June 18, 2013

Jags join kicker franchising parade with Josh Scobee

March 5, 2012 by 5 Comments

I excitedly wrote up the Broncos choosing to franchise Matt Prater because there was a second team franchising their kicker. What I called a preliminary trend is now becoming a real-life actual trend.

According to Pro Football Talk the Jacksonville Jaguars have tagged Josh Scobee. The one-year tender for kickers is expected to be about $2.5 million.

The 29 year-old Scobee apparently has no intention of signing on for a one-year deal and will presumably trying to get a long-term resolution with the Jags. His career field goal percentage is 78.8% but he nailed 23 of 25 this past season for 92% including 5 of 6 from 50+ yards.

(I promise that if another team franchises a kicker, I won’t write a new headline about it.)

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Schefter: Broncos will join Browns in franchising their kicker Matt Prater

March 5, 2012 by 1 Comment

It was something of a punchline among other NFL fans that the Cleveland Browns decided to use their franchise tag on Phil Dawson… last year. This year, when they did it again many scoffed again because the Browns seemingly didn’t have any “real football players” worth franchising. Even as a Cleveland fans who loves Phil Dawson, I kind of get it even if the truth is the Browns were able to lock up any worthwhile free agents other than maybe Peyton Hillis. Additionally, a kicker of Phil Dawson’s age (37) is probably best served with one-year deals as he approaches Jamie Moyer status.

Now Adam Schefter reports via Twitter that the Broncos have tagged their kicker Matt Prater.Broncos will use their franchise tag today on kicker Matt Prater. Suddenly the Browns aren’t alone and we have a trend, albeit a small one.

Prater is 27 years old and hit 76% of his kicks in 2011 including 3 of 4 from 50+ yards. The key stat for Prater is game-winning kicks. He hit one from 37 yards in San Diego in overtime. He hit two the following week to carry the Broncos to a 35-32 victory over Minnesota. Finally he smacked a 51 yarder as Tebow “led the team back” against the Bears.

For all of Tebow’s heroics this season, they would have been for nothing if Prater hadn’t been there to put them away. Now he will be paid pretty handsomely much like Phil Dawson last year and again for this upcoming season.

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