PWT36
Cheesehead
Posted Mar. 24, 2006
Packers go to Plan C in kicker search
By Pete Dougherty
PackersNews.com
The Green Bay Packers might be embarking on a long, potentially difficult search for a dependable kicker now that the three premier free agents at that position have signed with other teams.
On Thursday, former Indianapolis kicker Mike Vanderjagt signed a deal believed to average $2 million a year with Dallas, taking the final top-rate kicker off the market.
Earlier in free agency, the Packers were unable to retain Ryan Longwell, who went to Minnsota for a $2 million-a-year contract and the moderate climate of the Metrodome. Last weekend, the Packers’ lost out to a better contract offer and domed stadium in their pursuit of the game’s best kicker, Adam Vinatieri, who signed with Indianapolis.
So the field of free-agent kickers has thinned, and the Packers are left to compete for a second-tier free agent or take their chances spending the offseason and training camp trying out untested young kickers, veteran discards and waiting for decent prospects to get cut by other teams during training camp.
The top remaining kickers in free agency are Paul Edinger, who was with Minnesota last year, and Todd Peterson, who was with Atlanta. Peterson made 23 of 25 field goals last year and is a free agent, but his range is so limited, he probably isn’t a candidate for the Packers’ job. The Packers have interest in Edinger, who already has visited New England.
But after missing out on Vinatieri with a contract offer worth a little more than $2 million a year, General Manager Ted Thompson doesn’t appear inclined to get in a bidding war for any remaining kickers. So if the Packers don’t sign Edinger, there’s no telling how many kickers they’ll have to go through or whether they’ll be able to find a competent replacement for Longwell, who consistently put points on the board for the Packers in all weather conditions from 1997 through last year.
“It’s my understanding (Vinatieri) liked Green Bay when he visited here,â€
Packers go to Plan C in kicker search
By Pete Dougherty
PackersNews.com
The Green Bay Packers might be embarking on a long, potentially difficult search for a dependable kicker now that the three premier free agents at that position have signed with other teams.
On Thursday, former Indianapolis kicker Mike Vanderjagt signed a deal believed to average $2 million a year with Dallas, taking the final top-rate kicker off the market.
Earlier in free agency, the Packers were unable to retain Ryan Longwell, who went to Minnsota for a $2 million-a-year contract and the moderate climate of the Metrodome. Last weekend, the Packers’ lost out to a better contract offer and domed stadium in their pursuit of the game’s best kicker, Adam Vinatieri, who signed with Indianapolis.
So the field of free-agent kickers has thinned, and the Packers are left to compete for a second-tier free agent or take their chances spending the offseason and training camp trying out untested young kickers, veteran discards and waiting for decent prospects to get cut by other teams during training camp.
The top remaining kickers in free agency are Paul Edinger, who was with Minnesota last year, and Todd Peterson, who was with Atlanta. Peterson made 23 of 25 field goals last year and is a free agent, but his range is so limited, he probably isn’t a candidate for the Packers’ job. The Packers have interest in Edinger, who already has visited New England.
But after missing out on Vinatieri with a contract offer worth a little more than $2 million a year, General Manager Ted Thompson doesn’t appear inclined to get in a bidding war for any remaining kickers. So if the Packers don’t sign Edinger, there’s no telling how many kickers they’ll have to go through or whether they’ll be able to find a competent replacement for Longwell, who consistently put points on the board for the Packers in all weather conditions from 1997 through last year.
“It’s my understanding (Vinatieri) liked Green Bay when he visited here,â€
