Why is it that we can't find a punter like a Reggie Roby? With all the friggin soccer players there are in the world, I find it hard to believe there isn't some goliath out there that can roof the ball 70 yards consistently. The Jets need to shake some more bushes.
Why cut Ben now, what is his salary cap number for 2008? Even if we draft a punter, there needs to be some competition in Training camp?
Probably because there will be punters left over after the draft to sign as UFAs and a cheaper cost than drafting him, and its better that a WR or CB not work out than a punter.
He was nothing special. Graham was suppose to have this wicked "knuckleball" type kick that was suppose to make it difficult to catch. I don't think I've seen it once. We could do better with a new punter.
Cheers. We don't really drink Fosters here, despite it's international profile. In fact I can't remember the last time I had one. But I will have a beer or three tonight. On Ben Graham and the supposed hard to catch style of kicking I believe this was over exaggerated. If people got the impression that his drop punt style, where the ball travels end over end was hard to catch then they are mistaken. This type of kick keeps a very true trajectory. He would use this in directional punting but may be harder to kick with the pointier NFL ball. In Aussie rules it is used in 95 % of kicks (punts). A punt that would be harder to catch I would describe as a floater. I'm not sure he tried too many floaters but it would be a better kick in situations where a higher but shorter punt was required. It is held like a standard spiral kick but a little more square on, and can be shanked easily.
I was hoping to see the CS come up with some trick plays that take advantage of his rugby days. Bet the dude can underhand lateral the ball 70 yards. Its probably all the protective gear the NFL players wear that slows him down. "What's this 'helmet' you speak of, aye?"
Yeah I always hoped to see a "trick play" involving BG. I read on here, they had a couple of plays for a 1st down, but have never used them in a match situation. :up:..
What sort of ranking would a vet. punter have ? Would'nt the teams with worse rankings than BG be after a vet. punter as well, might push the price up if a good vet. punter is available. :beer:
Rankings? Are you serious? The average kick return against the Jets last season was 22.9 yards. The average punt return was 9.2 yards. The longest kick return was 98 yards for a TD. The longest punt return was 33 yards. Obviously you can't do an apples to apples comparison, but using rankings to support your point is one of most ridiculous attempts to defend Nugent I've seen yet. Nugent is just like Baker. Average, but most Jets fans seem to think he's an All-Pro. Now Graham isn't an All-Pro either, but he is more successful at his craft than Nugent is. Oh, btw, if you look at Graham's numbers, they're comparable in each of his years with the Jets. The perception changed on him because the team can't get down the field on offense, so it makes the kicks appear worse.
IMO Graham will still be the Jets punter next season. He still has the leg strength, but for some reason he was shanking a lot of kicks last season. Hopefully it was a mental thing that he can overcome in the offseason.
Hav'nt seen a punter drafted yet. Maybe Bens a chance to keep his spot. Any late news.................................