Steelers to hold open kicker tryouts

[Dwinsgames]

you asked for it ... you got it ..

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018...zY9dRka3gzOzUg

[ALLD]

Smells like a desperation move. If the team had more discipline there would not be so many problems. The whole Bell scenario is not the problem, only a symptom.

[SteelMember]

Didn't we do this once already this year... I mean, if they don't have a short list already, the standard is the standard.

[fansince'76]

Didn't we do this once already this year... I mean, if they don't have a short list already, the standard is the standard.

When? Boswell was coming off a Pro Bowl and just signed a big extension when the season began.

[86WARD]

Smells like a way to try to rattle BosNOTwell and have him wake the hell up.

[Mojouw]

Didn't we do this once already this year... I mean, if they don't have a short list already, the standard is the standard.

That was punters. And that worked out so well...

[tube517]

When are the tryouts for ILBs and DBs??

[fansince'76]

That was punters. And that worked out so well...

Yep. Now we can boast of having a 5A-class high school-quality punter...

[fansince'76]

When are the tryouts for ILBs and DBs??

[SteelMember]

Smells like a way to try to rattle BosNOTwell and have him wake the hell up.

His "confidence is broken"... they should put him and Burns on a barge and send them both down the Ohio

[AtlantaDan]

Smells like a way to try to rattle BosNOTwell and have him wake the hell up.

Depends on how they run the tryouts - if they want to really pressure Boz there are options on how to do that

[SteelMember]

That was punters. And that worked out so well...

That's right. My mistake... but to be fair, this could have happened the 1st month of the season. It's not like he's gotten better since September.

[Mojouw]

That's right. My mistake... but to be fair, this could have happened the 1st month of the season. It's not like he's gotten better since September.

Very true. But like I said somewhere else, I think cutting Boz comes with steep dead money implications. 5 million or so? To a team that annually spends to the limit of the cap, that is a big chunk of change to roll the dice on a kicker.

Not saying they shouldn't -- but I can see why they haven't.

[AtlantaDan]

Very true. But like I said somewhere else, I think cutting Boz comes with steep dead money implications. 5 million or so? To a team that annually spends to the limit of the cap, that is a big chunk of change to roll the dice on a kicker.

Not saying they shouldn't -- but I can see why they haven't.

Ed Bouchette: They wouldn't owe him any real money, but he would cost them $4.8 M against their cap next year. However, they also would save a $2 million roster bonus in 2019 and $1 M in 2020 plus his salaries of $1 M next season and up to $3.2 million in 2022

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...s/201812110120

https://overthecap.com/player/chris-boswell/3378

Doubtful the Steelers will let Boz try to figure it out and see what he does in 2019 training camp if releasing him saves the $2 million roster bonus payable at some point in 2019 before training camp and lessens the impact of the dead money hit

Cannot recall a signing that looked like such a good move go sour so quickly for performance reasons -

For old time Pirates fans it is like Steve Blass suddenly forgetting how to get the ball over the plate in 1973

[86WARD]

Very true. But like I said somewhere else, I think cutting Boz comes with steep dead money implications. 5 million or so? To a team that annually spends to the limit of the cap, that is a big chunk of change to roll the dice on a kicker.

Not saying they shouldn't -- but I can see why they haven't.

I think in 2019, his salary is 4.2M but his cap hit is 4.8M. It’s cheaper to keep him unless there’s other numbers somewhere around n there.

[steelreserve]

I think in 2019, his salary is 4.2M but his cap hit is 4.8M. It’s cheaper to keep him unless there’s other numbers somewhere around n there.

We would save $3M in salary and roster bonus but eat a $4.8M dead money cap charge. But we would've eaten $1.2M of that anyway as his signing bonus charge for the year, for a total cap hit of $4.2M next season.

So really only $600K extra to get rid of him. Plus whatever we pay the new kicker. But overall, it's not a whole lot. In the long term, we may save money overall on the kicker position.

[vader29]

When are the tryouts for ILBs and DBs??

After off-season Defensive Coordinator tryouts.

[Shoes]

When are the tryouts for ILBs and DBs??

How about coach tryouts? I mean let's be fair and honest about this chicken shit.

[ALLD]

How about coach tryouts? I mean let's be fair and honest about this chicken shit.

Must be a RayBan fan.

[smokin3000gt]

Heeey Janice!

[lipps83]

Panic move and not necessary YET (huge key word there before everyone wants to light my house on fire). He has been fine minus 4 games this season (first 3 weeks and Sunday).

Butler has been here for 5 years and had 70+ bad games, but no tryouts for a new DC.

Boswell just a scapegoat to mask a much larger issue.

[Istina]

I don't know how much confidence I'd have in a kicker that was at home on his couch watching a week ago coming onto the field to try and win a game. Stick with Boz for the rest of this year, give him competition in training camp next year if he doesn't snap out of it.

[tube517]

Jeff Reed was a midseason replacement and lasted for 8 years
Sushi was a midseason replacement and lasted for 5 years
Bos was a preseason replacement and has been the kicker for almost 4 years
Randy Bullock was a one game replacement and kicked 5 FGs.

[teegre]

Boswell has directly cost us two games, and contributed to two other losses.

Week 1: Cleveland ... missed XP & missed FG ... blown chance for an outright win in regulation AND again in overtime.

Week 2: Kansas City ... missed FG & missed XP... which might have helped us win.

Week 3: Tampa Bay ... missed FG & missed XP ... making the game closer than it needed to be (should have been up by 7). (NOT A LOSS, BUT A BAD GAME.)

Week 12: Denver ... missed FG & missed XP ... which would have put us only a FG behind at the end, making running the ball three straight times more appealing to Fichtner.

Week 14: Oakland ... missed TWO FGs ... which would have won the game outright.

SUMMATION:
People can call this a desperation/panic move, but Boz has flat-out sucked. We can say “it shouldn’t come down to your kicker”, but in reality, a ton of football games do come down to the kicker. The Taperiots (the team everyone wants to be like) won their first three Super Bowls due to... wait for it... a last-second FG. So, YES, kicking in fact matters... despite the fact that it is not seen as a “real” position.

Imagine if Boz was in the 90% range (like he had been for four years), we’d likely have two more wins (possibly three).

So, for those that don’t think that kicking matters... ask the 1999 Vikings and/or the 2011 Ravens.

[86WARD]

Last I saw, Boz has missed more XPs than anyone else in the league and his FG percentage...not so good.

[lipps83]

So, for those that don’t think that kicking matters... ask the 1999 Vikings and/or the 2011 Ravens.

Nobody is saying kicking doesn't matter. They are saying don't be so quick to cut the throat of someone that has been very solid for 4 years, because of 4 games that he wasn't.

Boswell wouldn't have even been in the position at the end of the game if Butler didn't suck the maggoty asshole of a dead donkey, as he has for 5 years.

But yes, let's be quick the cut the best kicker we have had in a long, long time just because it hurts right now and I am really sad grasping at straws, and keep the lifeless, clueless defensive coordinator which is really the reason why we lost the last game.

No coordinator tryouts right now, nor next year in training camp. Let's continue to carry the dead weight we have been for 5 years.

[teegre]

Nobody is saying kicking doesn't matter. They are saying don't be so quick to cut the throat of someone that has been very solid for 4 years, because of 4 games that he wasn't.

Boswell wouldn't have even been in the position at the end of the game if Butler didn't suck the maggoty asshole of a dead donkey, as he has for 5 years.

But yes, let's be quick the cut the best kicker we have had in a long, long time just because it hurts right now and I am really sad grasping at straws, and keep the lifeless, clueless defensive coordinator which is really the reason why we lost the last game.

No coordinator tryouts right now, nor next year in training camp. Let's continue to carry the dead weight we have been for 5 years.

Those two things are not mutually exclusive...

[AtlantaDan]

Last I saw, Boz has missed more XPs than anyone else in the league and his FG percentage...not so good.

62.5% on FGs (10 of 16) and 88.6% on XPs (39 of 44) this season.

A dropoff from 92.1% on FGs (35 of 38) and 94.9% on XPs (37 of 39 - note the offense has already scored more TDs this season than the last year under Coach Todd & with Bell) in 2017.

https://www.pro-football-reference.c...B/BoswCh00.htm

Yikes

[teegre]

Kai Forbath was ousted in Minnesota. Let’s give him a shot...

[teegre]

I recall people being shocked that Kai Forbath lost his job in Minnesota, but looking at his stats, they’re merely alright.

32/38 FG 84% meh

34/39 XP 87% poop


In 2016, he was much better with FG, but it was a limited number of games. And, his XPs were meh.

15/15 FG 100% wow

11/14 XP 79% ouch