shaun suisham may be in trouble

[CultBrennan59]

All I can say is that I don't have many good memories of Shuisham winning us games, or making lots of long field goals. All of my memories of Shaun are of him missing lots of field goals and just missing on some of the long field goals. This could be the end of him here, but my gut feeling is that he will, in the end, still be here; and Rayner will be somewhere else.

[SouperMeister]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Who would have known Akers would turn out to be the player he's become. He was pretty awful with us

Akers wasn't given a proper chance with us. Norv cut Scott Blanton after two games in '98 and Casserly signed Akers to kick against Seatle in week 3. Akers was 0-2 in FGs, both over 40 yards, but surely he had more leg strength than the guy who replaced him, an aging Cary Blanchard, who was gone the next year. One of my huge problems with our kickers since then hasn't only been inconsistency on FGs, but the short kickoffs that all but assure returns to the 25 or 30 yard line. Akers was one of the best deep kickoff guys for the last decade, only declining last season after a groin injury.

Hopefully the kid competing against Suisham is given a fair shot, because it appears that he would be huge upgrade on kickoffs.

[hooskins]

I can't wait till Thursday, when we can actually start talking real game analysis. Open camps to the public also are very easy, we don't see everything that goes on during closed camps.

I am counting down to Thursday.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by wilsowilso

Good. This team is done with average players.

Well his atats are well below average and whats the reason that he has only kicked to FG in two years? Was he hurt or just coul not get on the field? He will not make the team.
Dave Rayner: Career Stats

[celts32]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

they should've cut suisham after he missed that 25 yarder in the playoffs at seattle.

I agree. I still can't get past that kick. They were going to win that game if he made that kick. I have no confidence in him in the clutch. And he has done nothing to earn this job since that awful back breaking kick.

[freddyg12]

Originally Posted by SouperMeister

Face, it, we haven't had a solid kicker since Chip Lohmiller, whom we drafted in the 2nd round about 20 years back. Even Lohmiller struggled early in his career, which comes to show what a crapshoot it is with these guys.

Norv Turner cut David Akers after one game in the midst of an 0-7 start in 1998, which may be one of the worst cuts made by the Redskins in the last 20 years.

I was just thinking of Lohmiller. He continued the Mosley tradition of clutch kicking.

Norvelle cutting Akers was one of several Norv low points in hindsight. Funny, I remember reading an interview years after he was fired in which Norv talked about how his record would've been so much better in DC if he'd had a good kicker!

[MTK]

He's had some good games folks, let's not act like it's all bad with Swish. And he was pretty solid in 2007 when he was 29/35.

Did a little research and found this interesting. Before switching holders last year he was 12/15 for 80%. After changing holders he was 14/21 for 67%.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by freddyg12

I was just thinking of Lohmiller. He continued the Mosley tradition of clutch kicking.

Norvelle cutting Akers was one of several Norv low points in hindsight. Funny, I remember reading an interview years after he was fired in which Norv talked about how his record would've been so much better in DC if he'd had a good kicker!

Akers at the time was just another kicker.

Easy to say now what a mistake it was, at the time he was a nobody.

[Chico23231]

I expect Sushism to bounce back and win this job. But if he has another season like last season, he needs to get a swift kick in the a$$ out the door. Last year was unacceptable and pathetic regardless of holder.

[SmootSmack]

CBS Rapid Report:

August 11 3:39 ET

The FG special teams unit is practicing. Ks Shaun Suisham and Dave Rayner have alternated attempts. Rayner has only missed once while Suisham has missed three times. Rayner's kicks have been stronger and higher.

[CRedskinsRule]

Although I hate getting ex-cowboys, they did draft a very strong kicker, who apparently may unseat Folk, unless they carry two kickers. If Folk were released, I would go against my personal bias, and hope the Skins grabbed him up.

[Gmanc711]

Honestly, at this point, if its an even competition, I want to go with Rayner. I've had enough of Sushiam at this point. Maybe I'm still really bitter from that miss against Seattle in the playoffs, I dont know, but I've absolutley had enough of the guy.

He always starts out the season on a roll, booming kickoffs, has nice distance on feild goals. He could still be a little bit more accurate, but he overall is serviceable. Than about week 7-8, I dont know if its the continuous stress on the leg, or the weather changing, or what, but he becomes a total liability. We pretty much cannot attempt a feild goal over 40 yards with the guy. God forbid we ever make the playoffs with him as our kicker and get into feild goal range between 40-50 yards, he doesnt even have the leg to get it to the crossbar. Its almost a 0% chance sometimes. I know he kicked two game winners in OT in 2007 vs Miami and NYJ, but the bad heavily outweighs the good for me...

I dont know. I havent seen Rayner, I would suspect Shuisham still wins this job, but I really hope to see Rayner really push the guy, and if it ends up being even, all things considered, I want to go with Rayner.

[over the mountain]

Originally Posted by SouperMeister

One of my huge problems with our kickers since then hasn't only been inconsistency on FGs, but the short kickoffs that all but assure returns to the 25 or 30 yard line.

Hopefully the kid competing against Suisham is given a fair shot, because it appears that he would be huge upgrade on kickoffs.

sorry to cut and paste your post but i agree, my knock on shazaam isnt so much his lack of accuracy past the 40 on field goals but his short kickoffs.

last year pre-season shazaam was really really booming the ball. it looked like he changed his angle of striking the ball and i thought maybe he had turned the corner. but once the season started his kickoffs got shorter and shorter.

i have to do this, the skins should have drafted mason crosby in the draft over the dallas startz. we had a legit need for a competitive kicker and we didnt address it, even in the face of all the positive reviews and gradings of crosby pre-draft.

go skins!!

[Trample the Elderly]

I'm talking to a Cowboy's fan across from me about Shazaam.
"Y'all still have him?"

Enough said . . . .

[over the mountain]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

He's had some good games folks, let's not act like it's all bad with Swish. And he was pretty solid in 2007 when he was 29/35.

Did a little research and found this interesting. Before switching holders last year he was 12/15 for 80%. After changing holders he was 14/21 for 67%.

we should just cut n paste the discussions regarding shuisham from the past couple years. his average is higher b/c gibbs didnt send him out to kick anything over 45 yds. other competent kickers around the league have to attempt longer field goals.

all this doesnt really matter to me anymore though, special teams on the skins is constantly undervalued to the point i cant even complain anymore.

- ARE stays as our punt returner year in year out (leads league in fair catches)
- suisham still has a job
- we cut frost (who was outplaying brooks in preseason) so vinny could say all his rookies made the roster
- our only decent ST player is rock who just catches the ball and runs straight ahead on kickoffs

imo good St play can be the difference in a few games changing a L to a W.

go skins!!