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Bring in Martin Gramatica?

Hookem Horns

Texans Talk Bartender
Staff member
I think Kris Brown is an excellent guy and would love to see him come out of his funk. However would it be wise to bring in Martin Gramatica this week to at least compete with Brown? The Patriots just let him go, deciding to go with a younger kicker despite Gramatica having a good camp. I guess we will know soon since the Texans have first dibs on any released players.
 

dalemurphy

Hall of Fame
Hookem Horns said:
I think Kris Brown is an excellent guy and would love to see him come out of his funk. However would it be wise to bring in Martin Gramatica this week to at least compete with Brown? The Patriots just let him go, deciding to go with a younger kicker despite Gramatica having a good camp. I guess we will know soon since the Texans have first dibs on any released players.

We already have a guy who's as likely to make one from 53 as he is from 30.
 

Ibar_Harry

All Pro
Hookem Horns said:
I think Kris Brown is an excellent guy and would love to see him come out of his funk. However would it be wise to bring in Martin Gramatica this week to at least compete with Brown? The Patriots just let him go, deciding to go with a younger kicker despite Gramatica having a good camp. I guess we will know soon since the Texans have first dibs on any released players.
In reality you would like to have both of these guys. You would use G inside of about the 37 and Brown when the range exceeds that number. G's problems is simply that he doesn't have the big leg. That's why he was released. A great kicker would put a lot of pressure on the other team, because I think offensively we can get into range on a lot of possessions. You begin hitting those shots and its like a body punch. Take enough hits and you are going down, its as simple as that.
 

Frills

Waterboy
Grammatica is too much a risk, he'd make an extra point, celebrate and blow out his knee.

I'll get over the disappointment of losing an occasional game much faster than the disappointment that my favorite team signed one of the infamous Grammatica Bros.
 

GP

Go Texans!
How did I know this was going to be a thread? As soon as I saw the news of his release, I was like "Well, how long until we see the 'Should we bring in Gramatica' thread?"

There's going to be a whole laundry list of kickers who get cut, so I say we wait.

Bring back Del Greco. Or Ian Howfield...that would be a trip.

Ian, Ian, Ian. Where are you when we need you?
 

HOU-TEX

Ah, Football!
Maybe Rackers will get cut.

Seriously though, I kinda like the idea of only having one kicker during the regular season. It opens an extra spot on the 53. Having said that, it would be nice if we could bring in another kicker for a week or two and have an extended kicking competition between the two.:twocents:
 

GP

Go Texans!
HOU-TEX said:
Maybe Rackers will get cut.

Seriously though, I kinda like the idea of only having one kicker during the regular season. It opens an extra spot on the 53. Having said that, it would be nice if we could bring in another kicker for a week or two and have an extended kicking competition between the two.:twocents:
Yes, most teams do not carry an extra kicker because even if your starting kicker goes out with an injury (or is failing) during the season...you can find a kicker of probably equal value out there who is not working. Makes perfect sense to just open up an extra roster spot like you are saying when a team knows it can grab a guy in a heartbeat who isn't on a team yet.

There's an article on a kicker who has a website where he lets kickers post video of themselves making kicks...it's been a tool that coaches are using to scout kickers who are out there and looking for work. That way, a coach can bring in maybe only 2 kickers for live practices (from maybe 100s that he viewed on the website) instead of having to bring in 5 or 6 or more.

Kickers revolve in and out of work more than Vegas lounge performers. It's just part of their lifestyle...and they still make the jack. What a life.
 

Capster67

Waterboy
I'm totally in favor of some competition (especially the way Brown's been kicking). I haven't understood why Kubiak has been so quick to stoke the fires of competition at other positions and has given Brown a free ride. Time to put a little (or a LOT) of pressure on Brown.
 

texflex513

Rookie
Hookem Horns said:
I think Kris Brown is an excellent guy and would love to see him come out of his funk. However would it be wise to bring in Martin Gramatica this week to at least compete with Brown? The Patriots just let him go, deciding to go with a younger kicker despite Gramatica having a good camp. I guess we will know soon since the Texans have first dibs on any released players.
I thinks its a good idea its worth a try kube wanted to create competition kickers need to be pushed also.
 
If anything just bring him, just to let Kris know your job is not safe and we are looking at you, just like the Sage and David aspect, it will bring out a better player in Kris.......
 

Porky

Hall of Fame
Bring in Mark Klein from Klein's fine jewelry. If he doesn't make it, free diamonds for everyone. Supposedly, he is kicking 60 yarders and the Packers were going to bring him in for a tryout.
 

El Tejano

Hall of Fame
Dean 74 said:
isnt that the same guy who blew out a knee celebrating an extra point?
-74
No it was his brother who played for the Cardinals. I think his name is Bill Gramatica.
 

TheRealJoker

Hall of Fame
Dean 74 said:
isnt that the same guy who blew out a knee celebrating an extra point?
-74

That was his brother Bill.

Martin was really good for awhile in Tampa Bay. I say we bring him in, he might not have a leg like Kris Brown, but he is much more dependable inside 40 yards.
 

infantrycak

Hall of Fame
TheRealJoker said:
That was his brother Bill.

Martin was really good for awhile in Tampa Bay. I say we bring him in, he might not have a leg like Kris Brown, but he is much more dependable inside 40 yards.
He was more dependable four years ago. Last year he didn't play. 2004--57.9% 2003--61.6% Kris Brown hit 76.5% last year, plus if the returner gets loose Brown will actually lay him out instead of just waive his skirt in his face.
 

12Gage

Noob
Martin Gramatica used to be a baller, early in Tampa. But he really fell off. He was terrible his last year, year and a half in Tampa and hasn't been even average since. I like him though, good guy, but fell off, in no way an improvment over Kris Brown.
 

HOU-TEX

Ah, Football!
We need someone like Tom Dempsey. Someone that was born with no toes on his kicking foot. His leg was like an oversized golf club. Now that fellow could kick!:redtowel:
 

Hervoyel

BUENO!
The reason that Kubiak isn't pushing competition on Brown is that a kicker isn't like an tackle, cornerback, or guard. Kickers get handled with kid gloves because there is so much about what they do that's just mental. I think of it almost like Garner trying to coax Lidge out of his funk. Competition for the spot only gets you so far.
 

trutexan02

Waterboy
The debate on bringing in any other kicker is really unimportant. You miss some you hit some. A kick that ulitimatly decides a teams standing either in the division or playoffs.. that would be different. Even with that said though experience is the key and Brown has it. Maybe that is his problem, he hasn't really had any situations since the 04 Season opener against Miami where his kick made the ultimate difference.Survial under pressure.... I say stay with Brown unless a missed kick or series of missed kicks proves fatal to his job.
 

Hookem Horns

Texans Talk Bartender
Staff member
On second thought, the Cowboys probably need to bring in Gramatica. Did anyone see how patchetic that "idiot kicker" (in Mannings words) Vanderjagt was last night? That was hilarious when he missed that last one at the close of OT.
 
Yes I agree Kris needs a little pressure put on him, to let him know he is not the only kicker in the NFL, he act's like it's no big deal when he missed a field goal a high school kicker could make......Competion between kickers is good just like David and Sage, Sage let's David know, hey get it together, or I will be the new sheriff :cowboy1: in town, that's exactly what Kris needs someone to bring out the best in him.....KRIS, Kubiak is watching you:spy:
 

Texans_Chick

Utopian Dreamer
Hervoyel said:
The reason that Kubiak isn't pushing competition on Brown is that a kicker isn't like an tackle, cornerback, or guard. Kickers get handled with kid gloves because there is so much about what they do that's just mental. I think of it almost like Garner trying to coax Lidge out of his funk. Competition for the spot only gets you so far.

Well said.

Check out this video of Neil Rackers--that will get you wishing you had a different kicker on the team: Link

That's a kicker.

What's interesting is that even with KB's wonky percentages, he has a lot of points already for the preseason relative to other kickers. It surprised me.
 

CloakNNNdagger

Hall of Fame
MYDAUGHTER'STEXANS said:
Yes I agree Kris needs a little pressure put on him, to let him know he is not the only kicker in the NFL, he act's like it's no big deal when he missed a field goal a high school kicker could make......Competion between kickers is good just like David and Sage, Sage let's David know, hey get it together, or I will be the new sheriff :cowboy1: in town, that's exactly what Kris needs someone to bring out the best in him.....KRIS, Kubiak is watching you:spy:

The dilemma now is that bringing in a "competitive" kicker, if one is even to be found, will be taking up another precious roster spot at a time that we are down to bare minimum for evaluating several notably weak positions.......a catch-22 compared to prior to the cut down date when we had much more "play" room and time to evaluate. I have this feeling that just like Kub is "committed" to Carr, so has his thinking "committed" to Brown.
 

El Tejano

Hall of Fame
Unfortunately he will have to miss some in the regular season before they decide on this. It just kind of goes that way with kickers.
 
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