I'd love to add Scobee if it doesn't cost us any other upgrades. He grew up in Longview, TX and he'll actually have a chance to win games here and kick more FG's.
I have no problem going for him cause he is younger and he has a bigger leg, but the consistency isn't a wash. Rackers has simply been more accurate over the past few years.
The reason why Arizona let him walk was because when the pressure was on, Rackers couldn't deliver. Same thing with our old kicker Kris Brown (reason Pittsburgh let him go and why we FINALLY let him go...too late IMO). Not to mention Rackers doesn't really have a strong leg. Accuracy is the main thing, but if you are 50-50 on kicks over 40 yards, and anything over 50 is too long, then it's time for a new kicker.
Why would it be a joke? The consequences of missing a 40+ yard FG aren't just missing out on three points, you also give your opponent great field position. The net loss in win probability is significant enough that I think it's worth discussing. It may not be nearly as big a hole as if your quarterback sucks or your whole secondary is crap, but the Texans are a good all around team... it's time to start talking about shoring up the smaller weaknesses.
...because all of the Texans problems moving forward boil down to one game. I'm glad we have you here, oh mighty arbiter of what is and is not worth discussing.
I'd say the learning curve is much shorter than a rookie skill position player. However, if I were to draft one, I'd draft from a major successful university. You'd want someone who's kicked in pressure moments in front of 100,000 people. Minimum range should be 52-55 and should be able to kick out of the end zone on kick offs. Rackers has been good for a long time but it's clear his range is diminishing. It's time to move on.
Wow, that's a loser mentality if I've ever seen one. Just because something isn't the biggest problem doesn't mean you don't address it. If you can improve your football team in any area, you do it.
This reminds me of the, "you can't be critical of David Carr because QB isn't the only problem with this team" mantra we heard for so long. A kicker who is that inconsistent past 40 yards needs to go. That's all.
it would have been the perfect opportunity for a fake. you haven't faked a single FG or punt in multiple seasons, the Ravens would have been caught completely off guard.
Scobee did have down years in 2010 and 2009, but 2011 was super strong at 93%. Career-wise he is 79% vs. Racker's 80% and that's the "wash" that i was referring to.
We do need a bigger leg at the PK position, Rackers has been pretty solid, but it would be nice to have someone else....hey is Kris Brown still around? DD
Neil Rackers was 4-5 from 50+ yards this season. For the 8 seasons prior to 2011, Rackers went 45-53 from 40-49. I think you are letting one game, and a small sample size cloud your judgement.
Texans were 13th in Touch-back percentage http://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/kickoff-touchback-pct And 7th is average kick-off return allowed http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/t...urn/position/defense/seasontype/2/order/false
