Making the Case for Graham Gano

[Shadowfire]

I guess if Gano wins the kicking competition this is all a moot point. If two kickers have the same line with the same chances doesn't that answer the question of the better kicker is? I hope Gano steps up and does good for us I really think keeping a younger guy that would be with us for years to come would be a great relief for us.

[BleedBNG]

If it ends up being Gano, then I hope him mucho mucho success.

Oh, and Welcome to ES!

[Bang]

Haha okay, you saw through me; I wrote the piece. I'm glad it was able to spark some discussion here. If people enjoyed it, I'll post some more pieces that I think might be of interest in the future. It's a new site that I started, so feel free to check it out and provide any feedback.

Fine by me! good discussion is always welcome, and if your thoughts provoke it, well, bring 'em on.

~Bang

[mmecca]

How many balls were blocked for the other kickers?

[Bang]

How many balls were blocked for the other kickers?

Not as many.

And amazingly, each of them had equally bad FG%.

~Bang

[Hunter_R]

Eh... if this guy is trustworthy, Gano might be more at fault for the blocks than some care to admit.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/football-insider/post/redskins-training-camp-practice-observations-from-aug-13/2012/08/13/7bf0e276-e5bc-11e1-8f62-58260e3940a0_blog.html

It's the last paragraph, but this sums it up quite nicely.

Gano’s seem to have less immediate lift, but plenty of distance, while Rackers’ kicks rise high above the line from the start.

His kicks are slow to rise, and he was blocked a lot. Coincidence?

[Jacoah]

I think Rackers is the more accurate of the two kickers. If the coaches are scoring on accuracy alone, I suspect Rackers gets the nod. Still, there are three preseason games left to further scrutinize the competition at the position.

[RedskinParadigm]

Well, looks like Gano gets the job. Rackers missed only one 54-yarder this preseason, so it looks like the coaches knew all along that, barring a collapse, Gano would be their guy. I'm excited to see his progress this season.

[greenspandan]

young, strong leg. it's been since the chip lohmiller days that we haven't had turmoil at that position. i'm confident that if the skins have their BLOCKING problems taken care of, Gano could be a pro bowl kicker.

shannahan tends to conduct a pretty conservative game. that means lots of games will come down to gano's leg.

[bowhunter]

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

Truer words have never been spoken...

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Even in victory, this place never ceases to amaze.

No disrespect, but this is a totally ridiculous bump IMHO.

Hail.

[Tarhog]

A-****ing-Men.

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

Truer words have never been spoken...

did you specifically search for this thread? lol

Personally, I'm sure Gano would have missed that game winner (I think Cundiff blows too BTW)

[bowhunter]

did you specifically search for this thread? lol

Personally, I'm sure Gano would have missed that game winner (I think Cundiff blows too BTW)

lol yes I did search for it. Gano probably would have made at least one of the first 3 attempts however. As Bang referenced already in this thread, I think coaching is defeating the talent. So why not at least keep the better talent?

[redskins55]

I agree that the coaching is handcuffing the talent. EGO!!

[1198skinsfuture]

I agree that the coaching is handcuffing the talent. EGO!!

whose talent?

[The Robert Griffin Experience]

I am now FIRMLY convinced that the cutting of Gano was an attempt to cover Danny Smith's ass. Faced with the abject failure of his blocking units and his directional kicking strategy, Smith needed a scapegoat. And what better scapegoat than a guy who struggled his rookie year, who had a legit miss to lose the game against Dallas, and who the fans didn't like? It was easy for the media and fans to simply decide "Graham Gano is a bad kicker" as opposed to "Danny Smith is a bad coach".

I have been as big a supporter of Shanny's tenure as anyone, but the way the STs and defense has been handled, along with some truly baffling personnel moves, makes me wonder if there is still something a tad rotten in Denmark - if roster moves are being made not towards maximizing performance, but to manage egos and agendas. There is no way Jordan Black should have made it over Willie Smith. Cundiff should never have replaced Gano. We should have either drafted or groomed a returner to replace Banks. There is no way Smith and Has should have gotten extensions this offseason. I think Shanahan has certain blind spots that hold him back as the head guy running the football operation, and we're feeling the effects.

[Dirt]

I really really really doubt 'roster moves are being made to manage egos'. Let's not complicate and get all conspiracy theory about it. Simple answer's usually the correct one, and it's a simple as this: Gano/Rackers aren't awesome kickers.

The 57 yard attempt makes things look much worse. It's a 'whatever give it a shot' kick at the end of the half, and if anything, it's very UN-egotistical of Shanny to go for it. He doesn't give a rats ass if it makes the stats look worse, it's a better idea than hurling it into the endzone, period. Otherwise, not cool to miss the 30 yarder, and along with his whiff with the Ravens last year, the last thing I'm thinking with Cundiff is 'clutch gene'. That's the second 'what the hell' long kick btw, and let's consider it's a testament to how able the Redskins are to get near field goal range at the end of halves. I mean, they've done it almost every time.

His kickoffs still go through the endzone, and I do believe that's the reason he's here. I'm sure the decision to bring him in played out in very boring fashion, not some dirty Danny Smith conspiracy ring.

Sure, Shannahan does have blind spots. He's not a special teams coach and he's not a defensive coordinator. I'm glad he understands that and is letting those guys do their job. Y'all have it backwards, it would be EGOTISTICAL of Shanny to put his hands on everything and try to to it 'his way'. I'm one of the last people to defend Danny freakin Smith, but it's not any better if Shanny tries to act like a special teams guy and messes with it.

Yea, we're 'feeling the effects'. What you're expecting is a perfect football team. We have Shanny who's doing amazing things with Griffin, is slowly proving he truly does find awesome running backs in late rounds, his zone running style, for that matter, is impressive, and he's otherwise made tons of moves since day one to make the team younger. If we had equally as impressive special teams and defense, we would be in the Superbowl hunt every year. Simply put: I'm sorry everything isn't perfect, but it isn't going to be in 1, 2 or even 3 years considering he had to work with Vinny Cerrato's slop.

I'm FIRMLY convinced Shannahan has the team in the right direction. As always, there will be cause and effect int he NFL. If, at the end of the year, the defense give up league high numbers, Banks loses some fumbles, and some more kicks get blocked - changes are made. But all that Mike Shannahan can do in the meantime is let the guys do their job. He's handling enough things, and you can't just expect him to have the best coordinators. There is pretty much no such thing as a super-coaching staff with all the best coordinators. Instead, he wants continuity, consistency, and building. He wants to build and CREATE a good team, not search for everyone else's supposedly best players/coaches. Isn't that what we were so excited about in the first place? A real coach getting a chance to build the Redskins?

I'm sorry, I'm just really over the 'Shanny's ego' talk. This is exactly what we cheered for when Vinny was fired and Bruce/Shanny came aboard. Things are improving, depth is being built, injuries are being more easily overcome, things are building. There is no Shanny-gate.

[RG3PLZ]

I really really really doubt 'roster moves are being made to manage egos'. Let's not complicate and get all conspiracy theory about it. Simple answer's usually the correct one, and it's a simple as this: Gano/Rackers aren't awesome kickers.

The 57 yard attempt makes things look much worse. It's a 'whatever give it a shot' kick at the end of the half, and if anything, it's very UN-egotistical of Shanny to go for it. He doesn't give a rats ass if it makes the stats look worse, it's a better idea than hurling it into the endzone, period. Otherwise, not cool to miss the 30 yarder, and along with his whiff with the Ravens last year, the last thing I'm thinking with Cundiff is 'clutch gene'. That's the second 'what the hell' long kick btw, and let's consider it's a testament to how able the Redskins are to get near field goal range at the end of halves. I mean, they've done it almost every time.

His kickoffs still go through the endzone, and I do believe that's the reason he's here. I'm sure the decision to bring him in played out in very boring fashion, not some dirty Danny Smith conspiracy ring.

Sure, Shannahan does have blind spots. He's not a special teams coach and he's not a defensive coordinator. I'm glad he understands that and is letting those guys do their job. Y'all have it backwards, it would be EGOTISTICAL of Shanny to put his hands on everything and try to to it 'his way'. I'm one of the last people to defend Danny freakin Smith, but it's not any better if Shanny tries to act like a special teams guy and messes with it.

Yea, we're 'feeling the effects'. What you're expecting is a perfect football team. We have Shanny who's doing amazing things with Griffin, is slowly proving he truly does find awesome running backs in late rounds, his zone running style, for that matter, is impressive, and he's otherwise made tons of moves since day one to make the team younger. If we had equally as impressive special teams and defense, we would be in the Superbowl hunt every year. Simply put: I'm sorry everything isn't perfect, but it isn't going to be in 1, 2 or even 3 years considering he had to work with Vinny Cerrato's slop.

I'm FIRMLY convinced Shannahan has the team in the right direction. As always, there will be cause and effect int he NFL. If, at the end of the year, the defense give up league high numbers, Banks loses some fumbles, and some more kicks get blocked - changes are made. But all that Mike Shannahan can do in the meantime is let the guys do their job. He's handling enough things, and you can't just expect him to have the best coordinators. There is pretty much no such thing as a super-coaching staff with all the best coordinators. Instead, he wants continuity, consistency, and building. He wants to build and CREATE a good team, not search for everyone else's supposedly best players/coaches. Isn't that what we were so excited about in the first place? A real coach getting a chance to build the Redskins?

I'm sorry, I'm just really over the 'Shanny's ego' talk. This is exactly what we cheered for when Vinny was fired and Bruce/Shanny came aboard. Things are improving, depth is being built, injuries are being more easily overcome, things are building. There is no Shanny-gate.

[BucketHTTR]

I really really really doubt 'roster moves are being made to manage egos'. Let's not complicate and get all conspiracy theory about it. Simple answer's usually the correct one, and it's a simple as this: Gano/Rackers aren't awesome kickers.

The 57 yard attempt makes things look much worse. It's a 'whatever give it a shot' kick at the end of the half, and if anything, it's very UN-egotistical of Shanny to go for it. He doesn't give a rats ass if it makes the stats look worse, it's a better idea than hurling it into the endzone, period. Otherwise, not cool to miss the 30 yarder, and along with his whiff with the Ravens last year, the last thing I'm thinking with Cundiff is 'clutch gene'. That's the second 'what the hell' long kick btw, and let's consider it's a testament to how able the Redskins are to get near field goal range at the end of halves. I mean, they've done it almost every time.

His kickoffs still go through the endzone, and I do believe that's the reason he's here. I'm sure the decision to bring him in played out in very boring fashion, not some dirty Danny Smith conspiracy ring.

Sure, Shannahan does have blind spots. He's not a special teams coach and he's not a defensive coordinator. I'm glad he understands that and is letting those guys do their job. Y'all have it backwards, it would be EGOTISTICAL of Shanny to put his hands on everything and try to to it 'his way'. I'm one of the last people to defend Danny freakin Smith, but it's not any better o Shanny tries to act like a special teams guy and messes with it.

Yea, we're 'feeling the effects'. What you're expecting is a perfect football team. We have Shanny who's doing amazing things with Griffin, is slowly proving he truly does find awesome running backs in late rounds, his zone running style, for that matter, is impressive, and he's otherwise made tons of moves since day one to make the team younger. If we had equally as impressive special teams and defense, we would be in the Superbowl hunt every year. Simply put: I'm sorry everything isn't perfect, but it isn't going to be in 1, 2 or even 3 years considering he had to work with Vinny Cerrato's slop.

I'm FIRMLY convinced Shannahan has the team in the right direction. As always, there will be cause and effect int he NFL. If, at the end of the year, the defense give up league high numbers, Banks loses some fumbles, and some more kicks get blocked - changes are made. But all that Mike Shannahan can do in the meantime is let the guys do their job. He's handling enough things, and you can't just expect him to have the best coordinators. There is pretty much no such thing as a super-coaching staff with all the best coordinators. Instead, he wants continuity, consistency, and building. He wants to build and CREATE a good team, not search for everyone else's supposedly best players/coaches. Isn't that what we were so excited about in the first place? A real coach getting a chance to build the Redskins?

I'm sorry, I'm just really over the 'Shanny's ego' talk. This is exactly what we cheered for when Vinny was fired and Bruce/Shanny came aboard. Things are improving, depth is being built, injuries are being more easily overcome, things are building. There is no Shanny-gate.

You said everything ive been saying the past two years and you sir actually "get it". To many people and a lot of Redskin Nation are still in Vinny era. Ti many threads get made when free agents are on the market and to much "cut him" going around like there is an infinite supply of elite players on the market

[skinzplay]

It is my sincere hope that Danny Smith is coaching elsewhere next season, but that's certainly not a decision for me or any of us to make here. What is clear to me is that Smith is effective only at coaching coverage. He has no ability to develop specialists, and that has been clear from the time he began coaching as a special teams coordinator. His specialists thrive when they come to Washington with their abilities already developed. A young kicker will not grow and develop under Smith; it is impossible. Neither will a young, inexperienced returner. Some players, of course, will have the benefit of having had especially good special teams coaches in college.

[Burgold]

It is my sincere hope that Danny Smith is coaching elsewhere next season, but that's certainly not a decision for me or any of us to make here. What is clear to me is that Smith is effective only at coaching coverage. He has no ability to develop specialists, and that has been clear from the time he began coaching as a special teams coordinator. His specialists thrive when they come to Washington with their abilities already developed. A young kicker will not grow and develop under Smith; it is impossible. Neither will a young, inexperienced returner. Some players, of course, will have the benefit of having had especially good special teams coaches in college.

It's worse than that. Kickers seem to regress under Smith. Look at Gano who was very clutch his rookie season, look at Suisham, the guy who became the Cowboy's kicker for a while, etc.

Something in what Smith demands makes kickers fall apart.

[redskin01fan]

Even if Cundiff made that last kick, I still like Gano and believe he may be back sooner than later

[Oldfan]

It's worse than that. Kickers seem to regress under Smith. Look at Gano who was very clutch his rookie season, look at Suisham, the guy who became the Cowboy's kicker for a while, etc.

Something in what Smith demands makes kickers fall apart.

I think Smith has about as much to do with the success or failure of kickers as you do.

[Bang]

I think Smith has about as much to do with the success or failure of kickers as you do.

Right, because coaches don't affect their players.

yet another mystery move by Smith right before the season.. but i guess it's all OK because it only NEARLY cost us a football game.

so far the only difference between the kicker Danny failed to develop and the one he's currently ruining is that Cundiff can kick a touchback to the corner.. which seems in danny's world to be a better option than kicking one to the center of the end zone, that it's worth sacrificing any accuracy beyond 40 yards.

dodged another Danny Smith bullet yesterday. 4 games, and so far, there has only been ONE game in which his bullets didn't fly wildly all over the place.

(Was that him telling Shanahan to throw the challenge flag on the ball spot deep in the 4th that cost us a first down and a challenge? What a surprise.. danny thinks we should challenge something SO crystal clearly against us. Whoever runs our challenge system also needs to be fired. We've been horrible at it for several years.)

~Bang