semiskin Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1935247 Tuesday, November 30, 2004 Kicker hardly "Automatica" this season ESPN.com news services Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs have cut kicker Martin Gramatica, ESPN.com's John Clayton learned Tuesday. The team is looking for a replacement. It was reported Monday that Gramatica is at a loss to explain the slump that has cost him his job. Once so accurate he was nicknamed "Automatica," the sixth-year pro conceded that his inconsistency since helping the Bucs win the Super Bowl two seasons ago made it difficult to state a case for keeping him on the team. Gramatica has missed seven of his last nine field goal attempts and is 11-for-19 overall, including 4-of-11 from 30 or more yards. He hasn't kicked a field goal longer than 22 yards since Oct. 10. Coach Jon Gruden said Monday that he would look at other kickers Tuesday, but stopped short of saying a change was definite at that time. Gramatica hooked a 37-yard attempt that would have snapped a 14-14 tie with less than two minutes remaining against Carolina in Sunday's 21-14 loss in Charlotte. He also missed a 39-yarder and had a 26-yarder blocked by Julius Peppers. More Bucs moves: The team activated guard Matt O'Dwyer from the physically-unable-to-perform list and released veteran receiver Bill Schroeder. O'Dwyer signed as a free agent with the Buccaneers last March, but sustained a left pectoral tear while lifting weights in July and missed all of training camp and the first 11 games of the season. O'Dwyer, 32, spent four years with the New York Jets and five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, starting 109 games at both guard spots. Schroeder, 33, signed as a free agent with the Bucs last summer and started two of seven games. He had four catches for 126 yards in a September 26 game at Oakland, but just three receptions for 30 yards in his other six games. Schroeder also returned six punts for 21 yards and two kickoffs for 29 yards. Information from ESPN.com senior NFL writer John Clayton, The Associated Press and SportsTicker was used in this report. ------------------------------------------ Talk about slipping. I don't think anyone coudl have imagined this two years ago. Someone will pick him up though. Don't know about Schroeder though, maybe Green Bay will bring him back, although they really don't need the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akhhorus Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 I watched him the last couple games, he couldnt hit water if he fell out of a boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drex Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 He's missed some big kicks for them as of late. I am not surprised to say the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfujskins Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 yep, Saw this from a mile away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Williams Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 He COULD have won that game.......I wonder what's wrong with him the past 2 years..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty Gut Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 He's got plenty of money so he'll just retire to never be heard of again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsarethebest Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 still might be better than kimrin i say we pick him up -- hah just kiddin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimster Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 I wonder if Ola will get a call Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfujskins Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 San Diego seems like a good fit, IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZkinsFan Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 lol, that dick-nose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinFaninOKC Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 Originally posted by cfujskins San Diego seems like a good fit, IMO Kaeding isn't that bad. The Chargers will not be his team. He will get a call from someone. There are 20 or so teams that COULD use him. Miami stands out. San Francisco. Minnesota. Tennessee. NY Giants. Kansas City. ETC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 Here's the story from the morning news, prior to him being cut........ Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden apparently is tired of ****footing around about the slump of kicker Martin Gramatica, who missed two field-goal attempts and had another blocked in Sunday's game.Those misses contributed to Tampa Bay's 21-14 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Bank of America Stadium. Monday, Gruden indicated that changes may be coming at the kicking position. "Clearly, it's been a sore thumb for us,'' Gruden said at his weekly news conference. So sore that the team will have kickers in Tampa today trying out for the job. Gramatica's status is uncertain. The LaBelle High School graduate could be released despite having four years remaining on his contract. No job candidates were announced Monday. Gramatica has avoided talking to the media recently but spoke at length Monday about his performance Sunday and his slump. Although Dave Moore's snap to holder Josh Bidwell was a tad high on the second miss, Gramatica accepted the blame. "That was on me,'' Gramatica said. "The guys did a good job up front, the snap and everything. I just didn't come through for the team.'' Gramatica has been nothing short of dreadful in recent weeks. He's 4-for-11 on field-goal attempts of between 30 and 49 yards. The last time he made a field goal longer than 23 yards was Oct. 10, when he booted a 53-yarder in a 20-17 victory against the New Orleans Saints. Since then, he's 0-for-6 on anything longer than 22 yards. He's missed seven of his past nine attempts. All this from a guy who was a Pro Bowl kicker in 2000. In Sunday's loss, he missed from 39 and 37 yards, and had a 26-yard attempt blocked. The 37-yard miss came with the game tied and 1:53 left. "That guy has to make his shots,'' Gruden said. "We'll go to extreme measures to find a guy to get that done.'' It seems like a very long time ago, but in 2002, during Tampa Bay's Super Bowl season, Gramatica kicked four field goals in a 12-9 victory against the Panthers in Charlotte. He booted a 47-yarder with five seconds remaining to win the game. He also had 52- and 53-yard field goals in that game. What happened? "Is his confidence shaken?'' Gruden said. "He'd have to answer that. I would assume that it is.'' Now, for the first time since Michael Husted in 1998, the Bucs may have somebody other than Gramatica do their kicking. "We're going to bring another kicker in and evaluate who's available,'' Gruden said. "If we can improve our football team, we'll do everything we can to do that.'' Gramatica knows he's hanging on to his job by a thread. "I'm not worried,'' Gramatica said. "I don't know if I deserve to have a job here. That's just the way it is. I have done everything I could as far as working out and being prepared, and being as strong and as healthy as possible. Things haven't worked out. "If I had the reason, I'd tell you or if I had the answer, I would've corrected it. The team needs to win games and obviously I am not helping. "I'm prepared for whatever happens. I wish I could stay here, and I'm going to give the team all I got. That's what I've always done, give it all my effort. And that's basically all I can do.'' Although a veteran nearing the end of his sixth NFL season, Gramatica, 29, isn't sure what will happen today. Or in the days to come. "I haven't heard a thing,'' he said. "We just had a special-teams meeting. Nothing was said directly to me. I don't know if I have to talk to coach. But right now, I don't know.'' How has Gramatica handled the situation? "I've been positive about it,'' Gramatica said. "I've been confident. Each kick, I step on the field, in my mind I tell myself I am going to make it. That hasn't happened much lately, but that doesn't mean I am going onto the field thinking I am going to miss it. "As a kicker, that's the worst thing you can do is when you think that. If you play sports, you know as soon as you doubt yourself, you're done. So that's one thing I haven't done. "I haven't doubted myself. I've been hitting the ball good in practice, so I'm going into the games confident. It's frustrating when I look up and the ball is not going straight. That's the worst that can happen,'' he said. Gramatica insists, despite his perplexing and confounding slump, that he hasn't given up on himself. He also hasn't given up on remaining with the Bucs. "That's one thing I'll never do,'' Gramatica said. "I'll never give up. Hopefully it will be here. I feel I'm going to be here. I hope that's going to be. The one thing I can guarantee is that I'm going to do everything I can to turn it around. "I'm going to put all my effort into working out and being the best kicker I can be. It just hasn't happened and hopefully I can turn it around.'' He may be running out of time to turn it around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. S Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 Kimrins gonna be called im thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spjunkies Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 That little dude has a strong leg, I would like to see us sign him for kick offs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadedup_skin4lifer Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 If Hall is not 100%...I say we sign him... Automatica has a great leg...The Panthers just own that guy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsfan44 Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 Originally posted by jimster I wonder if Ola will get a call That's the first thing I thought when I read this. I never liked the guy. He got too excited after he made a kick. He acted like he just made the winning kick in a Super Bowl everytime he made one. Was it him or his brother that was jumping up and down after making a kick and broke his ankle? :doh: That was just too funny.:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadedup_skin4lifer Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 Originally posted by skinsfan44 That's the first thing I thought when I read this. I never liked the guy. He got too excited after he made a kick. He acted like he just made the winning kick in a Super Bowl everytime he made one. Was it him or his brother that was jumping up and down after making a kick and broke his ankle? :doh: That was just too funny.:laugh: That was his broham... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afkidd Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 he hasn't been that good ever since he hurt his leg...I THINK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mookie0720 Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 Automatica no more. Pro Bowler to cut, thats incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reaganaut Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 I bet Jeff Garcia puts an immediate call into Martina this afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semiskin Posted December 1, 2004 Author Share Posted December 1, 2004 Originally posted by Reaganaut I bet Jeff Garcia puts an immediate call into Martina this afternoon. That just ain't right.:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeSkins Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 Bring him in for the veteran minimum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeSkins Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 Maybe some incentives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead Money Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 In a related story, Gramatica was celebrating his early "retirement" and while jumping up and down in joy shredded his acl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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