Making the Case for Graham Gano

Hi everyone, I'm new to this board, but I'm excited to talk Redskins football.

I read a practice report today that Graham Gano struggled badly in a kicking competition, going 5-9 on his FGA as compared to 9-9 for Rackers. It seems like a lot of fans are ready to call it quits on Gano (and I admit, I was too) but I saw this piece on Gano that may have changed my mind. There are a lot of good points in here, particularly about how Gano compares to other kickers at his age. I'm starting to think we may need to have a little more patience with Gano. Anyway, I thought it was an interesting read.

http://www.sportingparagon.com/redskins-graham-gano-should-be-retained/

it is a very interesting read. And how many times have we talked about "if we only had not cut David Akers, and then he goes on to be one of the best". If Rackers and Gano are the same age it's one thing, but if it's even close I think you have to go with the kid.

I completely agree, Morneblade. If it's any sort of close call, we have to go with Gano. It's been so long since we've had a reliable, long-term kicker. Gano's youth may provide us with that opportunity.

Absolutely agree with the article, and welcome to ExtremeSkins.

I've got a semi-personal rooting interest for Graham, so I hope he pans out. But if its best for the team to part ways, then so be it.

I completely agree with the article... how could you not? Gano deserves atleast one more year to show he can be an excellent kicker. I'd almost be willing to give him 2 more, but to cut him and sign Rackers would be a mistake. We need a solid kicker in 3-6 years, where I think we'll see the best Redskins team on the field that we've seen in a long time.

Good! Somebody's been paying attenton.

Gano is our kicker. He should remain our kicker regardless of this 'competition' with Rackers.

His problems are not him.

~Bang

You just happened to stumble across this article, huh? lol

At any rate, the article makes the same points I was making several years ago about field goal kickers...especially the aspect of how a lot of the stellar kickers started off slow when younger. The teams that stuck with promising young FG kickers through their early ups and downs tended to reap the benefits later.

I hope Gano stays, he's young and improving, and will get better. He's not a robot and not perfect, he will miss/make mistakes from time to time.

People here seem to have some crazy vision of a kicker who makes 50 yarders every time without ever missing.

Cut the guy some slack, he's shown he is better than most at kickoffs and return yardage, he will grow into a 85-90% guy with time.

Awesome write-up.

Deep down in my heart I hope the team will keep Gano regardless of the kicking competition results.

Boom.

Glad to see it. We all knew the numbers. My confidence grew a lot from his rookie year to his second year. Gano is the least of our worries.

Good article. I agree with everyone else, if its a close competition you have to go with youth and the big leg. Besides, one bad day in practice shouldn't determine the competition.

Gotta stick with Gano. His leg on kickoffs is worth it over Rackers. If Rackers were about 29 instead of 35, I'd say let the best man win, but he's gettig up there in age. I say stick with the kid.

Good! Somebody's been paying attenton.

Gano is our kicker. He should remain our kicker regardless of this 'competition' with Rackers.

His problems are not him.

~Bang

John, I've been right there with you on calling for the gum chewing dips head right through. Hell, even before you took up the baton and admirably made it your personal quest to have him removed (Something that the organization should of done years back without exasperated fans having to get involved IMHO), I was getting into countless arguments on here bringing up valid points on his failings in many facets of his job.

But outside of the 5 blocks last year, you can't lump Gano's other, often shocking misses like the 'chip shot automatic' kicks from inside the 30 on Smith. Or the directional kicking faux pas. No question the coach is a moron for going away from what had been working, but it's still another facet that Gano doesn't have to his game that's on him.

Regardless of the debate on Graham's worth or not, I can't go with laying all the blame at the Coach' door on oft mental eras from a kicker.

But regardless, welcome to this place of ours OP. Be prepared for your social life to be heavily impacted (it's quite the addiction); but it's always good to welcome new faces and fresh opinion.

Hail.

That article makes a pretty compelling case for keeping Gano. I think he deserves at least one more year to see whether he progresses or regresses.

I'm ok with one more year. But as GHH said, you can't blame all the chippy misses on Smith. Like others have said, if Rackers was 7 years younger, let the competition play out, but having seen Gano through college, he's got the leg. Question is, does he have the mind? Time will tell, but hopefully not too much more time. This is his make or break year.

Good read.....lets hope "Onions" can respond and become our kicker for years....the blocks are not all on him, but the flat our misses under pressure situations are on him. The Redskins have been patient and should continue to be so with him, but he needs to show that he is a pressure kicker and can do so on a regular basis. Maybe spending time with Rackers will help him get his head on straight and get that kickers confidence rolling,

HTTR

I'm just hopin with RGIII that we score more TDs and then don't have to worry about FGs as much.

Seems like everyone with an alliterative name is on the bubble this year.

Anthony Armstrong

Brandon Banks

Chris Cooley

Graham Gano

Anyway...we're talking about a kicker here. Kickers aren't part of a rebuilding process and youth is a non-factor. We need to go with whoever looks better this preseason. I'll be surprised if that's G-dub.

God I hate kickers.

Seems like everyone with an alliterative name is on the bubble this year.

Anthony Armstrong

Brandon Banks

Chris Cooley

Graham Gano

Anyway...we're talking about a kicker here. Kickers aren't part of a rebuilding process and youth is a non-factor. We need to go with whoever looks better this preseason. I'll be surprised if that's G-dub.

God I hate kickers.

Ppl seem to not understand that simple fact. A kicker is a kicker. There are plenty of kickers in the NFL that kick WELL into their 40s. Youth isn't important for a kicker In my opinion. Also I wonder if everyone thinks we need to cut Sav Rocca too and bring in a young stud? How long is Gano gonna get? Hes had nearly 3 years. Ppl are saying that he should win regardless of the competition.., why? What has he shown you? Play he hit a 59 yarder but John Hall had a strong leg too...

Gotta stick with the kid. From his rookie to 2nd year, I definitely was more confident in him banging those longer kicks. Once those blocks stop happening (and they will), I think he can be a top 5 kicker easily.

I don't get why it seems that most on ES are willing to give Danny Smith a "get-out-of-jail-free" pass for his lack of coaching. If Gano gets cut (let's just say), how many here on ES don't think he'll get picked up by another team? We all think that he would get picked up, which then means that the issues lie with the coach and his inability (among several inabilities) to properly train kickers. Don't think he's got a problem coaching kickers? Remember Sean Suisham and that b.s. "lining up the goal posts" thing he would do with his hands? How well did that work when we needed him to kick a chip shot field goal to seal a game (which we lost, by the way) against.New Orleans, or that chip shot against Seattle in the playoffs (I still pull my hair out over that one every time I think about it). You'd think a kicker that lousy would be out of the NFL, right? No. He was picked up by Pittsburgh and played in a Super Bowl, if I recall correctly. Even Nick Novak played last year!!

We'll always have problems with our kickers. The problem is the coach, and if provoked, I'll go on about directional kickoffs, blocked FG's, penalties on punt and kickoff returns which cost us severe yardage, and a Class A punt and kickoff returner who now can't seem to find the end zone.

I don't get why it seems that most on ES are willing to give Danny Smith a "get-out-of-jail-free" pass for his lack of coaching. If Gano gets cut (let's just say), how many here on ES don't think he'll get picked up by another team? We all think that he would get picked up, which then means that the issues lie with the coach and his inability (among several inabilities) to properly train kickers. Don't think he's got a problem coaching kickers? Remember Sean Suisham and that b.s. "lining up the goal posts" thing he would do with his hands? How well did that work when we needed him to kick a chip shot field goal to seal a game (which we lost, by the way) against.New Orleans, or that chip shot against Seattle in the playoffs (I still pull my hair out over that one every time I think about it). You'd think a kicker that lousy would be out of the NFL, right? No. He was picked up by Pittsburgh and played in a Super Bowl, if I recall correctly. Even Nick Novak played last year!!

We'll always have problems with our kickers. The problem is the coach, and if provoked, I'll go on about directional kickoffs, blocked FG's, penalties on punt and kickoff returns which cost us severe yardage, and a Class A punt and kickoff returner who now can't seem to find the end zone.

Okay but Suisham still sucks. you think he was a big factor why the made the SB? You can only blame Smith for so much. He doesn't miss those 40 yarder for Gano. Of course, Gano will get another job, I mean Jason Campbell/Devin Thomas did as well. (Point is that that doesn't mean they are good)

We need to pick up the Oakland punter once he is cut he was booming them on Monday. Rocca Looked terrible in 1st game

Nothing on Extremeskins bothers me more than the completely illogical loyalty to Graham Gano, a player who has cost us so many games the past two years and been among the worst kickers in the entire league. Why exactly should we hold onto him? Would you hold onto a quarterback in his third year who performed at the lowest level? Keeping Gano is like letting Jimmy Clausen be your starting quarterback for three straight years, under the illusion of: "Give the kid some time. He's going to be great." Everyone here expects Gano to miraculously turn into Chip Lohmiller someday. What exactly makes you think that will happen? Because of David Akers? A kicker who played ONE SINGLE game as a Redskin before moving on to the Eagles? We didn't know what we had in Akers because NO ONE did. But trust me, we know exactly what we have in Gano. A bottom of the barrel kicker. Rackers is so much better than him, it's not even worth discussing. Can't wait for the day Gano is shown the door and I don't have to cringe every time we line up for a field goal.