niners sign new kicker

looks like they got their new kicker from Cleveland

Matt Barrows ‏@mattbarrows 49ers new kicker ... @phil_dawson_4 I am humbled & thrilled to have the opportunity to continue my career with my new team, the SF 49ers!

I wanted us to sign Dawson. Not sure what our plans are but I guess we expect to not settle for fg's so his salary didn't make sense

Hope we don't have to rely on FG's either, but we sure could have used a better on in those games against the Rams.

Noooooooo, now they're sure to win the NFC West this year!

He had something like 90% accuracy last year. But his kickoffs are weak and he's 38 years old.

good addition for the niners, imo

You could have just told us an NFL team signed an old vet that isn't likely to help much, and we'd have known it was the 49ers. Nobody does it better over the past year or two.

Hate to say it, but it looks like a good pick up. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/49ers-sign ... --nfl.html

Wasn't Akers playing injured pretty much the whole year? Some leg thing that never really went away? Hard to believe this guy's an improvement.

Akers was injured, and he also lost all his confidence as the season went on. He fell off so bad. Any Fg over 30 yards was a coin flip.

Pretty much anybody would have been an upgrade over the Akers we saw in 2012. If Akers was completely healthy and mentally right though you're right him and Dawson are probably pretty equal.

Healthy & mentally right Akers > Dawson, without question. I mean, come on.

Dawson may not be able to hit 55 yarders at 38 years old, but he is accurate as can be. Good signing for them.

Where is the loyalty to Akers?

RolandDeschain":3hkuydir said:

Healthy & mentally right Akers > Dawson, without question. I mean, come on.

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Without question?

They're damn near exactly the same age, and Dawson's got a better FG percentage than Akers, career-wise. Look at their stats side by side, and there's really not a whole lot of difference. Akers has more career attempts and makes because he was playing for Philly and SF. Dawson's been stuck in Cleveland his whole career.

Oh, and Dawson's 50+ percentage is WAY better than Akers' is. Dawson's 40-49 percentage is 4 points better than Akers' (72% to 68%).

In what world is Akers clearly better?

RolandDeschain":1zxr35kb said:

Healthy & mentally right Akers > Dawson, without question. I mean, come on.

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Dawson was a pro bowl kicker this year...

My mistake. I thought Akers was 34, for some reason; not 38. They're the same age. Old. I take my statement back, as it was predominantly based on an incorrect assumption on my part regarding the age. Nobody should sign a 38-year-old kicker. Mare's last good year was at the age of 36, with the Seahawks, as an example.

RolandDeschain":2pra5shw said:

Nobody should sign a 38-year-old kicker. Mare's last good year was at the age of 36, with the Seahawks, as an example.

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Definitely agree with you there.

But mainly because any NFL-caliber kicker is about the same as any other. Get a younger one and you can avoid paying too much. The vets take up more cap space.

Give me a 23 year old guy who can hit above 80% on average from under 50 and hits about half from 50+, and I'll give him a 3-year deal. And if, for some reason, he sinks below that and stays there, I'll cut him and bring in the next 23 year old.

I agree, Volsung; not just for aging/performance reasons, but because, let's be real; you can pick up a young kicker who will do a halfway-decent job anywhere, and cost you less money.

I guess we can safely assume that the 49ers like old kickers?

HawkFan72":3c22wpks said:

I guess we can safely assume that the 49ers like old kickers?

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They seem to like old-everything. Err, excuse me, "wily veterans". :roll: