kicked a game winner in the SB. Haushcka contributed to the SB win, but he wasn't what you'd call a deciding factor, if you know what I mean.

 

[Evil_Shenanigans]

In 2013 he was the 25th highest paid Kicker in Football! At the same time he was the 4th leading scorer in the league, and the team leading scorer for the Seahawks! His stats have already been discussed so I want labor that point. On Over the Cap there are 10 teams paying their kickers over 3M in base salary for 2014, 4 more over 2M and then about 7 more making 1M plus. And in this case I don't agree with all the folks saying cut him or offer him peanuts. He has far exceeded whatever their expectations should have been for the money paid, and IMO has earned a raise. Could we find a better kicker out there for what we were paying him? Not likely. Could we find a veteran willing to come in here on a cheap one year deal for a chance at a ring? Perhaps. But Hauschka has been beyond solid this year, and I suspect this will be a year when the FO would likely want to change as little of what worked in 2013 as possible. I am not advocating paying him Janikowski-esque wages but I think he has absolutely earned a raise and a spot on this roster for 2014.

 

[hawkfan68]

Good. Just because the franchise tag is there doesn't mean a team needs to use it. Hauschka can be signed without it. I believe that the franchise tag will be rendered irrelevant in a few years anyway. It's being used less and less. It doesn't help the team or the player (looking at long term). What the NFL needs to do is institute a "Larry Bird" type rule such as the NBA does. Here, the incumbent team can re-sign the player for more money than other teams. Limit what other teams can do in terms of $ to acquire the player. That rule benefits the team and the player.

 

[RolandDeschain]

For those of you in the "meh, we can just grab a kicker from anywhere" camp, read this thread on a Saints forum and you'll realize that kickers of Hauschka's caliber are not just easily found wherever.

http://saintsreport.com/forums/f2/hausc ... ed-321021/

Pay the man.

 

[BHF]

Meh. He was 30-32 on kicks 20-50 yards out. Pretty good. But you can find, and I'm not exaggerating, at least 15 kickers with similar numbers. If Hauschka can be signed for $1.5M or so, bring him back. If he's looking for top 5 kicker money, let him walk.

 

[RolandDeschain]

Meh. He was 30-32 on kicks 20-50 yards out. Pretty good. But you can find, and I'm not exaggerating, at least 15 kickers with similar numbers. If Hauschka can be signed for $1.5M or so, bring him back. If he's looking for top 5 kicker money, let him walk.

Hauschka also had one blocked and wasn't the other miss a huge distance attempt? He was a top five kicker in 2013. Maybe top three. I don't count Prater and that ridiculous thin Denver air, either; we saw how good he really is at kickoffs in the Super Bowl.

 

[BHF]

Heh. Well. Omitting Prater:

Shaun Suisham 30-32
Dan Bailey 20-21
Greg Zuerlein 25-26
Stephen Gostkowski 33-34
Justin Tucker 32-34
Josh Scobee 19-20
Nick Novak 32-34
Dan Carpenter 29-30
Mason Crosby 27-29
Phil Dawson 28-30
Matt Bryant 23-24
Adam Vinatieri 31-34
Blair Walsh 24-25

It's also worth noting that many of the above kickers are also better at kickoffs that Hauschka. And this isn't meant to hate on him. I don't think he's an elite kicker, but I do believe he is a goods one, and should be paid as such.

 

[RolandDeschain]

It's also worth noting that many of the above kickers are also better at kickoffs that Hauschka. And this isn't meant to hate on him. I don't think he's an elite kicker, but I do believe he is a goods one, and should be paid as such.

Does this change your mind?

Top 10 kickers for 2013 by touchbacks/kick-offs, percentage of kick-offs that were touchbacks:

1: Matt Prater, 81/114, 71%
2: Stephen Gostkowski, 65/99, 65.6%
3: Graham Gano, 63/80, 78.7%
4: Greg Zuerlein, 52/79, 65.8%
5: Thomas Morstead, 52/86, 60.4%
6: Dan Bailey, 52/93, 55.9%
7: Matt Bosher, 50/79, 63.2%
8: Steven Hauschka, 49/94, 52.1%
9: Ryan Succop, 47/91, 51.6%
10: Blair Walsh, 43/84, 51.1%

The strongest kicker legs in the NFL are clearly Graham Geno and Stephen Gostkowski based on this. Prater has that thin air, but numbers 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10 are all dome kickers.

 

[ManBunts]

For those of you in the "meh, we can just grab a kicker from anywhere" camp, read this thread on a Saints forum and you'll realize that kickers of Hauschka's caliber are not just easily found wherever.

http://saintsreport.com/forums/f2/hausc ... ed-321021/

Pay the man.

Thank you! This has been my rant to all my friends who view kickers as "a dime a dozen". Finding someone as accurate as he is in our climate is not easy. Tack on the fact that a number of his kicks have won games. ADD to that, he has been money from the 30-50 yard ranged.
http://www.nfl.com/teams/seattleseahawk ... s?team=SEA

I'm not saying we break the bank, but for as much as we rely on him, we need to pay him.

 

[BHF]

Not terribly, no. As a kicker we saw his numbers were good, but not incredible. As a kickoff specialist, his numbers look good...if you omit punters that also handle kickoff duties. When you factor those guys in he looks a lot more average. The fact that he can do both is nice, but he isn't elite at either, so I'll stand by my earlier post

 

[RolandDeschain]

Not terribly, no. As a kicker we saw his numbers were good, but not incredible.

If he was in a dome, he'd be top four in the league, possibly top three. What about that is not elite? PFF for instance, has him as 5th-best kicker in the league for 2013, and they don't even penalize Prater for the thin air, or dome kickers for the extra advantage they get.

Come on, dude.

 

[Hasselbeck]

Meh. He was 30-32 on kicks 20-50 yards out. Pretty good. But you can find, and I'm not exaggerating, at least 15 kickers with similar numbers. If Hauschka can be signed for $1.5M or so, bring him back. If he's looking for top 5 kicker money, let him walk.

Hauschka also had one blocked and wasn't the other miss a huge distance attempt? He was a top five kicker in 2013. Maybe top three. I don't count Prater and that ridiculous thin Denver air, either; we saw how good he really is at kickoffs in the Super Bowl.

He had one blocked and shanked a 20 yarder against Arizona.

Other than that the dude was absolute MONEY last year

 

[BHF]

Not terribly, no. As a kicker we saw his numbers were good, but not incredible.

If he was in a dome, he'd be top four in the league, possibly top three. What about that is not elite? PFF for instance, has him as 5th-best kicker in the league for 2013, and they don't even penalize Prater for the thin air, or dome kickers for the extra advantage they get.

Come on, dude.

What about him IS elite?

His FG numbers? As illustrated above...no. His kick off numbers? Not there either. He's middle-ish of the pack. And when 15 of the top 20 kickers in the NFL (in terms of accuracy) play in outdoor stadiums, you have to begin to question how much of a detriment the conditions really are.