He has a done a fantastic statistical breakdown of all starting kickers last year. It is a pretty large graph, so to check it out...
As you can see, Josh Brown did not overwhelm the NFL with his kicking last year. He ranked 24th of all the Kickers. The average kicker made 83% of their kicks. If you factor out Mare's atrocious season, it would be 84%. The median kicker, or middle in the group, made 86%. Brown falls below those figures at 82%. That ranks him at 25th. Well, what about difficulty, ignoring long snapper statistics, Brown ranked 24th in average distance of made field goal.
Kickoffs were always a big concern with Brown. Touchback stats were always below average. Well, the Seahawks averaged giving the ball to opponents on the 27.6 yrd line. That puts him at 18th in the league. Granted, cover teams obviously play a large roll in this, touchbacks are the one thing that substantially helps the average.
So the one unmeasurable is clutch. We all know that Josh Brown hit game winners. However, he hit 82% of his kicks. So out of ten game winners no matter what he should hit 8. I count game 7 winning kicks in his career. Somebody tell me if i am missing one. 2005-Washington, Dallas, NYG, 2006- Det, Den, St.Louis X 2. He is 6/7, or 85%. That is simply what the average kicker does over a 7 kick span. Granted he has made his last 6, but truthfully, by the numbers, he is only preforming slightly better than his 2007 average in those situations.
Anyway you spin it, stack it, or frame it, Josh Brown simply isn't the best kicker in the league. Tim Ruskell probably got lucky he didn't have to pay him like one.
One thing to note also though, of the two rookies last year, Folk and Crosby. One did slightly better than Josh (folk) and the other was slightly worse (crosby). So I would say it is a 50/50 proposition we get someone as productive through the draft. I wonder what Jason Elam wants?
I know that the Graph is hard to read, I am continually working on it, but i wanted to post this before it was too late
ReplyDeleteinteresting stats. He's a friggin kicker though...if we do our job on offense it shouldn't come down to a kick.
ReplyDeleteI'm stoked to spend the $ on other positions.
Very interesting. Good read.
ReplyDeleteIt is easier for guys who automatically have 8 games per year in a dome. Brown's is still more impressive with that factored in than some of the indoor kickers who are only slightly ranked above him.
Either way, for the money he would have commanded --- I'm glad he's gone.
bobbyk
I just read on ESPN, that Brown actually has preformed worse in domes in his career than outdoors, so who knows?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletethat's weird/unexpected
ReplyDeletefor the average kicker though it's a benefit to kick indoors, one would think
one trend would be that coaches tend to not try longer kicks outdoors and in bad weather
I think the reality of this is that the ego of the player,oversteps the essence of being a team. The new age of football is self gratification based on certain situations. Sans Josh Brown. I was always told that if you want to succeed as a team you must make sacrifices. Josh Brown is obviously a T.O. type player. I would have never thought as him as being that person, call me naive.
ReplyDeleteGostkowski had only 81 kickoffs for a team that set touchdown records? doesn't seem right
ReplyDeleteEveryone,
ReplyDeleteHe is a kicker for F-Sake! Relax, the world is not ending. The Seahawks will be in the playoffs next year.......wow, some sensitive feelings for a kicker. Seriously everyone, if we lose Lofa, Matt, Julian, Walter etc. etc. please break out the hankies. But for a damn kicker, you softies have to be kidding me!
Patrick,understood,the problem is that it is difficult to understand the loyalty of players anymore. His leg is obviously bigger than his brain now.
ReplyDeleteThats not saying much!
ReplyDeleteJB may have ranked 24th on that list, but he has been important the last few years. What would our record been in 06' without Josh. We could have been a sub-.500 team without him. He's clutch, consistant, and GREEDY.
ReplyDeleteFrom the team page:
ReplyDeleteThe Seahawks gained some breathing room under the salary cap Friday when they waived veteran offensive tackle Tom Ashworth and designated him a post-June 1 release.
This was his one chance to get big money and he went after every cent.
ReplyDeleteAlso, he is good friends with Shaun Alexander and he had to know that he won't be there that much longer as well.
My opinions....
But good for him, if I was in the bottom 30% of what I did in my job for the year 2007, and got to be the highest paid in 2008 - I'd take it too....
everyone remember that over priced kicker dallas and was cut mid season? here's to that happening to josh.
ReplyDelete* in dallas
ReplyDeleteBrown was popular but he was just a kicker. Not only is he replaceable, the Rams paid far too much for him.
ReplyDelete