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Rams plan to have competition at kicker for next season
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...to-have-competition-at-kicker-for-next-season
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Whether or not the St. Louis Rams re-sign kicker Greg Zuerlein this offseason, they're planning on keeping open the option for a change at the position.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher volunteered that information earlier this week when assessing where the Rams went wrong in their 7-9 campaign.
"Greg has been asked to do a lot of things, kick a lot of long field goals," Fisher said. "Obviously his numbers aren’t what we hoped they would be. We have confidence in him, but in all likelihood there will probably be some competition with him in camp next year, which will make him better."
That declaration comes on the heels of Zuerlein's worst season in the NFL.
Among the 37 kickers who attempted a field goal in 2015, Zuerlein ranked 35th in the league in field goal percentage as he converted 20 of 30 for the season. Only former Steelers kicker Josh Scobee and former Tampa Bay kicker Kyle Brindza came in below Zuerlein's 66.7 percent conversion rate, and that duo attempted 10 and 12 field goals, respectively. Zuerlein was also 26-of-28 on extra points.
As Fisher pointed out, the Rams did ask a lot of the 28-year-old Zuerlein when it came to his field goal tries. He attempted nine field goals of 50-plus yards, making three. Those nine tries were the second-most among all kickers.
Perhaps most frustrating was the timing of some of Zuerlein's misses. He missed a field goal and an extra point in a three-point loss to Baltimore, missed a 48-yard field goal in an overtime loss to Minnesota and failed to convert two field goals in a three-point overtime loss to San Francisco. A make or two in there and the Rams' season might have been much different.
To be fair, Zuerlein also saw three kicks blocked and did set a franchise record in the Minnesota game by converting a 61-yarder.
Nonetheless, the always-accountable fourth-year kicker was the first to admit that his 2015 season simply wasn't good enough.
"Obviously, the production hasn’t been where it needs to be," Zuerlein said. "So that’s something that I can’t control right now. I had my opportunities, I just didn’t do as good as I would have liked so now we’ll just see what happens.
"Any time you go out there and miss kicks, you are not going to be happy about it. I think I’ve got to get better and convert those kicks. Really, that’s all it comes down to is making kicks, and I didn’t make as many as I would have liked."
Before this season, Zuerlein's tenure with the Rams had been up and down. In 2013, he made 93 percent of his field goal tries; those numbers dipped to 80 percent in 2014 prior to this season's major drop-off. There's never been any denying Zuerlein's leg strength, but consistency has been an issue, especially the past two seasons.
This year, Zuerlein said he wasn't really able to pinpoint the cause of his struggles, though he did battle a leg injury that kept him out of a couple of games late in the season. He had to scale back his kicks to keep from overworking his kicking leg and says it's something he'll have to monitor in the future.
"I thought I was hitting the ball pretty well coming into the season, probably the best I ever have," Zuerlein said. "It’s one of those things, I can’t put my finger on it right now. For one reason or another, it just didn’t happen. But I’m still a good kicker, I still believe in myself. So whatever happens, I think I’ll be all right."
When Zuerlein says "whatever happens," he is referring to his pending free agency. For a player who early in his career seemed like a long-term answer at the position, that future with the Rams now seems far less certain.
The shape of any potential market for Zuerlein won't be clear for another couple of months, and for his part, the kicker makes it clear he'd like to stay in St. Louis if given the opportunity. In the meantime, he's going to do his best to focus on the things he can control.
"You never know," Zuerlein said. "Everything is so up in the air you don’t know what’s going to happen so I really am trying to approach this offseason just like any other. Rest, get healthy is probably the biggest thing and then just try to get better.
"I love it here. In a perfect world, that’s what would happen."
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...to-have-competition-at-kicker-for-next-season
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Whether or not the St. Louis Rams re-sign kicker Greg Zuerlein this offseason, they're planning on keeping open the option for a change at the position.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher volunteered that information earlier this week when assessing where the Rams went wrong in their 7-9 campaign.
"Greg has been asked to do a lot of things, kick a lot of long field goals," Fisher said. "Obviously his numbers aren’t what we hoped they would be. We have confidence in him, but in all likelihood there will probably be some competition with him in camp next year, which will make him better."
That declaration comes on the heels of Zuerlein's worst season in the NFL.
Among the 37 kickers who attempted a field goal in 2015, Zuerlein ranked 35th in the league in field goal percentage as he converted 20 of 30 for the season. Only former Steelers kicker Josh Scobee and former Tampa Bay kicker Kyle Brindza came in below Zuerlein's 66.7 percent conversion rate, and that duo attempted 10 and 12 field goals, respectively. Zuerlein was also 26-of-28 on extra points.
As Fisher pointed out, the Rams did ask a lot of the 28-year-old Zuerlein when it came to his field goal tries. He attempted nine field goals of 50-plus yards, making three. Those nine tries were the second-most among all kickers.
Perhaps most frustrating was the timing of some of Zuerlein's misses. He missed a field goal and an extra point in a three-point loss to Baltimore, missed a 48-yard field goal in an overtime loss to Minnesota and failed to convert two field goals in a three-point overtime loss to San Francisco. A make or two in there and the Rams' season might have been much different.
To be fair, Zuerlein also saw three kicks blocked and did set a franchise record in the Minnesota game by converting a 61-yarder.
Nonetheless, the always-accountable fourth-year kicker was the first to admit that his 2015 season simply wasn't good enough.
"Obviously, the production hasn’t been where it needs to be," Zuerlein said. "So that’s something that I can’t control right now. I had my opportunities, I just didn’t do as good as I would have liked so now we’ll just see what happens.
"Any time you go out there and miss kicks, you are not going to be happy about it. I think I’ve got to get better and convert those kicks. Really, that’s all it comes down to is making kicks, and I didn’t make as many as I would have liked."
Before this season, Zuerlein's tenure with the Rams had been up and down. In 2013, he made 93 percent of his field goal tries; those numbers dipped to 80 percent in 2014 prior to this season's major drop-off. There's never been any denying Zuerlein's leg strength, but consistency has been an issue, especially the past two seasons.
This year, Zuerlein said he wasn't really able to pinpoint the cause of his struggles, though he did battle a leg injury that kept him out of a couple of games late in the season. He had to scale back his kicks to keep from overworking his kicking leg and says it's something he'll have to monitor in the future.
"I thought I was hitting the ball pretty well coming into the season, probably the best I ever have," Zuerlein said. "It’s one of those things, I can’t put my finger on it right now. For one reason or another, it just didn’t happen. But I’m still a good kicker, I still believe in myself. So whatever happens, I think I’ll be all right."
When Zuerlein says "whatever happens," he is referring to his pending free agency. For a player who early in his career seemed like a long-term answer at the position, that future with the Rams now seems far less certain.
The shape of any potential market for Zuerlein won't be clear for another couple of months, and for his part, the kicker makes it clear he'd like to stay in St. Louis if given the opportunity. In the meantime, he's going to do his best to focus on the things he can control.
"You never know," Zuerlein said. "Everything is so up in the air you don’t know what’s going to happen so I really am trying to approach this offseason just like any other. Rest, get healthy is probably the biggest thing and then just try to get better.
"I love it here. In a perfect world, that’s what would happen."
