Am I the only one wishing Potter beats Lindell?

[ghz in pittsburgh]

Despite the signing bonus they gave Lindell in January and despite what Nix said Potter only going to do kickoffs, you have to hope this new guy can do field goals as well so they not only save a roster spot (God knows the Bills need extras with the injury we have had each year), they also free up an active spot on game day.

Lindell has been a good soldier for us for a long time. But he's up there in age and starts to decline a bit. The kickoff shortcoming is obvious.

History has shown that a great defense + a strong kicker can win games, even superbowls.

Potter can solve all this roster spot headache for the Bills by showing his ability on field goals.

[PTI]

Lindell has been average anyway, he is very replaceable. Bills can be ready to move on. Heck, I would haved traded Moorman to the Jagslarkeys for a draft pick if they wanted a punter that bad!

[ddaryl]

Potter is below average on field goals %.. he will need to develop that part of is game

http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/15121/type/college/john-potter

ironically he has never hit a 50 yard FG

[ghz in pittsburgh]

Lindell has been average anyway, he is very replaceable. Bills can be ready to move on. Heck, I would haved traded Moorman to the Jagslarkeys for a draft pick if they wanted a punter that bad!

If they have offered the 3rd round pick to Buddy in the draft for Moorman, they'd take it!

[DrGraves]

I saw that he was 16/22 last year... that isn't that spectacular, especially considering he was actually drafted.

Nonetheless, I do think Lindell isn't anything great either. I think a little competition would be good for him.

[mayotm]

Potter has little to no chance of beating Lindell out as the FG kicker. Potter was drafted as a kick-off specialist. By the way, Lindell is the most accurate kicker in Bills history.

[YardRat]

Not happening this season IMO.

[Dujek]

I really want to know what most of you are smoking. Lindell is a good kicker, who would have much better numbers if he didn't play half his games at RWS.

[THRILLHO]

Yes.

[The Spaz]

I think Powell has a real opportunity to knockoff Moorman who is 36 and his leg isn't getting any stronger.

[PTI]

Potter has little to no chance of beating Lindell out as the FG kicker. Potter was drafted as a kick-off specialist. By the way, Lindell is the most accurate kicker in Bills history.

Geesh, wonder how many kickers in the last 10 years are the all time most accurate kickers in team history?!?! I would bet at least half of them. Means nothing.

[TrEd FTW]

Lindell is a damn good kicker. He's not going anywhere.

[gonzo1105]

I think Powell has a real opportunity to knockoff Moorman who is 36 and his leg isn't getting any stronger.

Absolutely right! Powell has a much better shot to beat Moorman than Potter does Lindelll. Powell grossed 47 yards a punt last year and if he can adjust to kicking in the cold.

[Meathead]

average??!? really???!?!?! cmon

[OpIv37]

I really don't care if Potter beats out Lindell.

I like Lindell. I hated him at first, but there were a few years in the mid-00's where he was our most consistent player. And kicking definitely hurt us after he got injured last year. That being said, age is catching up with him and it's clear he doesn't have the leg strength he had 2 or 3 years ago.

What I don't want to do is be one of those teams that wastes a roster spot with a kickoff specialist and a FG kicker. You can get away with that in college with a 75 man roster, but not so much in the NFL with a 53 man roster. The Bills are clearly a team that has lacked depth, and having two roster spots tied up with kickers isn't going to help that situation.

[Forward_Lateral]

You guys are idiots. Do you not remember Dave Rayner? Lindell is not average. He's not easy to replace. I used to despise Lindell, until I realized how good he is, and how hard it is to replace a guy that can kick as good as he does in a place like Buffalo.
Does he miss some kicks that he shouldn't? Yes, but what kicker doesn't? He makes up for those misses with 50 yard FGs in winds that most coaches wouldn't even think about attempting with their kickers.

[DraftBoy]

Ummm...you guys are talking about the wrong kicking matchup.

[Skooby]

I hope the best player wins, anything to improve the Bills.

[ThunderGun]

Lindell has been decent (there are certainly a bunch of starting kickers in the league who are worse than him), but I wouldn't mind a little competition. I have no confidence in Lindell on anything over 45 yards, and he is not very good on kickoffs.

I believe Buddy said that this new kicker had a touchback % of around 44% in college. That is great. Lindell's TB% was about 28% last year, and it was his best year....by a mile. His career TB% is about 8%.

[jamze132]

Having a kicker kick the ball out of the end zone will help keep guys off of IR. I wonder if this rationale was in the back of Buddy's mind when selecting.

[Yasgur's Farm]

I believe Buddy said that this new kicker had a touchback % of around 44% in college. That is great. Lindell's TB% was about 28% last year, and it was his best year....by a mile. His career TB% is about 8%.
His 44% TB was also from the 30... Lindell's 2011 % came from the 35, which was new last year, and explains his improvement from 8%.

[codabills]

It was. Buddy even mentioned it in his post draft interview.

[Yasgur's Farm]

Just to recap the positives of 2 kickers from yesterday's thread...

1) He can kick 100% out the back of the endzone from the 35.
2) One result will be that our opponents will have to drive 80 yards against a much improved D.
3) Another result will be far less injuries to our ST players... These are our depth guys and thus are essential in reducing fatigue in our starters.
4) A third result will be in keeping Lindell healthy. Regardless of what many say about him, he's very accurate and has a range up to 60 yards under the right conditions.
5) 2 kickers in onside kick situations could be an interesting advantage.
6) Potter could be trotted out for last second 60, 70 or even 75+ yard attempts... I believe he will eventually shatter the NFL record.
7) A 7th rounder who makes the roster is better than a 7th round camp fodder guy.

[ddaryl]

Having a kicker kick the ball out of the end zone will help keep guys off of IR. I wonder if this rationale was in the back of Buddy's mind when selecting.

Not only that but there are some specialized players needs for coverage, which changes your depth around as well.

[stuckincincy]

Burning up a roster spot for a "kickoff specialist" mocks credulity.

[OpIv37]

Just to recap the positives of 2 kickers from yesterday's thread...

1) He can kick 100% out the back of the endzone from the 35.
2) One result will be that our opponents will have to drive 80 yards against a much improved D.
3) Another result will be far less injuries to our ST players... These are our depth guys and thus are essential in reducing fatigue in our starters.
4) A third result will be in keeping Lindell healthy. Regardless of what many say about him, he's very accurate and has a range up to 60 yards under the right conditions.
5) 2 kickers in onside kick situations could be an interesting advantage.
6) Potter could be trotted out for last second 60, 70 or even 75+ yard attempts... I believe he will eventually shatter the NFL record.
7) A 7th rounder who makes the roster is better than a 7th round camp fodder guy.

First, how many onside situations do you think we're going to have? It would be interesting, but it's such an uncommon scenario that maybe happens a handful of times in a season. And it's not like an onside kick can't be recovered without two kickers.

Second, the guy's career long is 46 yards. He's 0 for 3 over 50. Yet, we're going to to trot him out for a last second 75 yard FG attempt that's 30 yards longer than his career long and 12 yards longer than the NFL record? Please.

You started off making some good points about having two kickers, but #5 and 6 are ridiculous reaches.

[justasportsfan]

Lindell may not be Janikowski but people forget what happened when we lost him.

[doug45]

Lindell is a damn good kicker. He's not going anywhere.


The same with Moorman.

[The Spaz]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/punting/sort/puntYards

[PTI]

Potter has little to no chance of beating Lindell out as the FG kicker. Potter was drafted as a kick-off specialist. By the way, Lindell is the most accurate kicker in Bills history.

I love when people bring up things comparing to historical numbers, only makes people really look less intelligent.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/fg_perc_career.htm\

Check out that list, shows most all the current kickers are the leading for their teams in NFL history. Even Dan Carpenter who missed 4 in one game last year is 18th of all time in accuracy!!! Hilarious.

Start thinking logically people, compare players to their counterparts.

[justasportsfan]

I love when people bring up things comparing to historical numbers, only makes people really look less intelligent.



Just because people are misinformed, doesn't men they are less intelligent. In the end we are ALL nothing more than message board GM's.

[Yasgur's Farm]

First, how many onside situations do you think we're going to have? It would be interesting, but it's such an uncommon scenario that maybe happens a handful of times in a season. And it's not like an onside kick can't be recovered without two kickers.

Second, the guy's career long is 46 yards. He's 0 for 3 over 50. Yet, we're going to to trot him out for a last second 75 yard FG attempt that's 30 yards longer than his career long and 12 yards longer than the NFL record? Please.

You started off making some good points about having two kickers, but #5 and 6 are ridiculous reaches.OP... I was simply summarizing the positive points that posters made in this thread... http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php?t=211812
They're not my opinion necessarily.

[Jeff1220]

Didn't roster size quietly expand a month or so ago? Nix and co probably look at it like getting a kick-off specialist and still having more roster spots available than last year.

[OpIv37]

OP... I was simply summarizing the positive points that posters made in this thread... http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php?t=211812
They're not my opinion necessarily.

Fair enough.

[OpIv37]

Didn't roster size quietly expand a month or so ago? Nix and co probably look at it like getting a kick-off specialist and still having more roster spots available than last year.

They are allowing 90 players in camp vice 80, but the final roster is still 53.

Many are speculating that it's a small step toward an expanded final roster for an eventual 18 game season.

[scartown]

Not a chance Potter beats out Lindell as the place kicker. He'll be the teams kick off specialist and help them there immensely.

[PTI]

Just because people are misinformed, doesn't men they are less intelligent. In the end we are ALL nothing more than message board GM's.

Maybe not in life, but most certainly when it comes to discussing football.

[Yasgur's Farm]

They are allowing 90 players in camp vice 80, but the final roster is still 53.True... But... There will be 46 active players on gameday. Up from 45. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/22/nfl-drops-third-quarterback-rule-46-active-players-on-game-day/

[Night Train]

Ummm...you guys are talking about the wrong kicking matchup.
Agreed. Lindell is still solid. Moorman is showing signs he could be replaced.

[Skooby]

1) He can kick 100% out the back of the endzone from the 35.


I'd go with a huge majority of the time, 100% won't work if there is a 50 MPH gale in his face with higher gusts.

[mayotm]

I love when people bring up things comparing to historical numbers, only makes people really look less intelligent.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/fg_perc_career.htm\

Check out that list, shows most all the current kickers are the leading for their teams in NFL history. Even Dan Carpenter who missed 4 in one game last year is 18th of all time in accuracy!!! Hilarious.

Start thinking logically people, compare players to their counterparts.That's interesting since I wasn't doing an analysis on the accuracy of other kickers. I simply stated that Lindell is the most accurate in Bills history which is a fact. I'm super upset that makes me "look less intelligent" to you.

[DraftBoy]

Burning up a roster spot for a "kickoff specialist" mocks credulity.

Well technically we have a free one with QB #3 being a WR.

[YardRat]

If the last roster spot comes down to keeping an extra kicker for special teams, or keeping Ruvell Martin for his ST contributions, I'm going with the kicker 10 times out of 10.

[The Jokeman]

Well technically we have a free one with QB #3 being a WR.
So I guess you're ruling out QB # 3 being a S? [/sarcasm] as I know you're not a Nesbitt fan.

[TMu11]

Teach the bastard to catch and his roster spot will be justified

[Mr. Pink]

I'm sure this was already stated but Potter was drafted to be a kickoff specialist not replace Lindell.

If you can get a guy who can kick the ball out of the endzone almost every time, it's a good weapon to have.

[stuckincincy]

Well technically we have a free one with QB #3 being a WR.

Heh - if only we could resurrect Reggie Roby or Paul Maguire, we'd have another.

[Marvelous]

I didn't read the whole thread yet..

-But ARE YOU MADD?
-Lindell going down for the 1st time had everyone, well i thought everyone was now grateful for Lindell. I know my house and extended family was all fully aware of how lucky we are to have Lindell..
--Camp leg!

--Now Moormman might be a different topic worth mentioning. His contract is up after this season & his super Booming punts we're less & less frequent last year and year before..
-Moorman disclaimer- Huge fan and the dude is a legend in my family & all friends. And all the people mentioned all think its BS every year that the awesome punter in Oakland ggoes to pro bowl every year instead..Moorman gets in once & gets blown up & almost killed by a now deceased(rip) Safety for Redskins. But Moorman PWNS in Windy/Sh!**y Buffalo & Oakland Punter in sunny pretty calm Cali...I love Moorman but just like with our 90's team & esp with Moulds- It's hard to accept but it happens to every player.Father time! Moorman goes on the wall of fame! But we need a fresh power leg & this kid from FSU really impressed me..But i dunno howd i'd feel about losing Moorman.
--I admit that am the biggest Homer in all Bills fans when it comes to OUR OWN players,,esp ones we've had for a long time, and 100% esp the ones we drafted..I know Kepsay & McGee are toast & spent but i like em!

---Can anyone shed some light on the FSU punter? is he in fact ours? i don't know if it was official we signed him. I read it in an unnofficial article couple days ago...
---I can't help but thinjking how awesome Seabass was coming out of FSU & watching that clip that the Seabass loving lengendary FSU coach put together of Janikowski just BLOWING-UP kick returners.. HEH! Seabass was a great pick..Goes back to teh time of all of us wanting that QB who was on cover of "SHOUT-DIGEST",, Man if some bills fan could remember the name of that QB that we we're all sportin wood over..Maybe Rutgers? I believe the Lions drafted him and he busted out. But we we're all(mostly) drinking the kool-aid..

[thenry20]

Despite the signing bonus they gave Lindell in January and despite what Nix said Potter only going to do kickoffs, you have to hope this new guy can do field goals as well so they not only save a roster spot (God knows the Bills need extras with the injury we have had each year), they also free up an active spot on game day.

Lindell has been a good soldier for us for a long time. But he's up there in age and starts to decline a bit. The kickoff shortcoming is obvious.

History has shown that a great defense + a strong kicker can win games, even superbowls.

Potter can solve all this roster spot headache for the Bills by showing his ability on field goals.

You obviously have not been to Bills.com and heard his interview or read POtter's transcript. He admitted that he does not have experience with kicking like most other kickers do. I wouldn't gamble on a rookie to score points when we're trying to make the playoffs. Keep Lindell!