Chiefs should stick with Tynes in 2007

[Hammock Parties]

http://www.realfootball365.com/nfl/a...nes290307.html

Chiefs fans watched in horror this past January as their kicker, third-year man Lawrence Tynes, missed a 23-yard field goal in a playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts . There is perhaps nothing that elicits a greater sigh of disgust from football fans throughout the nation than the aforementioned.

But while the grisly scene in Indianapolis was difficult to stomach for Chiefs fans, the team should not be too quick to dump Tynes. It has too much invested in him at the moment and cutting him would be premature.

There is, first of all, his short-range reliability to consider. Besides his gaffe in the playoffs, Tynes has never missed a field goal under 30 yards. He is 23 for 23 in three seasons.

Moving up 10 yards, Tynes is 23 out of 27 for his career. That 85 percent accuracy over the last three years reflects, almost exactly, the league average.

Go up another 10 yards, and Tynes is 14 out of 24 for his career. This is where the problem begins.

The league average, since 2004, in the 40-49 range is approximately 72 percent. Tynes' 14-for-24 performance puts him well under, at 58 percent. Obviously, this is a concern, especially with a conservative head coach like Kansas City's Herm Edwards -- every point counts.

The Chiefs could use a kicker like Indy's Adam Vinatieri or Chicago's Robbie Gould. Both were nearly flawless in the 40- to 49-yard range, combining for just three missed kicks all year.

There's just one problem: Kickers of Vinatieri's or Gould's caliber don't hit the free-agent market all that often.

Right now, there's not much out there. The Chiefs could pick up former Miami kicker Olindo Mare, take a chance on Mike Vanderjagt (just how dangerously do you like to live, Herm?) or sign Billy Cundiff. None of those options seem all that attractive.

Mare missed 10 kicks a year ago. After a sizzling start to his career, he's been relatively average since. He's on the decline as a kicker. He'd be a great upgrade for the Chiefs on kickoffs (Tynes is average in this area), but no one really remembers a kicker for his amazing touchbacks.

While Vanderjagt was the NFL's most accurate kicker as a Colt, he completely fell off the wagon a year ago in Dallas. Every kick was an adventure. When he made a field goal, it was like he was trying to see how close he could get to the upright without missing.

And when you kick in Kansas City, you're playing in a kicker-unfriendly environment, especially late in the season. Vanderjagt built his legacy kicking in domes half the time, and he's likely not the right person to kick in Arrowhead Stadium eight games a year. Tynes easily has the edge in bad-weather kicking here, as he spent time in the CFL and NFL Europe.

Cundiff? You can find a kicker of equal or better talent almost every offseason. At best, he'd be competition in training camp.

Maybe that is what Tynes needs, however. Edwards said as much in his last press conference.

"Oh yeah, we're going to create competition, but I think he's a fine kicker, I really do."

Edwards is right. Tynes did improve on his 40-49 range last season, hitting 70 percent (again, near the league average) of his kicks in that area. Perhaps it's a sign he's maturing as an NFL place-kicker.

Right now, he's average. In three years, he's hit 78 percent of his kicks. If the Chiefs hold onto him and see what he becomes, maybe eventually he'll be one of the NFL's top kickers.

After all, Vinatieri himself only hit 77 percent during his first three seasons. Where would the Patriots be if they had released him before he carved his name into New England sports history?

[keg in kc]

This should be interesting.

[DMAC]

They are afraid to cut him. Nobody wants to do it cause they would get a beer mug upside the head.

[StcChief]

I don't have problem with Tynes. bring in competition maybe. New LS.

[boogblaster]

Killer-kickers are the new in thing ...

[The Bad Guy]

This is a horrid comparison. I really, really hate it when writers compare a mediocre player to a superstar at their position to prove some quasi-point.

Vinatieri is the most clutch kicker in NFL history. He makes impossible kicks in playoff games.

Tynes missed probably the easiest FG of his life in a playoff game.

There is zero comparison.

[crazycoffey]

I don't have a problem with Tynes either, we could be far worse and he is ascending. If he is leveled off, Herm could see that before we do and in that case the scenerio changes.

Attention is needed elsewhere, bring in one more for competition during training camp, no problem, but bad things need to happen in camp to make a change, IMO.

[crazycoffey]

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

This is a horrid comparison. I really, really hate it when writers compare a mediocre player to a superstar at their position to prove some quasi-point.

Vinatieri is the most clutch kicker in NFL history. He makes impossible kicks in playoff games.

Tynes missed probably the easiest FG of his life in a playoff game.

There is zero comparison.

It is a bad comparison, I can agree, but BUT...... the point is true, we don't know that tynes is a bust because he is improving still, that is all the comparision should be pointing at.

[Mile High Mania]

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

This is a horrid comparison. I really, really hate it when writers compare a mediocre player to a superstar at their position to prove some quasi-point.

Vinatieri is the most clutch kicker in NFL history. He makes impossible kicks in playoff games.

Tynes missed probably the easiest FG of his life in a playoff game.

There is zero comparison.

Yeah, I didn't want to be the first to comment on it ... especially since the 'writer' would jump in and flame away, which he will anyway.

A kicker's value should be measured beyond 40 yards and in the playoffs, plain and simple. The world is littered with guys that can kick shorter than 35 yards.

The sample for Tynes is small though, only 3 years... so I do think it's too early to cut bait, but you can't have too many more clutch misses like that last one.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Mile High Mania

Yeah, I didn't want to be the first to comment on it ... especially since the 'writer' would jump in and flame away, which he will anyway.

A kicker's value should be measured beyond 40 yards and in the playoffs, plain and simple. The world is littered with guys that can kick shorter than 35 yards.

The sample for Tynes is small though, only 3 years... so I do think it's too early to cut bait, but you can't have too many more clutch misses like that last one.

What a fantastic post!

[Archie Bunker]

I have zero confidence in Tynes but I really don't see anyone available that is better.

I say bring Tynes back and draft a guy like Justin Medlock late to compete.

[MOhillbilly]

kickers in the draft is a sin.

[crazycoffey]

Originally Posted by MOhillbilly

kickers in the draft is a sin.

not if we use Miami's seventh that we get from the green trade (along with a 4)

[Mile High Mania]

The other point about the "stat" comparing the 1st three years of Adam the Great to that of Tynes is the number of kicks made and attempted.

Tynes - 68 of 87
Adam - 83 of 103

So, Adam made nearly as many as Tynes only attempted...

Fun with stats.

[MOhillbilly]

Originally Posted by crazycoffey

not if we use Miami's seventh that we get from the green trade (along with a 4)

soccer players in football is a sin.