hawaiiansteeler
06-03-2016, 12:58 AM
Kicker Boswell takes aim at keeping job after stellar 2015 season
Mark Kaboly BY MARK KABOLY | Thursday, June 2, 2016
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Good job, kid. Now, let's see if you can do it again, but this time with a veteran breathing down your neck.
That was the basic message conveyed to kicker Chris Boswell during the offseason when the Steelers decided against releasing veteran Shaun Suisham in what could have passed as a money-saving move.
Instead, coach Mike Tomlin ensured himself of at least one position battle when the Steelers report to training camp at the end of July, although it might be slanted in Boswell's direction.
Boswell is younger, healthier and much cheaper than Suisham, who is 10 months removed from an ACL tear. That will give a decisive advantage to the once-obscure kicker who made everybody quickly forget about Suisham, Garrett Hartley and Josh Scobee.
Boswell doesn't quite see it as decisive as you might think.
“Just because I did what I did last year, you can't forget what (Suisham) has done for the past 10 years of his career,” Boswell said. “He's been one of the best kickers in the league for a long time, so who am I to come to in here and have an upper hand on him. I don't.”
The Steelers on Thursday wrapped up their second of four weeks of on-field workouts at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex with Suisham yet to suit up or kick in practice. Suisham likely will wait until training camp to return to kicking and engage in a month-long battle with Boswell. It might take a collapse by Boswell for Suisham to regain his starting position.
It's not because of ability. It has more to do with money.
Suisham signed a four-year, $12.5 million extension in 2014, making him one of the top 10 highest-paid kickers. The Steelers would save $2.4 million by releasing Suisham or the entire $3.5 million salary cap hit scheduled for 2016 if they can trade him. Boswell makes the NFL minimum $525,000.
“I don't pay attention to any of the contract talk,” Boswell said. “The better kicker will win no matter how much money somebody makes. I just have to be myself and stick to what I am doing.”
That's probably a good way for Boswell to go about things. He emerged from obscurity after the Steelers burned through three kickers in two months.
Suisham tore his ACL in the Hall of Fame game, and Hartley was injured the second-to-last preseason game. That forced the Steelers to give up a sixth-round pick to acquire Scobee, who failed miserably and was released after missing two would-be game-clinching kicks against Baltimore.
Boswell, who spent camp with the Giants last year, won a kickoff competition with a handful of veterans, and took off from there. Boswell made a clutch field goal in his first game against the Chargers, hit all four field goals the next week against the Cardinals and went on to convert 29 of 32 attempts, which tied for the fifth-best accuracy for a single season in franchise history.
Boswell made 10 straight kicks to start his career and was 7 of 7 in the playoffs.
to read rest of article:
http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/10535018-74/boswell-suisham-steelers
Mark Kaboly BY MARK KABOLY | Thursday, June 2, 2016
http://triblive.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=ooL1n $eWbIGTwK2Nw3SVvs$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYspI9r1NkbfGKl Z_foI2eCeWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4 uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_C ryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg
Good job, kid. Now, let's see if you can do it again, but this time with a veteran breathing down your neck.
That was the basic message conveyed to kicker Chris Boswell during the offseason when the Steelers decided against releasing veteran Shaun Suisham in what could have passed as a money-saving move.
Instead, coach Mike Tomlin ensured himself of at least one position battle when the Steelers report to training camp at the end of July, although it might be slanted in Boswell's direction.
Boswell is younger, healthier and much cheaper than Suisham, who is 10 months removed from an ACL tear. That will give a decisive advantage to the once-obscure kicker who made everybody quickly forget about Suisham, Garrett Hartley and Josh Scobee.
Boswell doesn't quite see it as decisive as you might think.
“Just because I did what I did last year, you can't forget what (Suisham) has done for the past 10 years of his career,” Boswell said. “He's been one of the best kickers in the league for a long time, so who am I to come to in here and have an upper hand on him. I don't.”
The Steelers on Thursday wrapped up their second of four weeks of on-field workouts at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex with Suisham yet to suit up or kick in practice. Suisham likely will wait until training camp to return to kicking and engage in a month-long battle with Boswell. It might take a collapse by Boswell for Suisham to regain his starting position.
It's not because of ability. It has more to do with money.
Suisham signed a four-year, $12.5 million extension in 2014, making him one of the top 10 highest-paid kickers. The Steelers would save $2.4 million by releasing Suisham or the entire $3.5 million salary cap hit scheduled for 2016 if they can trade him. Boswell makes the NFL minimum $525,000.
“I don't pay attention to any of the contract talk,” Boswell said. “The better kicker will win no matter how much money somebody makes. I just have to be myself and stick to what I am doing.”
That's probably a good way for Boswell to go about things. He emerged from obscurity after the Steelers burned through three kickers in two months.
Suisham tore his ACL in the Hall of Fame game, and Hartley was injured the second-to-last preseason game. That forced the Steelers to give up a sixth-round pick to acquire Scobee, who failed miserably and was released after missing two would-be game-clinching kicks against Baltimore.
Boswell, who spent camp with the Giants last year, won a kickoff competition with a handful of veterans, and took off from there. Boswell made a clutch field goal in his first game against the Chargers, hit all four field goals the next week against the Cardinals and went on to convert 29 of 32 attempts, which tied for the fifth-best accuracy for a single season in franchise history.
Boswell made 10 straight kicks to start his career and was 7 of 7 in the playoffs.
to read rest of article:
http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/10535018-74/boswell-suisham-steelers