Making the Case for Graham Gano

[dcdiscokid]

Good article, have to say it swayed me to Gano's side. I am the first to admit I wanted him of the team last year, so tired of the problems at this position. But based on what is in that article I am resigned to give him another chance in an effort to solidify the position long term. Another thing I read somewhat in relation to this was about fantasy football and being able to project consistency year to year. Now granted it's in relation to Fantasy, but it would also indicate circumstances play a large role in the perceived production of a kicker.

"Running backs check in at third in our consistency rankings with a year-to-year strength of correlation of about 0.48. Wide receivers are fourth at 0.42. Kickers have zero consistency from season to season, and defenses have next to none. Understanding these correlations can help you devise projections and select between players at different positions."

http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2...e-competition/

[Bang]

The way you wrote it sounded like you were forgiving the coach for directional kicking instead of booming it away. If I read that wrong, I apoligize.

I get what GHH is saying, and yes, it isa flaw in Gano's game, no doubt.
But the idiot who causes the penalty.. well, we know.


And this topic has not been done to death until Danny Smith is done, or... hell, I'll probably be dead first.

~Bang

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

..... And this topic has not been done to death until Danny Smith is done, or... hell, I'll probably be dead first.

~Bang

NEVER give up the good fight man! Even in death you come back and haunt the ****** out ya' hear!

Hail.

[NLC1054]

The funniest thing about all the "Gano has got to go" stuff is that the only guy who attempted more field goals in 2011 was David Akers. Akers missed 8 kicks with 3 blocks, so basically he missed 5 kicks for the whole season. Most of the field goals that he missed came from a distance of 40-50+, and I'm pretty sure he shanked one from 39. He's in the Pro Bowl and people are asking why we didn't sign him and let Gano go.

Even with the misses, Gano still tied for 5th in 2011 for field goals made with 31, and the difference between 5th place and 2nd place is two kicks. He had a staggering 5 blocked kicks. He shanked 1 kick from 39 yards, and the rest of the kicks he attempted from 40-50+. Time to cut him.

Rackers has been helped tremendously by the fact that he pretty consistently been on high scoring teams that don't require him to attempt as many kicks, and certain not as many long distance kicks. That's what no one understands; the best way to help Gano would be to stop kicking as many field goals as we have to..

[RedskinParadigm]

You just happened to stumble across this article, huh? lol

Haha okay, you saw through me; I wrote the piece. I'm glad it was able to spark some discussion here. If people enjoyed it, I'll post some more pieces that I think might be of interest in the future. It's a new site that I started, so feel free to check it out and provide any feedback.

[dcdiscokid]

Rackers has been helped tremendously by the fact that he pretty consistently been on high scoring teams that don't require him to attempt as many kicks, and certain not as many long distance kicks. That's what no one understands; the best way to help Gano would be to stop kicking as many field goals as we have to..

Not to mention he's has primarily played in warm weather and domes.

[slaga]

I gotta admit, I thought Lohmiller had much better numbers than that, particularly during the 91 season. I stand corrected.

I don't think Lohmiller was depended on to win as much as Gano is. That is a burden to be placed on the offense as a whole rather than something Gano needs to shoulder by himself. (IMHO)

[pjfootballer]

If Gano is so terrible and is to blame, how come the genius Danny Smith hasn't found a kicker in 7 years? If it's so easy to find a kicker, how come we continue to have a revolving door at the position?

I have news for you guys. Gano is going to miss field goals. So is Crosby, so is Gostkowski, so is Tynes, so is Akers, so is Janikowski (he missed a 42 yarder last nigh- that's a chip shot for him), etc. etc.. He won't be perfect. He was 31-41 including the 5 blocks. The blocked kicks were from 23, 30, 36, 36 and 49. I think he makes 4 out of the 5 that were blocked. That gives him 35 of 41 for 85%. That's pretty damn good.

And of his other 5 non blocked misses, he missed from 49 and 50 against Miami, 49 and 52 against Dallas and 39 yards against the Giants. 49, 49, 50 and 52 ARE NOT easy. So the guy basically shanked one kick from under 40 yards in FORTY ONE field goal attempts. Every kicker shanks one during the season and we still beat the Giants.

Give the guy a break. Looks like he's on his way to being a good kicker if we stop that damn blocked kick crap.

The funniest thing about all the "Gano has got to go" stuff is that the only guy who attempted more field goals in 2011 was David Akers. Akers missed 8 kicks with 3 blocks, so basically he missed 5 kicks for the whole season. Most of the field goals that he missed came from a distance of 40-50+, and I'm pretty sure he shanked one from 39. He's in the Pro Bowl and people are asking why we didn't sign him and let Gano go.

Even with the misses, Gano still tied for 5th in 2011 for field goals made with 31, and the difference between 5th place and 2nd place is two kicks. He had a staggering 5 blocked kicks. He shanked 1 kick from 39 yards, and the rest of the kicks he attempted from 40-50+. Time to cut him.

Rackers has been helped tremendously by the fact that he pretty consistently been on high scoring teams that don't require him to attempt as many kicks, and certain not as many long distance kicks. That's what no one understands; the best way to help Gano would be to stop kicking as many field goals as we have to..

I broke it down on the last page.

[RedskinParadigm]

Not to mention he's has primarily played in warm weather and domes.

A point that should not go unnoticed. I don't think the inconsistency of Redskins kickers is too coincidental; I think FedEx is one of the more difficult places to kick in the NFL. Unpredictable weather, open air stadiums are not kicker-friendly. Of course, that doesn't absolve kickers of misses (PHI and PIT kickers have been successful in similar or worse conditions), but it's not something that should go unaccounted for.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

I'm gona' ask this here, but it's more relative on a wider scale across the roster.

Hypothetically, Gano and Rackers end the pre-season with the same amount of kicks in games, from similar distances. And Rackers makes lets say half the kicks more than Gano does, thus winning the open competition the coaches have said is running.

Do those saying it still take the Gano in that situation, just because he's the younger guy?

What does that then say to the ethos and attitude we're building here? Let alone the honesty of the coaches and the relationship with the players there-in?

Hail.

[sportjunkie07]

never doubted gano. from his first season (last 4 games of 10'?) i thought this kid was special. it seems to me that he has improved and will continue to do so.

i dont think rackers is anything else than someone pushing gano; i dont see it as a real competition.

it will also be nice to have a competent offense that does not depend on a kicker to win the game each.

[pjfootballer]

I'm gona' ask this here, but it's more relative on a wider scale across the roster.

Hypothetically, Gano and Rackers end the pre-season with the same amount of kicks in games, from similar distances. And Rackers makes lets say half the kicks more than Gano does, thus winning the open competition the coaches have said is running.

Do those saying it still take the Gano in that situation, just because he's the younger guy?

What does that then say to the ethos and attitude we're building here? Let alone the honesty of the coaches and the relationship with the players there-in?

Hail.

To answer your question, if it were me, I'd go with the younger guy, but Shanahan is about competition and he'll pick the guy who wins the competition. Now, with that said, remember that kickoffs will have a place in the contest also. If Rackers can't get it into the endzone, then I think he loses.

[RedskinParadigm]

The philosophical competition debate is a tough one to define. You definitely have to reward the integrity of competition in camp, but you also have to be conscious of how that may impact the future. It's a delicate balance, and one that has to ultimately be judged on a case-by-case basis. A 7th round draft pick that looks like a 7th round draft pick should not automatically earn a roster spot over a vet that clearly outperforms him in preseason. However, a 3rd round draft pick that flashes big potential but ultimately struggles in camp should be judged with context in mind (e.g. Leonard Hankerson with the dropsies in preseason last year).

For Gano vs Rackers: unless Gano is vastly worse than Rackers this year, I'd keep Gano. If, say, Rackers goes 5-6 in preseason and Gano goes 4-6, still going Gano.

[HBnotBlades]

The philosophical competition debate is a tough one to define. You definitely have to reward the integrity of competition in camp, but you also have to be conscious of how that may impact the future. It's a delicate balance, and one that has to ultimately be judged on a case-by-case basis. A 7th round draft pick that looks like a 7th round draft pick should not automatically earn a roster spot over a vet that clearly outperforms him in preseason. However, a 3rd round draft pick that flashes big potential but ultimately struggles in camp should be judged with context in mind (e.g. Leonard Hankerson with the dropsies in preseason last year).

For Gano vs Rackers: unless Gano is vastly worse than Rackers this year, I'd keep Gano. If, say, Rackers goes 5-6 in preseason and Gano goes 4-6, still going Gano.

I feel the same way.

Also, anyone else remember the posters last year trying to make a case to cut Hankerson?

[Botched]

This is starting to sound familiar...

"He just needs more time"
"He just needs a better line"
"If you take away x, y ,and z, he actually had a pretty good season"
"He should be starter even if he gets outplayed"

It's like Jason Campbell all over again