If I Was Steven Hauschka...

[MissoulaHawk]

Is there precedent?

In fairness, where's the precedent for a 5 foot 9 1/2" rookie QB leading his team to the playoffs and earning a spot in the Pro Bowl? Although I don't happen to agree with this particular idea of Hauschka becoming a gun-slinger, molds were made to be broken (or was that records?), and if there's a mind currently in the NFL that is capable of successfully conducting such an experiment, I believe it's our Pete.

 

[BlueTalons]

lol. Why not just dedicate his entire craft to perfecting onside kicks if he's gonna spend time working on something?

Great idea! Once perfected, the other team would only get the ball one time!

 

[ivotuk]

This is a great idea. First of all, just toss a few balls prior to the game and get the opposing team thinking. That way when he attempts a long field goal, we can give a look like he might throw and that would lower the probability that they block the kick. Just giving them more to think about is an advantage in itself. And the long kicks are lower so that would be the time to hint at a throw, especially since House hasn't done so well on long kicks.

But definitely work on the long field goals....

I would still like to see some competition there.

 

[Zebulon Dak]

I just asked Gresh for some insight. We'll see what he says.

 

[Evil_Shenanigans]

Entertaining topic, but just how many games did we lose recently because Hauschka couldn't make it rain from 60 plus? I'd just be happy to see him improve his tackling/blocking. There were a few of those situations last year where I was really impressed by Ryan's ST play on the return. Fearless.

 

[ivotuk]

How many games did we lose where a field goal would have made the difference?

One field goal can mean the difference between a division title and playing at home, and going on the road to a 10:00AM east coast game...

 

[Evil_Shenanigans]

Read it one more time. I said how many have we lost because Hauschka couldn't kick a 60 yard field goal. Semantics I grant you, but He has been pretty damn good at the ones we have asked him to make <60. Room for improvement? Absolutely.

 

[captSE]

Haushca meshca Mickey mouse!

 

[ivotuk]

Haushca meshca Mickey mouse!

Mickey Mouse Mescaline? Sounds good to me!

 

[tomahawk]

I'd be interested to see if the Rams ever had a FG blocked after they pulled their little stunt with us last year. Might be something to the art of the " they've done it before" deception.

 

[Spokane]

I would rather Steven get his head checked by a doctor, maybe smooth out some of those chemical imbalances. After that he should hit from 50 plus and not be a freak show like Brendon Ayanbadejo. JK.

 

[NYCoug]

I would still like to see some competition there.

Carson Wiggs baby!! I'm hoping that, like the Rams, we end up with a kicker with a built-in nickname. Wiggin Out will be our answer to Greg the Leg/Legatron. For those who want a kicker who can nail em from 60, you probably wanna pull for this guy in camp. He's a long shot at this point and a relative unknown, but he's got a leg if he can just be accurate. Now... KICKER VIDEO!! It must be the off-season, and yes, I've posted this same video before.

[youtube]liVdlj1FxsI[/youtube]

I like the strategy though. The Rams didn't have a kick blocked last season and it honestly couldn't hurt to run 1 of those over the course of the season just to plant the seed in the opposition's head. You could make the competition at Kicker a duel-threat competition, where Hauschka and Wiggs would have to throw passes, get hit by Kam Chancellor to toughen them up, etc.

:snack:

 

[Anonymous]

If I was SH, I would get healthy, and practice, practice, practice. He's already good, just try to be automatic under a multitude of varying conditions like temp, wind, field conditions, etc. Versatility and tricks aside, a PK has to be able to deliver when called upon, all the time, and be a rock mentally.

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

You must have an accurate and reliable place-kicker on your squad, who is money from 47 yards out (35 yard line) every time you need him. If you need a kicker who can kick from further out, you are not much of a football strategist/coach, and you have issues on offense. If you only need your kicker when time on the clock is the issue, and you only need a punter once every other quarter of play, you're doing pretty good.

I think Hausch is the guy. Unless we have every other spot on the team permanently solidified and are running out of things for assistants and scouts to do, let's focus on pass rush schemes and organizing the linebackers. Finding another PK is way down on the list for me.

Oh, and let's not play pussy-football with fake kicks and stuff. Let's just make sure it doesn't happen to us again. Making ESPN highlight shows by being the team that got had, is no fun at all.

 

[Zowert]

I like the idea, but you're better off teaching a 3rd string QB to kick. He would have better chance at success [even though its slim]. Then you could open up a roster spot by only keeping 2 quarterbacks, with the third string being your kicker. However the Hawks have already been doing this, because of Mike Rob's pretty rare talents. Being a QB in high school and at Penn State. Starting as a quarterback and tailback throughout his college career.