DaFace
03-21-2008, 05:27 PM
At least the bastard won't be winning them at the last second for the donkeys anymore.
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_8653721
Three seconds ... two seconds ... Ready, Matt Prater?
Time's up.
For the first time since the 1992 season, the Broncos' full-time placekicker will not be named Jason Elam.
The franchise leader with 236 games played — two more than John Elway — Elam's 15-year career in Denver ended today when he agreed to terms on a four-year, $9 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons. The Broncos had offered a three-year deal for about $7 million.
The Atlanta deal will make Elam second only to Josh Brown in up-front money paid for a placekicker. Brown recently signed with the St. Louis Rams. Elam's deal ranks third overall behind Brown and Adam Vinatieri of the Indianapolis Colts.
For now, the Broncos new kicker is Prater, who has made one NFL field goal in four attempts.
The Elam era in Denver was so long, it predates the Mike Shanahan era by two years. David Treadwell was the Broncos' kicker in 1992, but Elam took over after he was selected by the Wade Phillips' regime in the third round of the 1993 draft.
It was the start of 15 consecutive, 100-point seasons for Elam, an NFL record. By the time Elam left Denver, he was ranked fifth all-time in career field goals and sixth in points.
Perhaps more significantly, Elam was recognized as one of the league's best clutch kickers, a reputation enhanced during the 2007 season when he nailed four walkoff, game-winning field goals. He also made another field goal with no time remaining to send the game against Green Bay into overtime.
The Broncos had tried to re-sign Elam in recent weeks, but their three-year proposal had virtually no guarantee past the 2008 season and fell short of Atlanta's offer in first-year money.
Throughout the free-agent process, Elam had said re-signing with the Broncos was his first choice, but if it didn't work out here, the Falcons would be his second choice in large part because he grew up in the Atlanta suburb of Snellville.
In the rare position of needing a new kicker, the Broncos will first turn to Prater, who was undrafted out of Central Florida in 2006, spent some time on Detroit's practice squad that year, and went to the Miami Dolphins' training camp in 2007, before opening last season with the Falcons.
But after missing three field goals in the first two games, Prater was released and later signed with the Broncos, handling kickoffs in the final two games.
The Broncos could also show interest in veteran free agents Olindo Mare and John Carney, and there are always a number of kickers who become available late in training camp.
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_8653721
Three seconds ... two seconds ... Ready, Matt Prater?
Time's up.
For the first time since the 1992 season, the Broncos' full-time placekicker will not be named Jason Elam.
The franchise leader with 236 games played — two more than John Elway — Elam's 15-year career in Denver ended today when he agreed to terms on a four-year, $9 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons. The Broncos had offered a three-year deal for about $7 million.
The Atlanta deal will make Elam second only to Josh Brown in up-front money paid for a placekicker. Brown recently signed with the St. Louis Rams. Elam's deal ranks third overall behind Brown and Adam Vinatieri of the Indianapolis Colts.
For now, the Broncos new kicker is Prater, who has made one NFL field goal in four attempts.
The Elam era in Denver was so long, it predates the Mike Shanahan era by two years. David Treadwell was the Broncos' kicker in 1992, but Elam took over after he was selected by the Wade Phillips' regime in the third round of the 1993 draft.
It was the start of 15 consecutive, 100-point seasons for Elam, an NFL record. By the time Elam left Denver, he was ranked fifth all-time in career field goals and sixth in points.
Perhaps more significantly, Elam was recognized as one of the league's best clutch kickers, a reputation enhanced during the 2007 season when he nailed four walkoff, game-winning field goals. He also made another field goal with no time remaining to send the game against Green Bay into overtime.
The Broncos had tried to re-sign Elam in recent weeks, but their three-year proposal had virtually no guarantee past the 2008 season and fell short of Atlanta's offer in first-year money.
Throughout the free-agent process, Elam had said re-signing with the Broncos was his first choice, but if it didn't work out here, the Falcons would be his second choice in large part because he grew up in the Atlanta suburb of Snellville.
In the rare position of needing a new kicker, the Broncos will first turn to Prater, who was undrafted out of Central Florida in 2006, spent some time on Detroit's practice squad that year, and went to the Miami Dolphins' training camp in 2007, before opening last season with the Falcons.
But after missing three field goals in the first two games, Prater was released and later signed with the Broncos, handling kickoffs in the final two games.
The Broncos could also show interest in veteran free agents Olindo Mare and John Carney, and there are always a number of kickers who become available late in training camp.