They had their shot...Chiefs add Feely

[texaschief]

Per the Chiefs website, the Chiefs signed Feely to a one year deal.

Wow. I figured you'd have to miss more than one 48 yd. field goal to lose a battle. Both kickers were 2/3 in kicks while both missed a 48 yarder. The only thing i can think happened was that neither were performing well in practice. If they had been nailing kicks in practice, a slightly missed 48 yard kick by Barth or Novak shouldn't have cost them this opportunity. JMO

[milkman]

I do believe he woulda been an upgrade. Are you so quick to forget about Medlock and Rainer? Im guessing you were/are thinking they were an upgrade to Tynes! Herm has proven that kicker is the worse position that he can judge talent on. Look who we coulda had last year instead of Medlock....the guy thats kicking in Minnesota (sorry i forget his name) but instead we replace medlock with the guy that got beat out of the job of who COULDA had? Yes, Feely is a proven kicker instead of a rookie or a kicker who has been with more teams than years hes been in the NFL!

Nick Lowery was cut something like 8 times by 5 different teams in 4 years before finally sticking with the Chiefs.

[tornadospotter]

Agonizing over Kickers

Aug 28, 2008, 4:16:04 AM by Jonathan Rand - FAQ



NFL head coaches probably would vote to outlaw field goals if they could.
For coaches, there is not a more exasperating position than place kicker. And it’s not just the nerve-racking experience of seeing a game won or lost by the swing of a leg.
There’s also the challenge of picking a dependable kicker. Except at quarterback, there’s no personnel decision more likely to invite second guessing than the choice of a kicker.
The safest route is to pick up a proven kicker, yet Herm Edwards this week cut veteran Jay Feely after two practices. It didn’t take the head coach long to conclude that he wasn’t watching the same guy who made 21 of 23 field-goal attempts for the Miami Dolphins last season.
Edwards explained that he wanted to go into tonight’s pre-season finale against the Rams with two kickers still competing, and he decided that Connor Barth and Nick Novak were those two.
That decision, of course, is liable to come back and bite Edwards as much as last year’s decision to draft Justin Medlock and not have him compete for the job. Even if Edwards is proved right about Feely, there’s no guarantee that he’ll make the right call between Barth and Novak because with kickers, you never really know – until the heat is on.
Even the strongest leg doesn’t make for a reliable kicker unless he also has the poise to deliver in the regular season. When Medlock’s pre-season yips continued in the opening game, Edwards cut him.
Edwards picked up third-year kicker Dave Rayner and finished with long-time veteran John Carney. With 20-20 hindsight, the Chiefs would’ve been better off keeping Lawrence Tynes, who was traded to the Giants and became a post-season hero.
Coaches loathe a lack of control. And nothing leaves them more helpless than seeing a game coming down to a good snap, a firm hold and a kick that’s long enough and straight enough.
An accurate kicker is crucial for the Chiefs this year. With a rebuilding offense, they’re likely to need as many field goals as they can get.
“All coaches always have a fondness for kickers,” Edwards said with a sarcastic smile.
“We make jokes and we laugh (about them) but they’ve got a tough job. They only get one shot. And that one shot can win games, tie games or put you in position to win a game. They have a tough deal. I know that. I’ve been around them long enough.”
If you go with a veteran kicker, you’re probably assured a certain level of competence. But you’d be hard pressed to find a Pro Bowl kicker unless you take a chance on a youngster still finding his way in the NFL, or sign the occasional elite kicker who becomes a free agent.
Barth is a rookie and Novak has had three regular-season cups of coffee. Both have performed well enough to stay in the picture but pre-season misses have prevented either from closing the deal. Had Feely kicked impressively, it’s likely that one of the others would be gone.
Edwards, indicated, however that he couldn’t justify keeping a kicker who didn’t kick as accurately as Barth and Novak, especially after he promised true competition at each position.
“Is it really competition or do you just say that?” Edwards asked.
“I’m trying to be fair. I’m trying to tell the truth. (Barth and Novak) have been 85-to-86 percent (in practices). If you can get a kicker who can kick 80 percent in the season, you’ll take that.”
If only kickers were that predictable.


They have one job, kick the football thru the uprights, and kick a deep ball on kickoffs. But I would not want to have the stress that comes with that job. Who ever wins this positition, we need to give support to him.

[Seek]

Was Tynes really a post seaon Hero for the Giants. It was becasue he missed field goals, (three I think) that caused them to go to over time in the first place. Just because he finally made one in over time doesn't make him a hero in my book.