Kicker?

MadCardDisease

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Just keep him on IR for the year. Or release him if that's what he wants. Either way he's getting paid and can ride off into the sunset with his retirement money. Or try and catch on with another team.
You have to keep him on IR unless the Cards need him due to injury. Then let him enter FA and sign with another team so that he counts towards a Compensation Pick.
 

Cheesebeef

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Also he may have been resigned to his career being dead and this is all a bonus for him. He's wasn't even on a PS, he was signed off the street.

As I said, hard to say, but he has more bad than good in the league so far in his career and the team should be cautious moving off a proven commodity like Prater.

Prater would also have made all these FG's BTW.
Prater had a gimme game winning attempt last year and missed it from inside 40 yards so we’ve seen him have a chance at all these type of kicks and he failed.

You earlier just said we can get lulled into a false sense of security with a kicker like Zane Gonzalez nailing kicks when they don’t matter. Uh… that’s what Prater’s done the last two years in a no pressure job. Previous to us, he was 30/37 and 21/28. And again, in one of his only chances for a deciding kick in the last two years, he ished the bed.

The idea that Wyland might be kicking carefree… while being a young guy kicking for his career, coming to a woeful franchise, and carrying both of those burdens and nailing three straight game winners… makes no sense to me whatsoever.
 

Cheesebeef

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I don't consider making extra points - which is what these field goals have been equivalent too - and every kicker makes over 90% of to be all that impressive.

I just don't feel I have enough info to make this call.

This idea that game winning field goals are in any way the same thing as extra points is mind-boggling. Especially with this franchise that has regularly seen our FG kickers miss these kind of “gimme” game winners over and over and over again throughout our history… even INCLUDING PRATER LAST SEASON.
 

oaken1

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He also made a 57 yarder yesterday. Prater missed the last time he had a game winning kick. Not keeping this kid over an often injured 40 year old would be beyond foolish.
Prater missed two kicks in the final game last season.
Much speculation it was done intentionally to protect our draft position and get Marvin.
Many hailed him as a hero for missing those kicks.

Lets not try to paint him as anything other than an excellent kicker just to make a point. His career proves his worth.
But that does not mean switching to a younger guy is not best for the team at this point.
 

PJ1

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Prater missed two kicks in the final game last season.
Much speculation it was done intentionally to protect our draft position and get Marvin.
Many hailed him as a hero for missing those kicks.

Lets not try to paint him as anything other than an excellent kicker just to make a point. His career proves his worth.
But that does not mean switching to a younger guy is not best for the team at this point.
Well I wasn’t one of them who hailed him as a hero. I think he was great for us. It is time to move on though.
 

Card'em

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Also keep in mind that Prater's last 2 year deal average $3,750,000 per year, so signing Ryland will definitely be a cap savings for next year.
 

WisconsinCard

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I'm dubious about crowning kickers. I'm pretty sure there are some "We found a kicker" posts about Zane Gonzalez from 2019 when he finished the 8th best kicker in the league.

Prater has a long and proven career. Ryland may just be benefitting from the psychological boost of not being the guy so can play pressure free. Or he may have found his groove. Hard to say.

He was the worst full time kicker in league last year by some distance. Joey Slye made 79.2% of kicks in 2nd to last place, Ryland made 64%.

I'd be wary about moving on from a proven vet just yet. Keep him on the PS, if anyone tries to claim him they can move him up. Or chances are if he goes elsewhere it would only be temporary and we can bring him back later.
Sometimes it a matter of timing. Have a good snapper, holder, and kicker goes into that equation.

Maybe just maybe he has found his stroke because of the chemistry between Gilligan and Brewer (Skipper)?
 

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