The Redskin Report

This is the 1st in a series of articles rating the NFC East teams by position.

2005 was not a good year for kickers in the NFC East. Washington, Philadelphia and Dallas all used more than one kicker during the season, either due to injury or ineffectiveness. Only Jay Feely of the Giants made it through the year, but even Feely, who was very good for the most part, went through a slump and cost his team a game. Expect a rebound in 2006. Dallas signed Mike Vanderjagt to replace to the collection of kickers they used in ‘05. The addition of Vanderjagt, and the return to health of John Hall and David Akers, along with Jay Feely should give the NFC East a good, deep stable of kickers.

The Rankings

1. David Akers - Philadelphia

Akers missed 4 games in 2005 and wasn’t at full health for much of the season, but when healthy he is one of the best kickers in the NFL. Prior to last season, Akers had never been below 82% accuracy on his field goals. He’s also one of the better kick-off men in the league making him the most well rounded kicker in the NFC East.

2. Jay Feely - NY Giants

Feely was a revelation in New York. He led the NFL in scoring in 2006 and had by far his best season. Oddly his accuracy improved after moving out of the dome in Atlanta. His kickoffs are above average, and he should fill this job in New York for sometime. Feely was the better kicker in 2005, but its worth noting that, even in his best season his accuracy of 83.3% is below all but 2 season of Akers career. If he can repeat his 2005, he will move to number 1 in next years ranking.

3. Mike Vanderjagt - Dallas

Its seems odd to rank the most accurate kicker in NFL history as the 3rd best kicker in his own division, but Vanderjagt’s game is not as complete at the players above. Vanderjagt’s career FG accuracy is 87.5% which is spectacular to say the least. His strength has waned in recent years and Dallas may need to carry a 2nd kicker to handle longer field goals. There is also some question of his ability to kick in big games. His kickoffs are terrible, and its doubtful he’ll be able to fill that role in Dallas.

4. John Hall - Washington

In terms of accuracy, 2006 was Hall’s best year. But once again the injury bug bit him and he missed considerable time for the 2nd consecutive year. His strength on long field goals was down last year and in 2006 he will have to prove that he can make the 50 yard kicks when fully healthy. Hall’s kickoffs are below average and the Redskins are expected to replace him in this role in order to keep him healthy.