I say yes... absoulutely! He has no guarantee to be on the roster. With the rare exception of certain "slaves to the business men" who get big signing bonuses up front, kickers are always in danger of being cut. Especially if they don't produce.
To continue....
Lets say hypothetically, that Mare was given a 1 mil signing bonus. He then say has base salaries of 1.25 each of the next two years. This is a reasonable guess at what the contract may look like. The Hawks would only be responsible for the 1 million bonus if he is cut before camp. It would count against the cap, but nothing else would. Would that be an expensive gamble? Sure for most, but Paul Allen has the deepest pockets in the league. It is worth it if it allows the Hawks to select the kicker they like with out reaching, and then as insurance in case he doesn't perform.
Also, as I mentioned in the previous thread, while Ruskell was in Atlanta, the Falcons carried two kickers. So if it takes a season for the young guy to develop, or they want to ease him in, so be it, Ruskell has proven he is willing to go this route. It is possible that the kicker the Hawks like could be accurate, but have a weak leg for kick offs, thus they would share duties. However, it would seem the Hawks will make a decision on Mare, one way or the other, before the season starts and his deal becomes guaranteed for the year because of his veteran status.
UPDATE--For all those who want a little more (or less) clarity on the subject, or just have a man crush on our GM, like me, here is an interview, done Wednesday with Tim Ruskell. FYI, he suggests they will draft a kicker, and then maybe carry two on the roster for a little bit. Or not. Who knows?
I'm not sure about Mare,but
ReplyDeleteI'm no gm. T.R seems to find good quality players though.
Hopefully they wouldn't waste a roster spot on a KICKER. Please no 2 kickers Timmy! Do kickers ever get placed on the practice squad?
ReplyDeletewould you rather keep 4 RBs or 2 Ks?
ReplyDelete-k
I would like one good TE with speed and great hands. I'm not asking for much am I?
ReplyDeleteNo, i'd like that too. In the 2nd or 3rd..
ReplyDelete-k
I say we go dt with our first pick, i think our running game will be good enough.Your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI say we get some sort of offensive lineman with our first pick, TE with 2nd, DE with 3rd, and then go from there.
ReplyDeleteI just read on Seahawk.com that we've signed a long-snapper? Am I the only one that missed this? When did this happen?
ReplyDeleteTim Lindsey from the Falcons.
That's true to,the best LT in the nfl big Walter Jones cant play forever.
ReplyDeleteI say best player available. I like DT Balmer, RDE Merling, LT Williams, S Phillips. But IF Stewart fell I'd take him. I do have to say I'm warming up to the idea of the S Phillips. I like Russell but certainly don't love him. If Phillips will turn out to be another amazing Safety. Merlings enticing too
ReplyDelete-k
I meant another amazing safety from Miami
ReplyDelete-k
I think we are going overboard analyzing this signing. (but that's why I love it here with you hard cores.)
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the speculation about carrying two kickers on the roster (aint gonna happen), or about expecting some rookie to appear and win the field goal kicker job. Rookie kickers in the NFL rarely win jobs from proven veterans. Olindo Mare has beaten out rookies in training camp every year of his career and we should expect him to do it again this year.
We are getting a proven kicker who is as good as Josh Brown from inside 50 years. And we are getting him for a fraction of Brown's contract! He won't lose any games for us, and might help win one or two. That's all you can ask from a kicker. Good move. I expect him to kickoff and FG for 16 games, two playoffs, and the SB.
GREAT OFFSEASON. Now let's go searching for a steady long snapper!
- Stevo
JRUSS, I am pretty sure that we signed him to a reserve/futures deal at the end of the season, which basically means we are bringing him to camp but he isn't expected to make the team
ReplyDeleteJosh Brown won the job. Lindell before that, both rookies
ReplyDelete-k
I cant wait for the draft,that will be one huge party. I have a couple of friends that are stealer fans and dolphins fans and i can't wait to tease them about how there teams suck. All in fun though. They still rag me about the super bowl, so does my preacher [OUCH].
ReplyDeleteDog days of "offseason" in full effect when Olindo Mare makes two headlines with in hours of each other....
ReplyDeleteToo many Ruskell's, not enough Leiweke's
RM8
The way I see it, we have a lot of options for our first round pick. We could go DT and help bolster the d-line, or we could go DE with Merling and add needed depth to the d-line as well. However, we could reach for a tight end, perhaps our biggest need, or maybe pick up a stud safety like Phillips, and of course an OG like Albert would be nice. Ultimately, I really think we need to take the best player available because ultimately there are a bunch of nice players available that could really help out in certain areas. Really, I would vote for trading down if Stewart is gone, but at this point, there's not much to do other than trust in Ruskell, which I do.
ReplyDelete-Derek
2 Observations:
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it seem like we've gone talon to hoof with the broncos for a few free agents lately?
Why would Mare accept a deal to "compete" for a job here when he had at least 1 other option elsewhere? Something seems out of whack.
-Hairy Hawk
Hairy Hawk -
ReplyDeleteWho says he wasn't going to compete everywhere he had a potential offer?
Hairy Hawk-
ReplyDeleteHe was gonna compete no matter where he ended up. Don't it will be a suprise to anyone when both Denver and Seattle draft kickers in the draft.
I'm willing to bet that Mare's leg is nearly 100% or expected to be by camp. TR is too conservative and wouldn't bring anyone in unless he could count on them. Mare's injury was the best thing to happen to us. As clutch as Brown was nailing all of those game winners, this was the best move for us as far as kickers are concerned. If TR kept JB, where do you think that cash would've come from??? My guess is that we wouldn't be celebrating Lofa's deal, which could mean that Tru's deal would have had to been higher (TR may not have gone any higher either).
I personally believe that his poor last year was due to his hip. Kicking is all about concentration, timing and a fluid routine. A nagging injury can and does interfer with all of these components. I think we could be getting a steal here and if not at least we got other "needed" signings taken care of. Don't think it would have turned out so pretty with JB sticking around.
Michael-
ReplyDeleteWith the signing of Cooper how do you think this changes our draft? Seems to me that TR picked him back up because he can play anywhere on the DL and that makes sense, but do you think that adding more depth to the DL in FA indicates at all that he's looking elsewhere in the draft?
cts, I don't know when Michael will be on, but I know he has addressed this before.
ReplyDeleteRuskell is heading into the best draft of his stay at Seattle. He has prepared expertly in order to be able to take ANY player in the draft and not having to worry about any of the positions not being filled. Say, if we draft a 5th round DT, we will be OK with what we have. If we take a DT in the 1rst, Cooper could get cut or serve as reserve still. It just leaves every spot open, literally every spot. It is an enviable position for any team since the biggest "gap" on our team is TE, and we already have 3 OK players filling it up there.
I think we will be talking about this draft for years to come and feeling the great affects of getting extremely talented players with great character.
Happy Friday Morning blog goers!!! Well Said Christopher!! You are like a Jedi apprentice!
ReplyDeleteThis team could play the season if it started tomorrow. They have enough players at every position. Now it is about taking the best guys available and hoping they can contribute next year.
TE is the one position I see them having at the top of the board, only because it has been such a hole in the last decade. However, they don't need to reach to get one.
I'd rather go into the season carrying 1 kicker, whose last name is NOT Mare. Can we sign Ray Finkle? :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael...I suppose that was a complement, so I will take it as such. I regularity come onto your site, and I love it because it gives personal and very accurate information, since I am such a big Hawk fan. Many other sites just aren't updated enough and NEVER speculate. Although the seattletimes.com forum is fun. Do you ever go there?
ReplyDeleteFinkle? Who is that? If I had to choose because of the name, it would be Mare.
One question Michael, did the Hawks regularily use all 53 players in their lineup last year? I mean, would it be that difficult to hold 2 kickers? I don't see why not.
They could do it if they want to, teams do it all the time.
ReplyDeleteRay Finkle is the kicker from Ace Ventura Pet Detective! Laces Out! Laces Out!
Okay, sounds good to me about the kicker situation.
ReplyDeleteFinkle--sure, let him try out for the mascot helper position.