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Bucs Looking At Kickers |
 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers recently worked out free agent kicker Jay Feely (Getty) |
The Bucs have spent the past few days working out free agent kickers, including Jay Feely, due to Matt Bryant's shaky preseason. Bryant was 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) on field goal attempts during the preseason.
Despite having a subpar preseason, Matt Bryant still is Tampa Bay's kicker. But the Buccaneers have spent the past few days preparing some contingency plans just in case Bryant's kicking woes linger into the regular season.
Bryant, 33, has made 88.9 percent of his career field goals in seven seasons, three of which he has spent with Tampa Bay.
However, Bryant had a shaky preseason, making just 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) of his field goal attempts. Bryant missed his first two field goal tries before making three straight attempts in the preseason finale vs. Houston last week.
Bryant is coming off an impressive 2007 campaign, where he made 28-of-33 (84.8 percent) of his field goal attempts.
Bryant's worst season came in 2006 when he made 17-of-22 (77.3 percent) of his field goal attempts with the Bucs. But Bryant tied an NFL record for second-longest field goal ever made that season by drilling a game-winning, 62-yarder vs. the Philadelphia Eagles.
One of the kickers the Bucs recently worked out was Jay Feely, who graduated from Jesuit High School in Tampa. He has made 80.8 percent of his career field goal tries. Feely, 32, made 21-of-23 (91.3 percent) of his field goal attempts with the Miami Dolphins last season.
PewterReport.com has confirmed that the Bucs worked out three kickers on Labor Day, but the names of those kickers were not disclosed.
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Comments
cremdonado
This is an area where we cant make a bad decision.If Bryant is affected by Gramatticitus,we need to address it.He had a shaky preseason and he missed several easy kicks.His confidence and mechanics seem to be off,but how reasonable is it to think he will turn it around?If we give him the chance to right things,how many missed points does he get before he is replaced?If we are keeping him because of the 60+ kick from last season,we are bound to be let down..That was last year,this is a new season-everyone starts at zero.Its his job to lose at this point and he needs to better his work performance.
I would keep Feely on speed dial,hopefully we wont have to make the call.
12:45pm, September 2, 2008
BucsRunSht
Um, the Eagles kick wasn't last season. Some of us were there and will never forget it, and some of us need to do five and a half seconds of research before posting.
2:43pm, September 2, 2008
ChrisZHO
BucsRunSht - Ummm. I think you need to get a hold of yourself, I don't see any indication here that Jim is saying that the 62 yarder was last season, it says "that season" indicating 2006.
4:05pm, September 2, 2008
mostlarge
Hey BucsRunSht....You need to do 5.5 seconds of reading comprehension lessons before you post again...tool.....
4:37pm, September 2, 2008
orlandobucsfan
Feely has had a groin injury during training camp and was also a victim of the Dolphins youth movement. It appears percentage-wise Feely has out-kicked Bryant at least the past two years. If they appear to be equal in performance and other categories (ex. salary), I'd take the one that can kick-off into the end zone most consistently...Bryant has difficulty in this area...don't know about Feely.
5:03pm, September 2, 2008
Torrino72
Give the guy a chance here. It was pre-season. There were no other kickers in camp to push him this year. Kickers and punters are sort of left on their own at camp. The reason they get better in camp is because there is another kicker there pointing out things that they are or aren't doing. You think there is a coach for the Bucs that can teach kicking? No, they leave that up to the kicker to figure out for himself. There are some mechanics issues that are being addressed right now, and this will right itself. There is plenty of focus on it now, and if it continues, well then we are in real trouble. Feely is NOT the answer. There is a reason he didn't make the worst team from a year ago!
11:52pm, September 2, 2008
Torrino72
And Bryant's Kickoffs were actually better in the pre-season this year than ever before! There was good improvement this camp. But I guess you didn't notice that.
11:54pm, September 2, 2008
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