Gramatica, Folk in tight battle for team's trust
A liberal dose
August 11, 2007
IRVING -- Cowboys training camp has gone so well that one of their biggest questions right now is the kicker.
Martin Gramatica vs. Nick Folk.
Only in Cowboys land can this showdown between the veteran and the rookie truly hold fans' attention.
That's because in recent years the Cowboys' kickers have collectively made missing kicks an art: They can miss from anywhere at any time in any condition.
Since 2000, the Cowboys have had seven kickers combine to make 72.1 percent of their field goals, the worst percentage in the NFL in that span. And only the Redskins have employed more kickers.
Now, with the veteran Gramatica having earned some confidence after he was signed late last season and the Cowboys drafting Folk in the sixth round from Arizona, they are hoping their long and fruitless search for a kicker is over.
'Hopefully, we'll get this thing worked out,' Cowboys special teams coach Bruce Read said.
The Cowboys hope Folk wins the job. He's 23. He has a strong leg (he also punted in college). He would potentially settle a position that has been unstable since the Jimmy Johnson era.
'They want to settle it down for a guy to be here for 10 or 12 years,' said Folk, who was born in Germany and holds dual citizenship. He made his only field goal attempt Thursday night in the preseason opener, a 25-yarder. 'I'm trying to do that.'
But Gramatica is making it difficult for Folk to win the job.
In training camp he's been consistent. He made two field goals in the preseason opener, including a 47-yarder that would have been good from 57.
'I feel a lot stronger, not only kicking but in the weight room,' said Gramatica, 32. 'Whatever I've done in the weight room has shown on the field.'
Gramatica already has earned a degree of his teammates' confidence. His 46-yard field goal with 1 second remaining beat the Giants in New Jersey last December.
'That was a make-or-break kick for my career,' Gramatica said. 'If I had missed it, I probably wouldn't have been here the next week. That was huge also with my teammates to create trust.'
At this point, the words trust and Cowboys kicker aren't easily linked.
'It's frustrating when the guaranteed, for-sure field goal is missed,' linebacker Akin Ayodele said.
It has owner/general manager Jerry Jones fed up.
So fed up that he used a draft pick on a kicker for the first time as the team's owner to select Folk. And that comes one year after he signed then-free agent Mike Vanderjagt to a contract that included a $2.5 million signing bonus.
Vanderjagt was a bust. He was unreliable, and his arrogance grated on teammates because he never lived up to the tag as the most accurate kicker in league history.
'If you would have told me I would have done some of the things I've done for a kicker...,' Jones said during training camp in San Antonio, almost in disbelief.
The Cowboys would carry both kickers if needed. But they prefer not to use two roster spots for the same position.
They'd prefer that Folk wins the job.
But they would settle for Gramatica, provided they can trust him.
Kicking themselves
Since 2000, the Cowboys have used seven kickers and are the worst field-goal kicking team in the NFL. A look:
Team, No. Success Denver, 3 191-233 (.919) Baltimore, 3 203-232 (.875) Ind., 6 186-214 (.869) St. Louis, 2 179-211 (.848) Cincinnati, 2 155-185 (.838) Phila., 2 177-211 (.838) Cleveland, 2 153-185 (.827) Detroit, 1 162-196 (.826) N. England, 2 174-211 (.824) N. Orleans, 3 173-210 (.823) Carolina, 4 175-215 (.813) Miami, 2 159-197 (.807) NY Giants, 6 166-207 (.801) Minnesota, 6 142-179 (.793) NY Jets, 4 173-218 (.793) Tennessee, 6 167-211 (.791) Atlanta, 4 169-215 (.786) Arizona, 5 160-204 (.784) Kansas City, 5 151-193 (.782) Buffalo, 5 162-209 (.775) San Diego, 4 148-192 (.770) Chicago, 3 164-213 (.769) Seattle, 3 152-198 (.767) Oakland, 3 160-206 (.766) Tampa Bay, 4 158-206 (.766) San Fran., 6 163-213 (.765) Pittsburgh, 3 179-235 (.761) Green Bay, 2 174-229 (.759) Jacksonville, 7 161-214 (.752) Houston*, 1 97-129 (.751) Wash., 11 143-196 (.729) Dallas, 7 142-197 (.721)
* Entered league in 2002
August 11, 2007
IRVING -- Cowboys training camp has gone so well that one of their biggest questions right now is the kicker.
Martin Gramatica vs. Nick Folk.
Only in Cowboys land can this showdown between the veteran and the rookie truly hold fans' attention.
That's because in recent years the Cowboys' kickers have collectively made missing kicks an art: They can miss from anywhere at any time in any condition.
Since 2000, the Cowboys have had seven kickers combine to make 72.1 percent of their field goals, the worst percentage in the NFL in that span. And only the Redskins have employed more kickers.
Now, with the veteran Gramatica having earned some confidence after he was signed late last season and the Cowboys drafting Folk in the sixth round from Arizona, they are hoping their long and fruitless search for a kicker is over.
'Hopefully, we'll get this thing worked out,' Cowboys special teams coach Bruce Read said.
The Cowboys hope Folk wins the job. He's 23. He has a strong leg (he also punted in college). He would potentially settle a position that has been unstable since the Jimmy Johnson era.
'They want to settle it down for a guy to be here for 10 or 12 years,' said Folk, who was born in Germany and holds dual citizenship. He made his only field goal attempt Thursday night in the preseason opener, a 25-yarder. 'I'm trying to do that.'
But Gramatica is making it difficult for Folk to win the job.
In training camp he's been consistent. He made two field goals in the preseason opener, including a 47-yarder that would have been good from 57.
'I feel a lot stronger, not only kicking but in the weight room,' said Gramatica, 32. 'Whatever I've done in the weight room has shown on the field.'
Gramatica already has earned a degree of his teammates' confidence. His 46-yard field goal with 1 second remaining beat the Giants in New Jersey last December.
'That was a make-or-break kick for my career,' Gramatica said. 'If I had missed it, I probably wouldn't have been here the next week. That was huge also with my teammates to create trust.'
At this point, the words trust and Cowboys kicker aren't easily linked.
'It's frustrating when the guaranteed, for-sure field goal is missed,' linebacker Akin Ayodele said.
It has owner/general manager Jerry Jones fed up.
So fed up that he used a draft pick on a kicker for the first time as the team's owner to select Folk. And that comes one year after he signed then-free agent Mike Vanderjagt to a contract that included a $2.5 million signing bonus.
Vanderjagt was a bust. He was unreliable, and his arrogance grated on teammates because he never lived up to the tag as the most accurate kicker in league history.
'If you would have told me I would have done some of the things I've done for a kicker...,' Jones said during training camp in San Antonio, almost in disbelief.
The Cowboys would carry both kickers if needed. But they prefer not to use two roster spots for the same position.
They'd prefer that Folk wins the job.
But they would settle for Gramatica, provided they can trust him.
Kicking themselves
Since 2000, the Cowboys have used seven kickers and are the worst field-goal kicking team in the NFL. A look:
Team, No. Success Denver, 3 191-233 (.919) Baltimore, 3 203-232 (.875) Ind., 6 186-214 (.869) St. Louis, 2 179-211 (.848) Cincinnati, 2 155-185 (.838) Phila., 2 177-211 (.838) Cleveland, 2 153-185 (.827) Detroit, 1 162-196 (.826) N. England, 2 174-211 (.824) N. Orleans, 3 173-210 (.823) Carolina, 4 175-215 (.813) Miami, 2 159-197 (.807) NY Giants, 6 166-207 (.801) Minnesota, 6 142-179 (.793) NY Jets, 4 173-218 (.793) Tennessee, 6 167-211 (.791) Atlanta, 4 169-215 (.786) Arizona, 5 160-204 (.784) Kansas City, 5 151-193 (.782) Buffalo, 5 162-209 (.775) San Diego, 4 148-192 (.770) Chicago, 3 164-213 (.769) Seattle, 3 152-198 (.767) Oakland, 3 160-206 (.766) Tampa Bay, 4 158-206 (.766) San Fran., 6 163-213 (.765) Pittsburgh, 3 179-235 (.761) Green Bay, 2 174-229 (.759) Jacksonville, 7 161-214 (.752) Houston*, 1 97-129 (.751) Wash., 11 143-196 (.729) Dallas, 7 142-197 (.721)
* Entered league in 2002
posted by The Gryphon at 11:05 AM
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