Tampa traded a 3rd and 4th to get him by moving up in Round 2. If Miami did that, babies would be punched and mayhem would ensue on this site FOR YEARS.
Anybody draft that Florida State PK that doesn't miss?
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MelbournePhin
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I do wish the phins would take more fsu uf and um players too like jax and tb. Man the jags are gonna be a force in another year or two. Book it
Dan Carpenter is about to be run out of Buffalo because he was just plain awful last year especially on extra points. He is doing the same there as he diid in Miami. He started out fine and became inconsistent. They should be looking to replace him. Hell, I believe they have another kicker they use for kickoffs because he is not great at it.
As far as drafting a kicker in the second round, I can't believe anyone would defend it. I think it is downright crazy. And to make matters even worse, Tampa traded up to draft him. Maybe, and it's a huge maybe, you could justify it if you were a loaded team that was a super bowl contender that needed to replace their place kicker because he was costing you games, but Tampa is a team trying to build into a playoff contender. If I was a Buccaneers fan I would be so pissed today.
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I was hoping Miami would draft him.... In the fourth round. Even then I am sure the majority on this site would have thought that bat **** crazy.
NFL placekicking has reached such a high standard that there isn't much of a gap between best and typical. You're talking about 2-3 variations per season. Obviously if those variations occur at critical moments then they are remembered and seasons hang in the balance. But overall I wouldn't take a kicker anywhere near that high. It seemed likely that some team would overreact to Aguayo's long established reputation and exaggerate the benefit.
Aguayo is a bit of a head case. I'll be interested to see how his career plays out, and specifically what happens when he finds the inevitable slump. Nobody scrutinized or criticized him for years because he didn't miss. Last season when he missed a few and had many kicks that barely succeeded instead of his high and true regularity from seasons past, Aguayo had contorted body language and strained facial expressions. It reminded me of a golfer who is considered infallible but is actually a volcano inside.
I agree with that scout's summary from the specialist article on jsonline last week, that I would still narrowly prefer Aguayo over Fairbairn because Aguayo has been elite for much longer, but it is hardly a slam dunk. The scout said Fairbairn has superior technique. No kidding. It's not even close, IMO. Fairbairn is smooth and unchanging while Aguayo has more of a punch style and ball flight that is all over the place. He was alternately hitting fades and draws last season. I think that's partially why he was so irritated. He realized he was not hitting the ball correctly. It might be a one year decline and now he's back to normal.
Fairbairn is a cool customer. I was more surprised that he went undrafted than Aguayo went so high. I agree with the scout in that jsonline article who said that he would trust Fairbairn above Aguayo with the game on the line.
I was intrigued that Aguayo said the 25 yard line rule works in his favor, that he's going to hit high deep pooch kicks that force returns and pins the receiving team deep. That aspect is absolutely vital and has been underplayed by the media. You can't afford to hand over field position at the 25 yard line so routinely. The math shifts in favor of the offense. Las Vegas sportsbooks are already trying to estimate how much scoring will rise as a result. The NFL wants to all but eliminate kickoff returns for safety purposes and then it partially negates the 35 yard line aspect by moving the touchback out to the 25. Makes no sense. It's crucial to have a kick returner who knows when to take it out, and a kickoff guy who can drop it like a lob wedge at the goal line or slightly outside. If special teams coaches aren't willing to gamble on those type of high soft kickoffs then they shouldn't have their job. Only dunce teams will kick it through the end zone every time.
There were also several punters chosen, and one or two very good ones who were not picked. That position has also seen dramatic improvement, with varied drop methods designed to dive that ball inside the 10 yard line like a buried lie in a sand trap.
Aguayo is a bit of a head case. I'll be interested to see how his career plays out, and specifically what happens when he finds the inevitable slump. Nobody scrutinized or criticized him for years because he didn't miss. Last season when he missed a few and had many kicks that barely succeeded instead of his high and true regularity from seasons past, Aguayo had contorted body language and strained facial expressions. It reminded me of a golfer who is considered infallible but is actually a volcano inside.
I agree with that scout's summary from the specialist article on jsonline last week, that I would still narrowly prefer Aguayo over Fairbairn because Aguayo has been elite for much longer, but it is hardly a slam dunk. The scout said Fairbairn has superior technique. No kidding. It's not even close, IMO. Fairbairn is smooth and unchanging while Aguayo has more of a punch style and ball flight that is all over the place. He was alternately hitting fades and draws last season. I think that's partially why he was so irritated. He realized he was not hitting the ball correctly. It might be a one year decline and now he's back to normal.
Fairbairn is a cool customer. I was more surprised that he went undrafted than Aguayo went so high. I agree with the scout in that jsonline article who said that he would trust Fairbairn above Aguayo with the game on the line.
I was intrigued that Aguayo said the 25 yard line rule works in his favor, that he's going to hit high deep pooch kicks that force returns and pins the receiving team deep. That aspect is absolutely vital and has been underplayed by the media. You can't afford to hand over field position at the 25 yard line so routinely. The math shifts in favor of the offense. Las Vegas sportsbooks are already trying to estimate how much scoring will rise as a result. The NFL wants to all but eliminate kickoff returns for safety purposes and then it partially negates the 35 yard line aspect by moving the touchback out to the 25. Makes no sense. It's crucial to have a kick returner who knows when to take it out, and a kickoff guy who can drop it like a lob wedge at the goal line or slightly outside. If special teams coaches aren't willing to gamble on those type of high soft kickoffs then they shouldn't have their job. Only dunce teams will kick it through the end zone every time.
There were also several punters chosen, and one or two very good ones who were not picked. That position has also seen dramatic improvement, with varied drop methods designed to dive that ball inside the 10 yard line like a buried lie in a sand trap.
Fin Thirteen
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Back when Grantland was alive, they did a study of the benefit of giving top kickers big contract extensions and the upshot was almost all kickers regress to around the mean after a year or two of "elite" shooting.
In rugby, 75% conversion rate is considered a very good season-long standard. Top kickers hit around the mid-80s to 90%. They have to kick from wider angles, but can prepare for the kicking stroke better and don't attempt many kicks over 50m.
Bottom line 80% is good. Mid 80s is very good. Players that manage seasons with higher accuracy will likely not be able to maintain it in future seasons. Fields is fine. and the new UDFA from Iowa was a very good college kicker.
In rugby, 75% conversion rate is considered a very good season-long standard. Top kickers hit around the mid-80s to 90%. They have to kick from wider angles, but can prepare for the kicking stroke better and don't attempt many kicks over 50m.
Bottom line 80% is good. Mid 80s is very good. Players that manage seasons with higher accuracy will likely not be able to maintain it in future seasons. Fields is fine. and the new UDFA from Iowa was a very good college kicker.
To be fair, many of my friends who are Bucs fans hated the pick.
---------- Post added at 04:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:22 PM ----------
I disagree. Miami should stick to their board. Reaching for a prospect just because they played for an in-state school would be kind of...meh.
