I mentioned this in the game thread, but most all the talk today keeps coming back mistakes from Jones and Yates. Nonetheless, Rackers needs to go, imo. When you go against elite defenses, you need the ability to convert long field goals. He was 4-8 from between 40 and 49 this season, and short-legged a 50-yarder today that changed the entire momentum of the second half. He can't be counted on to boot kickoffs out of the end zone. Oh, and he'll also be 36 when next season starts. The other issue I have with Rackers - how many kicks did we see this year that just barely snuck in by seemingly a matter of inches? It felt like he was teetering on the brink of a '09 Kris Brown-esque collapse all year. Though he somewhat recovered late in the season, his lack of leg strength is a problem no matter what. By comparison, Billy Cundiff (Ravens) went 7-of-9 from 40 to 49, and Stephen Gostkowski (Patriots) was 9-of-11 from 40 to 49. I think Randy Bullock (A&M) would be a nice pick in the 5th or 6th round of the draft. There are also viable free agent options too, I'm sure. It's not to say that kicker is the biggest upgrade this team needs to make, but to go against the big boys, I'd like to have more confidence on longer kicks. That miss today stung, badly.
It s a HUGE problem when kicking a FG is almost not even an option unless you are within 40 yards. I am all for drafting one
Just read that Rackers is a free agent this offseason - hopefully that will make it even easier to part ways.
I was surprised, when they said he had wind to his back, that he straight up was short on that kick. I agree it was a costly miss given their field position after that. My question is to your last point... Is there much of a problem/learning curve with rookie kickers? Seems like a Super Bowl contender would go with a vet.
looking at the free agents it looks like Josh Scobee is a free agent, he would be a real good pick up.
Agreed on Rackers - I put up a thread not terribly long ago about his immediate drop off with 45 yarders. No learning curve...but teams want to know if a kicker will keep it together in the tightest spots. Rookies are big unknowns - everyone's automatic at tryouts and in practice. Teams would rather stick with a guy that's demonstrated big moments don't rattle him.
Usually kicker is the one position where things are straight forward. The closest parallel this year is the Eagles, who dumped David Akers and drafted Nebraska's Alex Henery in the fourth round. Henery went 24-of-27 overall, 4-of-4 from 40 to 49 and had no misses after week 4. It's not to say that there's no learning curve - I'm sure there's a psychological edge to having a history of made kicks in NFL playoff games. But over the course of a season, I think extending your FG range another 5-10 yards is more than worth it for the Texans. It's not just the misses for Rackers, but his leg. The Texans really do have to approach the game differently when they're around the 35, as opposed to when they had a solid long-distance kicker in Brown (prior to his blowup).
Yes get another long distance kicker if one is out there. Even so, Kubiak also could have been honest about Rackers limitations and PUNTED the ball, instead of going for a 1/3 chance probability. If you don't get the necessary kicker's yards, you just don't. Send the other team back deep.
Rackers isn't a bad kicker, he's an average kicker. He made 4-8 from 40-50 yds, but made 4-5 from over 50 yds during the regular season. He's good from under 40 yds. He's just average, so it wouldn't hurt to draft someone.
Absolutely. We should have pinned them and gotten the field advantage....or in a stretch go for it..even fake it. But letting Rackers attempt that is the last choice. And yes, we need our own 21st century bomber ...esp. w/ our defense.
UFA List: Jay Feely (ARZ) Rian Lindell (BUF) Mike Nugent (CIN) Phil Dawson (CLE) Neil Rackers (HOU) Josh Scobee (JAC) Nick Folk (NYJ) Connor Barth (TB) Scobee (29, TX native) would get me excited, and Barth (25) would be a nice consolation prize. Scobee (23 of 25, 5 of 6 50+, 63% Touchbacks for 3rd in the league) Barth (26 of 28, 2 of 3 50+, no kickoffs)
To me it's almost like a 'grass is greener on the other side' kind of deal. Rackers had a pretty good year and he has been pretty good with the Texans. It's not like Scobee is too much of an upgrade if at all.
Consistency is a wash, but Scobee has a monster leg for 50+ yarders and touchbacks. Those are the exact two areas that I'd like to see us get better in. Plus he's 6 years younger than Rackers. Scobee is clearly the better kicker IMO.
