Note to HH readers: This post has been kicking around my brain for the last week but it is still ludicrously early. Maybe I am just tired of "kicker battles" in training camp. So before you tell me they don't need to cut a kicker until the end of the month...I know. I just hate that a roster spot is being wasted on an extra kicker right now. If you want to save wear and tear on your kicker in the pre-season, go for two on 75% of extra point chances. Better yet, practice going for it on 4th down in field goal range during the pre-season.
On September 1st, roster spots will be at a premium. You could make the argument that they are at a premium right now. With an aging offensive line, questions at wide receiver, and a chance to take a hard look at a few running backs that might or might not have a chance to make it, you'd think that every day you carry an extra kicker has the potential to hurt you somewhere else. And don't give me that sorry excuse that a kicker gets worn down in preseason by kicking too many field goals. There are a million ways to get around that. Hire a kicking coach and have him take 50% of the kicks in practice. I actually love my idea of going for it on 4th down in the pre-season.
You might also argue that by shelving the kicker battle we are somehow hurt by not getting the winner of a compelling, earth-shattering kicking showdown. I would answer that by asking how it would be possible to be worse than last place in field goal percentage. Our kicking competitions the last few years have SUCKED out loud--punter and place kicker.
Let the madness stop. Get rid of a kicker and keep a guy who can help us get ready for the 2009 season. Let's brainstorm all the ways in which we could go without two kickers in the pre-season, without over-working the one kicker on the roster.