Kicker Poll
by KDawg on Apr 8, 2011 11:54 AM EDT
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Ok guys...I have been arguing with my boss about this for a couple of weeks, so i want to get it out here and see what the consensus is on POD. Question: Is it feasible for the Lions to keep both Dave Rayner and Jason Hanson on the 53 man roster? More after the jump...
The Baltimore Ravens had 2 kickers on their roster in both 2003 and 2004. Matt Stover was one of them. Who was the other one?
Wade Richey - Wade handled both kickoffs and long field goal duties for the Ravens in 2003 AND 2004.
While it is obvious that it is somewhat of a rarity for an NFL team to keep 2 placekickers on their roster, it has been done many times in NFL history and it was done as recently as the 2010 season. In 2010 the Dallas Cowboys kept 2 placekickers on their roster, David Buehler and Kris Brown, one for kickoffs and the other for field goals.
Will the Lions keep 2 placekickers in 2011? Maybe, maybe not. It is not out of the realm of possibility, and it is not so far fetched that it would be seen as ineffective or inefficient. The Lions kept NINE defensive backs on the 53 man roster last season, and it very likely cost the Lions a win when Jason Hanson was injured in the Jets game last year. Suh came in to kick in place of Hanson and missed an extra point that forced overtime. The Jets scored on their first possession in OT, and the Lions lost the game. Why? Because they did not have a second kicker who could come in and bang home an extra point, which is usually a 90% surety to be made when a regular kicker attempts it. Had Rayner been on the roster when Hanson went down in the Jets game, BOOYAH the Lions win. Q.E.D.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pride of Detroit or its writers. FanPosts are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable fans.
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I say both
I know there kickers Hanson is still better. Rayner has been improving you can’t convince me that Rayner working with Hanson for lets face it probably his last season wouldn’t be a great benifit. If Hanson gets hurt again and even placed on IR we still have the new guy and possibly the long term answer on the roster. I’d hate to lose either of them I find it hard to justify to hardcore Lions fans why we just cut Jason Hason.
"Show me someone with an offseason and I'll show you someone in last place"- Ndamukong Suh ( All Pro, Pro Bowl, Pepsi Rookie of the year, AP defensive rookie of the year, Sporting news rookie of the year)
PCP 4 LIFE
With kickoffs moving to the 35
I can’t see the Lions spending a roster spot on an extra kicker.
Pride of Detroit, for Lions fans | SB Nation Detroit, for Detroit-area sports fans
yeah hanson could probably get it in the endzone now
"If you don't invest very much, then defeat doesn't hurt very much and winning is not very exciting." ~Dick Vermeil
"Some people watch adult videos on their computer. I go to YouTube and watch Jahvid Best highlight clips. That's what gets me aroused." ~Jim Schwartz
Exactly..
Theres no way we waste a spot on a guy for kickoffs when I could now kick it outta the endzone. Even in case of a emergency like the Jets game, not worth the roster spot. Give Suh an extra rep or two a week in practice and call it good, or just more goal line reps and go for it
by CR on Apr 8, 2011 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Both.
Barring that, Hanson.
I’m sorry, I reiterate earlier sentiments. I would rather start every defensive drive on the 35 than see Hanson play in another team’s jersey.
+1
RIP Robyn Bailey 1961 - 2010. I love you mum.
by Hyperion Ecta on Apr 8, 2011 11:53 PM EDT up reply actions
blind eye?
Rayner was exceptional last season.. I also think we keep Hanson over him but not because Rayner wasnt impresive, because Hanson has earned it over years of service.
by CR on Apr 8, 2011 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Touch backs?
Who gives a shit about touch backs, Hanson never has touchbacks either. Its about making FG’s dude, and Rayner did one hell of a good job of doing that
by CR on Apr 8, 2011 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions
either, not both
i just dont like using the extra roster spot, but let me say, deciding between the 2 sucks and im glad i dont have to make that decision.
+1
"Show me someone with an offseason and I'll show you someone in last place"- Ndamukong Suh ( All Pro, Pro Bowl, Pepsi Rookie of the year, AP defensive rookie of the year, Sporting news rookie of the year)
PCP 4 LIFE
Rayner
Sorry, I got much love for Hansen. But I got to take him to the field, and let him play with the rabbits… : (
Where is the "Cut them Both, and Let SUH kick full Time" option?
"Lemme Tell you why I have confidence in the long term future of this team... It's #9, That's why I have confidence in the long term future of this Team." - Jim Schwartz
In the poll that you have yet to make...lol
It's a terrible thing to have to tell your fans, who have waited like Detroit's have, that their team won't win it this year. But it's better than lying to them.
--Sparky Anderson
Sorry Hansen
I love what Hansen has done for this franchise and for this city. This guy has been fantastic!!!! Unfortunately, Rayner has shown that he is an equally great kicker and will only improve with time and experience. We won’t keep two kickers for one main reason…. both these guys have a similar skill set. Neither one is necessarily a deep ball kicker. Both have good enough range on FG’s and don’t really kick touchbacks. Jason Hansen has done more than anyone could have asked for but the time to cut ties is now… while we have a competent replacement. All franchises have had sentimental players who gave their all… FAVRE… but the GREAT teams are separated from the rest when they make the tough… but smart decision from a football and winning perspective.
Dave Rayner has been inconsistent for his entire career...
Which is why he has been with 6 different teams in 5 years…he was the starting kicker in green Bay for 1 year (played in all 16 games) and he hit 26 FGs out of 35 attempts (74.3%). Just look at his stats and tell me that he is a lock to all of a sudden be accurate.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/raynedav01.htm
Jason Hanson is a known quality and quantity. If he says I can kick the ball coach…then you let him.
It's a terrible thing to have to tell your fans, who have waited like Detroit's have, that their team won't win it this year. But it's better than lying to them.
--Sparky Anderson
Really??
Rayner has a very limited sample of a career to judge him from. He didn’t play in 2009 and played in 2 games in 2008 (going 1/1 fg’s, 3-3 xpts).
Last year he was perfect on X-Pts.
Last year he only missed 3 FG’s. He missed from 49, 46, 48. Thats not an OK season, thats a fantastic season. Not only was he extremely CONSISTENT last year, but he was clutch… he hits 3 FG’s against TB, 1 with no time left, 1 in OT, and hits from 47 against MIA, and from 55 against MIN, both wins. Do you really want to let this guy go. How many years does Hansen have left? He’s 40 yrs. old and has been hurt the last two years. I love the guy but at some point he will have to be let go. We might as well do it while we have a competent replacement.
One season...
He was consistent for ONE season. And I am sorry to say, but he did not play in 2009 because he SUCKED and couldn’t make a regular season roster. He would not have played in 2008 for Cincinnati (or any other team) either, had their kicker not been injured and they were forced to sign someone.
I was happy with the way Rayner performed for US last year too…but my point is that I am not ready to hand the starting job over to him, knowing how inconsistent he has been since entering the league, when we have a proven kicker in Jason Hanson when he is healthy. If the Lions want to keep Rayner around and let him work with Hanson, while also being the insurance guy in case Hanson gets injured again, then I am all for it. Otherwise, I say we have to give the job back to the man who has proven to be consistent year in and year out for the past NINETEEN seasons (until the knee injury in 2010).
That is my opinion though…and my vote is Hanson unless they keep both.
It's a terrible thing to have to tell your fans, who have waited like Detroit's have, that their team won't win it this year. But it's better than lying to them.
--Sparky Anderson
If you want to talk about a limited sample size...
It would be the one year that Rayner was consistent (2010).
It's a terrible thing to have to tell your fans, who have waited like Detroit's have, that their team won't win it this year. But it's better than lying to them.
--Sparky Anderson
Maybe we sneak Hanson on the practice squad for seasoning
with kickers it can take time
by BillySimsMadeMeDo on Apr 8, 2011 3:58 PM EDT reply actions
Looks like alot of us still have that heart to not let Hanson go.
Understandably since he has been with us forever, thick and thin, a true Lion. But I do believe his time is very near and I love Rayner.
Arguably Hanson is my favorite Lion ever just because of how long he has been with us and how reliable he has been.
"My perception, sort of going back, looking at the Lions from the outside in, was the Lions would always change courses and overreact. To be at the point now where we were competitive in every game ... We need to stay on that track. We don't need to change course." - Jim Schwartz
Obviously a tough decision.
My take? Keep Rayner and let Jason go. Maybe he can go to the Steelers and help them win a Super Bowl next year. Uhhhh, as long as it’s not against us.
"I read one article, I said, 'This guy doesn't know what he's talking about,' " Mayhew said. "Then I read another one, and I thought, 'Wait a minute, they're all saying the same thing.' -Martin Mayhew 2011 regarding Draft Gurus.
+1
"If you don't invest very much, then defeat doesn't hurt very much and winning is not very exciting." ~Dick Vermeil
"Some people watch adult videos on their computer. I go to YouTube and watch Jahvid Best highlight clips. That's what gets me aroused." ~Jim Schwartz
Injury aside
Hanson’s numbers for the year were still good. Nothing about them warrants his replacement. Where was the outcry for Rayner when we had him on the roster a couple years ago? I don’t care if Hanson is 75 years old, if his numbers don’t drop I see no reason to remove the longest tenured player in the NFL. Yes, Rayner is younger and has more remaining years to give the league, but really? Kickers are always available. Look at Rayner’s resume, he’s already been with so many teams…..and he’s one of the decent kickers…yeah, we can pick one up when we actually see Hanson retire or his numbers drop off. Until that happens it is absolutely repulsive to me to even consider cutting him.
It's turkey, Lions and Macy's. Any other combination is just ludicrous.
"Only a real man quotes himself in the 3rd person" - Nate D. circa 2011
+1
Hanson is one of the all-time greatest kickers, and that’s not even homerism.
Keep the guy til his leg falls off, IMO… he’s never lost us a game, near as I can remember.
'The reality is - the police become necessary in human society, only at that junction in a society where it is split between those who have, and those who ain't got' - Omali Yeshitela
"In the absence of logic it is not uncommon that sanity can only be found by embracing lunacy." – Leonuro, circa 2011
Not sure if he's lost us one or not
but he sure as hell has kept us in alot of games. The guy is in the record books for the most 50+ yarders. Granted, that’s not a surprise on a team like the Lions, but Hanson has consistently proven he’s not just the best on the team, but one of the best in history. Not too mention the guy’s been here for 19 years, 19 years with the same team in professional sports in this day and age is just ridiculous and though I will always be a Lions fan, somehow I think if we just dealt him to another team or cut him….I would be less of a fan. Jason Hanson in another uniform is the subject of my worst nightmares…Fergie is in there too, but that’s irrelevant. I like Rayner but Hanson he is not.
It's turkey, Lions and Macy's. Any other combination is just ludicrous.
"Only a real man quotes himself in the 3rd person" - Nate D. circa 2011
This sums up my feelings on the matter.
I lived through Millen, and to be honest, I ain’t even mad. Shit happens.
Cut Hanson and it’s a different story.
by Mavyrk on Apr 8, 2011 8:27 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
anybody old enough to remember Eddie Murry? Lions kicker before Hanson was drafted,
he was also a long time Lion (can’t remember how long) and at the time there was a similar sentiment, Murry (God I hope I got his name right! memory is getting bad) had been pretty much automatic just like Hanson is except it had to be 40 yards or less, think that is why Hanson was drafted, cuz he kicked the shit out of a football. So the question is, is Hanson still kicking the shit out of the ball? Answer….yes, untill he isn’t you just don’t cut him untill the next “Hanson” comes along. If he somehow doesn’t have it anymore, he will be the first one to tell us and Rayner or anyother journyman kicker will work in the meantime.
I remember "Steady" Eddie Murray
I remember when he left Detroit too…it was in 1992 when we drafted Jason Hanson. And I agree with you 100%…Jason Hanson will tell the coaches and the FO when he is all done, and until that happens (or it becomes readily apparent that he can not get the job done anymore), I think he should continue to be our kicker.
It's a terrible thing to have to tell your fans, who have waited like Detroit's have, that their team won't win it this year. But it's better than lying to them.
--Sparky Anderson
I voted both but I need to explain
We will start out with just Hanson on the roster, but somewhere before game 8 Hanson will get injured…. again….. and then Rayner will be on the roster and the Lions will do their typical thing with an injury. They will waste several weeks of a roster spot hoping that Hanson can rehab. In fact they will be fighting for a playoff spot so they will keep Hanson on the active roster even longer, in hopes that he can come back and kick a game winner in the playoffs before he retires next season.
Ndamukong Suh - Bringing 50's football back to Motown!
Piggybacking off what you said
I have a soft spot for Dave Rayner, as I knew his brother (worked with my father at Compuware). I was glad when we picked him up, and I really was impressed with him last year. I discount it a bit because the majority of the time he was kicking it was indoors or in Florida… Either way, if it’s between carrying Rayner or some ST guy (or Aaron Brown [or Derrick Williams]), I’d say go with Rayner. At least we know he’s gonna contribute to the scoreboard.
But Hanson is the Yzerman of the Lions for me. I’m not a hockey fan so it probably doesn’t mean as much to me as he does some of you, but Hanson has always been the steadiest, classiest, long running Lion I’ve seen in my lifetime. Unless he wants to leave (which I doubt), you hang onto a guy like that. I trust that he knows when to hang it up.
'The reality is - the police become necessary in human society, only at that junction in a society where it is split between those who have, and those who ain't got' - Omali Yeshitela
"In the absence of logic it is not uncommon that sanity can only be found by embracing lunacy." – Leonuro, circa 2011
i dont think people relize how high henry willl go
he is the best kickcer and like the 3rd best punter.. he is like a 5th round maybe 4th
Here's our next Jason Hanson
'The reality is - the police become necessary in human society, only at that junction in a society where it is split between those who have, and those who ain't got' - Omali Yeshitela
"In the absence of logic it is not uncommon that sanity can only be found by embracing lunacy." – Leonuro, circa 2011
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