Can the hawks pay the kicker

[mikeak]

The issue isn't if he is worth $2 million

The issue is if he is worth $1.3 million MORE than the other guy you would sign who can also win games....

 

[TwilightError]

Its unbelievable how undervalued kickers are. Hauschka has won a number of games for us this year and many seem to think little of it. Pay the man as long as he hits the game winning field goals. I know its not the coolest position but its one of the most important ones when the result of the game is considered, and that is fairly important, right?

Franchising him is a good option. One year deals are good with kickers. The position is so delicate that a minor detail going wrong can set the kicker back. 2 mil for one year is OK too. 2-3 mil per year for 2-5 years is not smart.

The worst possible scenario is a team full of highly paid superstars and a cheap noodle-leg in the kicker position who cant get his nerves straight. So the offense puts the team in a position to win but the most important piece cant finish... Reliability is worth the price. Often teams pay too much for guys who can kick a 60 yarder but are shaky otherwise. Hauschka is 100% when in range and when the kick is not blocked. Its smart to pay for clutch.

No, I think the worst possible scenario is not being able to extend a superstar because you dumped a load of cash on a kicker. Or not being able to build quality depth at crucial positions because you overspent on a guy who sees the field a handful of times per game.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think kickers are "uncool" or think that I'm undervaluing them. My point is that the difference between a Pro Bowl-level kicker and a journeyman is almost completely negligible. We're taking maybe 1 or 2 percentage points on average between those two levels. I'm not advocating cutting Hauschka and seeing if we can find a headcase of a kicker. I'm not suggesting we go TRY to find a guy with a bad kicking record just because he'd be cheap. But I damn sure don't think we should give Hauschka anything close to a contract that hampers our ability to retain our superstars and contributors at more important positions.

I disagree a bit here. A kicker is a closer and when the superstars put the team in the position to win, it is not enough if the cheap-money-shaky-leg cant close the deal. Kickers typically are not very expensive anyway, so it is necessarily not the smartest place to save some money if you have found a good one.

That said, if Hauschka keeps this pace, he will get better offers on FA than the Hawks will be giving him. Franchise tag would do fine if there is not a more pressing need for it.