Let’s have a serious conversation…aka ditch Anders

[milani]

They let Crosby go for cap reasons. He stayed unemployed for over half the season until the Rams signed him to their practice squad. The Packers could have resigned him for the vet minimum and had him available for the stretch run. They could have moved Carlson to the practice squad. Crosby was unemployed for a reason. He had lost some of his length strength for longer FG's and his kickoffs were short. I still would have trusted him over Carlson to hit a 41 yarder with the season on the line.

Right. At 56 yards I would take Carlson only because he has the leg and there is a chance he could hit it. But in either case it is a moot point.

 

[OldSchool101]

I’m totally ok with using a 7th on a Kicker if needed. If they have someone in mind we’d get first pick of anyone not drafted.
Surprisingly, very few Kickers are drafted each season. So spending even a 7th comp pick at Kicker gets you a top 2 or 3 choice out of hundreds of college programs (FBS/FCS/Div2,3 etc. on average. Last year was an anomoly as Carlson was a 6th and he was the 3rd drafted. The two previous years only 1 Kicker got drafted each draft in that 4th round area.

I still think we should give Carlson a full camp and preseason, but 100% we should have a competition.

2024 NFL Draft Prospects: Kicker – WalterFootball

walterfootball.com

 

[Zartan]

I know hes a rookie and all that but, hes just a kicker. Other positions like QB, WR, RB ect usually take few seasons to get acclimated to the NFL game speed and what not. What you are going to get out of a kicker is right out of the gate.

Bring in competition and if he still sucks then cut him loose.

 

[AKCheese]

I know hes a rookie and all that but, hes just a kicker. Other positions like QB, WR, RB ect usually take few seasons to get acclimated to the NFL game speed and what not. What you are going to get out of a kicker is right out of the gate.

Bring in competition and if he still sucks then cut him loose.

Exactly. If there’s an upgrade available take it - but cutting him for spite is what barstool sitters are all about. Decisions are made on the prospects for the future not past performance (good or bad)

 

[BrokenArrow]

Carlson is no Justin Tucker that's for sure. Tucker in his rookie season was over 90% FGs and 100% on XPs.

When he was a rookie XPs were 19-yard chip shots.

 

[tynimiller]

When he was a rookie XPs were 19-yard chip shots.

Something folks forget about.

 

[McKnowledge]

Now that Green Bay has quickly rebuilt and can firmly reopen a potential championship window.

It is imperative that the Packers mitigate any liabilities.

Packers should target a veteran kicker with tread still on the tires and I would like to see them get Greg Zuerlein or Nick Folk.

Put the Carlson kid on the practice squad or cut him altogether, not every position needs to be filled with youth.

Like baseball, kickers are closers...there's a reason they've been called to action...

Stop playing around and pay a reasonable premium for a kicking specialist.

 

[milani]

When he was a rookie XPs were 19-yard chip shots.

Didn't he kick a 61 yarder in Detroit once upon a time that enabled them to win?

 

[longtimefan]

Didn't he kick a 61 yarder in Detroit once upon a time that enabled them to win?

58 was his longest ever

 

[milani]

58 was his longest ever

Looked it up. Tucker- 61 yarder Dec. 18, 2013 vs. Detroit
Tucker- 66 yarder Sept. 26, 2021, vs. Detroit

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Appears that the Packers are ready to sign a veteran Kicker to compete with Anders. They had one lined up, ready to sign, but he signed elsewhere. The article didn't name the kicker and with 7 out of 9 FA Kickers resigning deals, no clue who it might have been.

The Packers did sign a second kicker back in Jan., Jack Podlesny, but he has no NFL experience. Have to guess that they aren't sticking with just Anders and Jack heading into Camps.

Packers Actively Seeking Veteran Kicker to Battle Carlson

Even as Anders Carlson went through growing pains as a rookie, the Packers did not add a veteran kicker. That might change, given this bit of news in NFL free agency.

www.si.com

2024 NFL Free Agents: Kicker/Punter – WalterFootball

walterfootball.com

 

[DoURant]

I like that they aren't looking to settle for mediocrity in the kicking game. Special teams have been an Achilles heal of this team for too many years now. Having possibly 2 young guys and a veteran in camp would be more ideal for competition, vs Anders and a guy with no experience.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I like that they aren't looking to settle for mediocrity in the kicking game. Special teams have been an Achilles heal of this team for too many years now. Having possibly 2 young guys and a veteran in camp would be more ideal for competition, vs Anders and a guy with no experience.

Somewhere Captain should be taking notes on dumping a Vet for a rookie.


I'm still a firm believer in having a Veteran at K. Kicking seems like a mental game to me, much like golf. The old guys have lived through it several times and get themselves out of it quickly. Obviously, there have been some youngsters who come in and kick well, but that seems more like an exception and not a rule.

Is Anders a seasoned vet after 1 year? No, but a lot of job pressure in camp and preseason might put him to the test and speed up the maturing process. I still think he will end up being a decent NFL kicker, it's just dealing with those first few years of rough patches that are difficult to stomach.

 

[DoURant]

Somewhere Captain should be taking notes on dumping a Vet for a rookie.


I'm still a firm believer in having a Veteran at K. Kicking seems like a mental game to me, much like golf. The old guys have lived through it several times and get themselves out of it quickly. Obviously, there have been some youngsters who come in and kick well, but that seems more like an exception and not a rule.

Is Anders a seasoned vet after 1 year? No, but a lot of job pressure in camp and preseason might put him to the test and speed up the maturing process. I still think he will end up being a decent NFL kicker, it's just dealing with those first few years of rough patches that are difficult to stomach.

I agree that he will eventually be a decent kicker in this league. Crosby had his struggles early in his career, and he became known as "Money" Mason Crosby when it counted.

 

[PikeBadger]

I agree that he will eventually be a decent kicker in this league. Crosby had his struggles early in his career, and he became known as "Money" Mason Crosby when it counted.

Yeah, but oh wise Capn thought any young guy could do better than Crosby.

 

[El Guapo]

Yeah, but oh wise Capn thought any young guy could do better than Crosby.

He can't post, but I bet that Captain is reading the forum here and "keeping receipts" like Dan Campbell. Watch your tongue!

My opinion on Carlson hasn't changed. He has the leg and the pedigree to be a great kicker. Gute said he was going to bring in competition. Hopefully it's legitimate competition to push Anders. However, I see no reason to switch back to Mason Crosby or someone else at the end of their career.

Carlson's brother started to take off in his 2nd and 3rd years. This may be another Manning scenario, where the younger brother can never match the success of his HOF older brother....but Eli still won two SB rings.

 

[DoURant]

Yeah, but oh wise Capn thought any young guy could do better than Crosby.

Maybe in kicking it deeper on KO's, but that's about it.

 

[gopkrs]

I just don't remember rookie kickers having that many problems. Lucky when we drafted Conners that he got hurt and Longwell came in as a rookie. Otherwise, Connors would have beat out Longwell just because we drafted him imo. And that might be why we keep Anders. It just seems like the problems Anders had in college didn't change last year.

 

[PikeBadger]

I just don't remember rookie kickers having that many problems. Lucky when we drafted Conners that he got hurt and Longwell came in as a rookie. Otherwise, Connors would have beat out Longwell just because we drafted him imo. And that might be why we keep Anders. It just seems like the problems Anders had in college didn't change last year.

Conway. Bret Conway. One of Ron Wolf's dismal draft failures. He had a couple or more every year I think. Just like everyone else in the league.

 

[Voyageur]

There will be camp competition for the Packers this year. There is a possibility that they will draft someone very late. But, it's hard to say where this will play out. They'd be paying Carlson this year because of his contract, so there's that question of dead cap. Yet, Pods is a pretty darned good kicker, and could beat him out, and get a minimum contract on a one year deal, and a shot at bigger bucks with a new year 2 contract.

We'll know more about the time they report for preseason camp. Until then, it's just a guessing game. And yes, PB is right. We have had a lot of kickers come in and fail, even when picked higher in the draft. These guys are a crap shoot at best. Some of the best are coming from places like Australia, where they are either Aussie rule football players or soccer players. They know how to put their foot into a ball.

 

[Thirteen Below]

Conway. Bret Conway. One of Ron Wolf's dismal draft failures. He had a couple or more every year I think. Just like everyone else in the league.

Sure, sure, but as we all know, the mistakes that Packer general managers make are orders of magnitude more massive than any of the mistakes that any other general managers make.

Any other human being period, if you wanna know the truth of it. I just wake up every morning terrified that while I was asleep, Gutekunst made a trade or signed a free agent that's bound to lead to the extinction of our species, or global thermonuclear war at the very least.

But I feel safer knowing that on the day that this inevitably happens, my fellow Packer fans will immediately bring it to everyone's attention.

I just hope to god I see us win one more Lombardi first.

 

[milani]

Sure, sure, but as we all know, the mistakes that Packer general managers make are orders of magnitude more massive than any of the mistakes that any other general managers make.

Any other human being period, if you wanna know the truth of it. I just wake up every morning terrified that while I was asleep, Gutekunst made a trade or signed a free agent that's bound to lead to the extinction of our species, or global thermonuclear war at the very least.

But I feel safer knowing that on the day that this inevitably happens, my fellow Packer fans will immediately bring it to everyone's attention.

I just hope to god I see us win one more Lombardi first.

Conway bit it. But the following week in preseason Wolf found Longwell. And he had a pretty good career in GB.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Now that Green Bay has quickly rebuilt and can firmly reopen a potential championship window.

It is imperative that the Packers mitigate any liabilities.

Packers should target a veteran kicker with tread still on the tires and I would like to see them get Greg Zuerlein or Nick Folk.

Put the Carlson kid on the practice squad or cut him altogether, not every position needs to be filled with youth.

Like baseball, kickers are closers...there's a reason they've been called to action...

Stop playing around and pay a reasonable premium for a kicking specialist.

Are the guys you mention FAs? I agree with you. This team looks ready to make deep playoff runs now. They don't have time to see if a rookie will make it.

At almost any other position I'd say wait a year. But you're right, kickers are closers and Carlson is not a closer.

 

[GreenNGold_81]

His brother had a shaky season with the Vikes, then was released and set records for the Raiders under Bisaccia. I think we get some competition, but this talk of releasing him outright is dumb considering the potential. I understand he is not his brother, but they drafted him to be a project for Bisaccia, so let Bisaccia cook.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Something funny, but about Brett Conway and not that uncommon with many kickers in the NFL. He and others somehow carve out a career in the NFL and do it with multiple teams.

Conway was in the NFL for 7 seasons. If you include the Packers, he was with 6 different teams. One of those teams, The WTF even brought him back for a second stint. In 2000, he kicked for 3 different teams and in 2003, 2 different teams.

I tell you, if I ever have a son, I am going to start him on kicking FG's as soon as he can walk, it's a great way to see the whole country and create a nice nest egg.