Before the Draft: Kicking Game
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DRAFT POTENTIAL:
- Day 1: IF THEY DO, I’LL CRY
- Day 2: POSSIBLE, BUT NOT LIKELY UNTIL THE VERY END
We’ll make this short and sweet, because there’s 1) not much hope of movement here; and 2) not a whole lot to be said.
Fact #1: Chris Gardocki can be counted on to get the punt in the air without it being blocked. Announcers don’t hesitate to remind us of his half-a-billion consecutive unblocked punts. However, his inability to punt more than about 41 yards on any given try puts the Steelers into a position they shouldn’t be in. Look for the team to possibly pick up a rookie free agent punter, or look to the free agency table scraps near the end of training camp. There’s a history here of making subtle moves just before the season starts, and I expect to see Gardocki on the outside looking in when September rolls around. Getting a punter in the draft will be akin to nailing Jell-O to the wall, though, because there’s only one decent prospect coming out of college, and he’s sure to be snapped up long before the Steelers would be willing to use a draft pick on a punter.
Fact #2: For a guy who has redwood tree trunks for legs, Jeff Reed has always seemed to lack pure leg strength. That said, he has historically been extremely dependable when it comes to field goals. Thus, 2006 may have been an anomaly, but we won’t know for sure until we get a few games into 2007 whether or not Reed’s slump was just an extension of a great team playing poorly as a whole, or if he has really fallen from the top. However, the team may want to at least consider signing a punter (likely as a rookie free agent) who can also handle kickoffs, because a good touchback ratio has always been mysteriously missing from Reed’s resume.
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