Mason Crosby in trouble?

[adambr2]

Today dropped Mason's career FG percentage to 79.8%. Mason's reputation far exceeds his actual career accuracy. In this day and age, kickers under an 80% career FG mark are almost unheard of. Most kickers who can't maintain 85% or better are unemployed quickly. I'm certain that among active kickers, 79.8% is either the lowest career mark or one of the lowest.

Why Crosby has earned a reputation as one of the best, I'm not certain. People seem to mistake longetivity for accuracy. He's never had a season over 90% in 12 NFL seasons. For comparison, Dan Bailey, who was recently unemployed, currently has 4 in 8 seasons. Justin Tucker, who has a career average over 90%, has 5 in 7 seasons.

Yes, he's made some clutch kicks, as will any kicker by circumstance over the course of 12 seasons. He's also missed some, as we saw against Minnesota.

People love Crosby. But most of his support is based on not really quantifiable arguments -- "He's made some big kicks for us", "He's one of the best", and a lot of that support is simply the status of being a Packer for a long time. But making an actual statistical argument for Mason being one of the best in the game is much more difficult. If you actually analyze his career statistically and remove emotion from the equation, he's one of the most overrated kickers in the game, to put it bluntly.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I'll wait for Captain will the morning but isn't he the second highest-paid kicker in the league? And isn't he something like the 23rd rated in efficiency? A day like this any other kicker in the league is at the curb.

Crosby is the kicker with the highest cap hit in the league this season. Yet he only ranked 19th in field goal percentage since the start of the 2016 season before yesterday's game.

For those advocated for the Packers to release him you have to realize that it would result in an additional $1 million counting against the cap.

 

[Mike McCarthy]

In fairness I will say Crosby kicks his home games in some of the worst conditions in the league. That being said yesterday’s horrific disaster was indoors in ideal conditions. If it is going to eat at him and he will be hit or miss here on out as we have seen before he needs to be released regardless of cost. Someone stated they wouldn’t or shouldn’t be using a roster spot for kicking competition at this point in the year, well if an outright release is too risky for your taste what are you going to do when the kicker position can not be trusted and is causing the team wins? Just hang on to the guy for the sake of being politically correct??? It is a business, when someone has proven to be the weakest link they need to be replaced to be successful.

 

[adambr2]

I don't really buy into the weather excuses for Mason. Yes, conditions can be tough in Green Bay, but can be equally so in Chicago, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and other places. He plays in the NFC North which has 2 out of the only 3 fixed room stadiums in the NFL, so by default he plays 2 out of 16 games minimum indoors.

Contrast that to guys like Tucker and Gostowski who not only play in conditions that can also be harsh, but play in divisions where all games are outdoors.

 

[red4tribe]

I think we should also split Crosby's career in half. From 2007 to 2012, he made 76.8% of field goals. From 2013 to 2017, he hit 85%. He's gotten to be one of the better kickers in the game (though I would not call him an elite kicker) in the second half of his career.

 

[Wi. Mike now in Florida]

What I don't get, miss one fg, ok, maybe two, ok, BUT THREE AND ONE X_TRA POINT???
Hell, any of us could do that

 

[rodell330]

Mason is gone on mental vacation...and may not be back until week 8. I’ve watched and have been around football long enough to know that when kickers go into a funk? They usually stay there for a couple games. We’ve all seen some of the best kickers get released because they couldn’t shake that funk...Blair Walsh, Dan Bailey, Roberto Aguayo (2nd rd draft pick) Dan Carpenter, Ryan Longwell....the list goes on!! Not only did he miss 4 makeable kicks and an extra point ...there was zero weather conditions, it wasn’t his shoe, and each time the snap and hold were perfect. He lost the game and his confidence. Might not recover this season smh.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

In fairness I will say Crosby kicks his home games in some of the worst conditions in the league.

During Crosby's career kickers from road teams have made a higher percentage of field goals at Lambeau than he did.

I think we should also split Crosby's career in half. From 2007 to 2012, he made 76.8% of field goals. From 2013 to 2017, he hit 85%. He's gotten to be one of the better kickers in the game (though I would not call him an elite kicker) in the second half of his career.

Crosby's field goal percentage of 85% from 2013 to 2017 ranked 16th in the league among 35 qualified kickers. Once again, he has been average at best.

 

[Forget Favre]

I can't hear you guys anymore.....I'm over on the Brewers Fan Web site.....they have a winning team down there in Milwaukee!!

I've become a Brewers fan again just so I can cheer on some winning Wisconsin team.

 

[Poppa San]

What I don't get, miss one fg, ok, maybe two, ok, BUT THREE AND ONE X_TRA POINT???
Hell, any of us could do that

Yeah but you need to be Mason to miss four. At least he can count that high.

 

[pacmaniac]

Missin' definitely needs to stop thinking about it. It seemed they ran out the FG unit really quickly on the last play of the game, and Crosby had no time to think about it, and it went straight down the middle. He needs to stop thinking.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Well if the second half is anything like the first half, Mason Crosby is only one of many issues with what is wrong with the Green Bay Packers. The whole team looks lifeless to this point, especially #12.

I must agree. The Packers have come out for the first half mostly lifeless all season, even the usually optimistic and energetic Rodgers. At least he has an excuse, he’s playing in pain. But the rest of the team? No excuses. It’s the job of the coaching staff to have the team ready and pumped when they come out of the tunnel. The HC has to own that, and the individual players have to take some of that on too and execute. We aren’t seeing it, and this is the easy part of their schedule. I want to be hopeful for this team. They just haven’t given me any reasons to feel that way.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Missin' definitely needs to stop thinking about it. It seemed they ran out the FG unit really quickly on the last play of the game, and Crosby had no time to think about it, and it went straight down the middle. He needs to stop thinking.

You’re right. Crosby should be able to hit 40 yarders with his eyes closed, especially in a dome. Hopefully he shakes that off, and I think he will. As for the rest of the team, well, I’ll just say the loss wasn’t entirely on Crosby.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Rodgers's fumbles were pretty costly as well...

Everybody had a role in the loss. Crosby’s was the most dramatic, but so was Rodgers not hearing the D-lineman’s steps as he hit him for one of his two fumbles. Something bigger than Crosby’s case of the yips is going on.

 

[Heyjoe4]

True, but on that last fumble Linsley completely whiffed on his block, he's missing Cobb and Allison and has been limited in practice which makes it tough to build chemistry with the young guys.

I have enough faith that even as bad as things have been today, Rodgers and McCarthy will get the offense going as Rodgers is able to get more practice time.

Crosby on the other hand, really can't excuse shanking easy money FGs and costing us key points damaging the whole team's confidence.

To your second point, I sure hope you’re right. As for Crosby, with the exception of that one terrible year, has been very good. He gets a pass from me, but only one.

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

Everybody had a role in the loss. Crosby’s was the most dramatic, but so was Rodgers not hearing the D-lineman’s steps as he hit him for one of his two fumbles. Something bigger than Crosby’s case of the yips is going on.

It's a team that's just hit the guard rails a little that's got opportunities to take off but getting a little trouble getting the plane in the sky.

As I mentioned in another thread, despite Rodgers not being on all game, I've still seen enough good throws coming from him to know he's still got plenty left in the tank. Just find a way to fast track the offense out of the gate and sustain the high tempo (which is doable) and we got the machine running good for the most part. As to Crosby, well that one I'm not sure about whether giving him more and more kicking opportunities will help or damage his confidence. Hoping the former.

Basically, yeah I think it's a good team that's not yet figured out the way to hit on all cylinders yet.

 

[adambr2]

To your second point, I sure hope you’re right. As for Crosby, with the exception of that one terrible year, has been very good. He gets a pass from me, but only one.

But he actually hasn't been. Numbers have been presented to show that even in his good years, he's been average at best. For whatever reason Crosby supporters are averse to the statistics or try to perform statistical gymnastics, which STILL only make him look average.

Mason Crosby is an average at best kicker, always has been, and is paid like he's one of the best. Nothing in the cold hard stats can support otherwise.

He's not Daniel Carlson or Roberto Aguayo. But that shouldn't be our bar.

 

[pacmaniac]

LOL @ what MM said today:

"He's a proven, highly successful kicker," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.

 

[Jim Lite]

“Twinkle Toes” Crosby laid to waste 4 drives into FG territory, and including the missed conversion, cost us 13 points, effectively snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. A mediocre 75% would have turned the tide. Enough is enough.

 

[Poppa San]

LOL @ what MM said today:

MM very rarely publicly throws players under the bus. Especially his long time vets.

 

[Jim Lite]

MM very rarely publicly throws players under the bus. Especially his long time vets.

Coaches come and go.

 

[RicFlairoftheNFL]

I think Crosby should have to put the call into Dan Carlson from Gute's office this week. I know he's our guy, trusted for 12 years, but he was HISTORICALLY bad. I've been a fan since November '81 and the closest thing I saw to this bad was Max Zendejas around '87 or '88 at County Stadium shanking 2. Let's be honest, it's not JUST the Lions game here either. Missed a game winner in OT against Minnesota, missed a PAT against Buffalo. I think it's time to find a new kicker. Also if you watched NFL Gameday Morning you saw Stacey Dales do a live shot from inside Ford Field...off her left shoulder Crosby shanked one wide right from 40 over an hour before kickoff.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

But he actually hasn't been. Numbers have been presented to show that even in his good years, he's been average at best. For whatever reason Crosby supporters are averse to the statistics or try to perform statistical gymnastics, which STILL only make him look average.

Mason Crosby is an average at best kicker, always has been, and is paid like he's one of the best. Nothing in the cold hard stats can support otherwise.

He's not Daniel Carlson or Roberto Aguayo. But that shouldn't be our bar.

It's absolutely mind-boggling that most posters around here and Packers fans in general don't understand that Crosby has been an average kicker at best. It's even worse that Thompson obviously gad no clue about it either.

 

[Mavster]

It's absolutely mind-boggling that most posters around here and Packers fans in general don't understand that Crosby has been an average kicker at best. It's even worse that Thompson obviously gad no clue about it either.

Ted was always lauded for not overpaying for FA's, too bad that didn't extend to players from our own team as well.

 

[Heyjoe4]

But he actually hasn't been. Numbers have been presented to show that even in his good years, he's been average at best. For whatever reason Crosby supporters are averse to the statistics or try to perform statistical gymnastics, which STILL only make him look average.

Mason Crosby is an average at best kicker, always has been, and is paid like he's one of the best. Nothing in the cold hard stats can support otherwise.

He's not Daniel Carlson or Roberto Aguayo. But that shouldn't be our bar.

Yeah I don’t have the numbers on Crosby to know what his career %s are. Maybe someone can enlighten us with some numbers, and how those numbers compare with other kickers.