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At pick 166 of the 5[SUP]th[/SUP] round last May, the Dolphins selected Caleb out of the University of Florida and it was all but certain the Dolphins were going to cut ties with Dan Carpenter.
Sturgis started his rookie season 7 out of 7 in field goals made. Can kickers hit a rookie wall? If so, it’s safe to say Caleb did.
After the perfect start he finished 19/27 for a season total of 26/34 and 76.5%.
That percentage ranked 29[SUP]th[/SUP] overall in terms of field goals made and his 8 misses were tied for the most in the league by kickers.
Randy Bullock and Garrett Hartley also missed 8 field goals in 2013. They ranked 30[SUP]th[/SUP] and 32[SUP]nd[/SUP] respectively in field goal percentage. Unfortunately, that’s not the type of company Dolphins fans want their kicker being in.
It doesn’t make Dolphins nation feel any better that Dan Carpenter made 33-36 field goals for the Buffalo Bills (91.7%), including – take a deep breath – the game winner IN Miami week 7. Sturgis missed a field goal in that game and missed field goals in a few other close games after looking further into his up and down season.
When Sturgis missed a field goal, the Dolphins went 3-4. When he missed more than one field goal they went 0-1. That game was against the Patriots in Foxboro where the Dolphins lost 27-17 after dominating the majority of the game. Some would say Sturgis’ miss off the upright in the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] quarter swung the momentum in the favor of the Patriots and Miami never recovered.
Of the eight field goals Caleb missed, three came in the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] quarter, his most misses of any quarter.
There was no real trend showing if he was a better kicker at home than on the road, as half his misses came in Miami and half away. It was unusual to see Caleb struggle at home as he grew up and went to school in the state of Florida, so the weather should be a thing of comfort for him.
In 2009, as a Gator, Sturgis made 22 of 30 field goal attempts. In 2011 he made 22 of 26 and was named to the all-SEC first team. To cap off his college career in 2012, Sturgis went 24 of 28 on field goal tries. Staying with the positives, Sturgis did make a big kick in 2013 at home on Thursday Night Football as he buried a game tying 44 yard field goal to push the game with the Cincinnati Bengals into overtime.
He tasted success, but he also tasted failure in his debut season. Too much failure for the liking of Dolphins fans, who are used to the history of Garo Yepremian, Pete Stoyanovich, the aforementioned Dan Carpenter and of course, the fan favorite, Olindo Mare. Miami has a long list of kickers that have given the team clutch moments and plenty of success throughout the team’s history.
Can Caleb Sturgis be on the list with those guys in the future? Or will his sophomore season be a disappointment like his rookie season?
The Dolphins drafted Caleb in order to cut Carpenter to save a few bucks. But with Carpenter burying 91% of his kicks to Caleb’s 76%, Miami may regret the move they made if Sturgis doesn’t pan out.
It’s still early in his career, but with his rookie season under his belt, what should we expect from the Florida kicker in year two?
Will there even be a year two?
If you were Dennis Hickey would you draft another kicker in the later rounds? Sign a veteran in free agency to compete with Sturgis? Or let the kid go into the season secure and hope he bounces back?
http://network.yardbarker.com/all_s...blisher_cover32_dolphins_module_head_15941027
Sturgis started his rookie season 7 out of 7 in field goals made. Can kickers hit a rookie wall? If so, it’s safe to say Caleb did.
After the perfect start he finished 19/27 for a season total of 26/34 and 76.5%.
That percentage ranked 29[SUP]th[/SUP] overall in terms of field goals made and his 8 misses were tied for the most in the league by kickers.
Randy Bullock and Garrett Hartley also missed 8 field goals in 2013. They ranked 30[SUP]th[/SUP] and 32[SUP]nd[/SUP] respectively in field goal percentage. Unfortunately, that’s not the type of company Dolphins fans want their kicker being in.
It doesn’t make Dolphins nation feel any better that Dan Carpenter made 33-36 field goals for the Buffalo Bills (91.7%), including – take a deep breath – the game winner IN Miami week 7. Sturgis missed a field goal in that game and missed field goals in a few other close games after looking further into his up and down season.
When Sturgis missed a field goal, the Dolphins went 3-4. When he missed more than one field goal they went 0-1. That game was against the Patriots in Foxboro where the Dolphins lost 27-17 after dominating the majority of the game. Some would say Sturgis’ miss off the upright in the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] quarter swung the momentum in the favor of the Patriots and Miami never recovered.
Of the eight field goals Caleb missed, three came in the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] quarter, his most misses of any quarter.
There was no real trend showing if he was a better kicker at home than on the road, as half his misses came in Miami and half away. It was unusual to see Caleb struggle at home as he grew up and went to school in the state of Florida, so the weather should be a thing of comfort for him.
In 2009, as a Gator, Sturgis made 22 of 30 field goal attempts. In 2011 he made 22 of 26 and was named to the all-SEC first team. To cap off his college career in 2012, Sturgis went 24 of 28 on field goal tries. Staying with the positives, Sturgis did make a big kick in 2013 at home on Thursday Night Football as he buried a game tying 44 yard field goal to push the game with the Cincinnati Bengals into overtime.
He tasted success, but he also tasted failure in his debut season. Too much failure for the liking of Dolphins fans, who are used to the history of Garo Yepremian, Pete Stoyanovich, the aforementioned Dan Carpenter and of course, the fan favorite, Olindo Mare. Miami has a long list of kickers that have given the team clutch moments and plenty of success throughout the team’s history.
Can Caleb Sturgis be on the list with those guys in the future? Or will his sophomore season be a disappointment like his rookie season?
The Dolphins drafted Caleb in order to cut Carpenter to save a few bucks. But with Carpenter burying 91% of his kicks to Caleb’s 76%, Miami may regret the move they made if Sturgis doesn’t pan out.
It’s still early in his career, but with his rookie season under his belt, what should we expect from the Florida kicker in year two?
Will there even be a year two?
If you were Dennis Hickey would you draft another kicker in the later rounds? Sign a veteran in free agency to compete with Sturgis? Or let the kid go into the season secure and hope he bounces back?
http://network.yardbarker.com/all_s...blisher_cover32_dolphins_module_head_15941027
