Falcons Release Kicker Jason Elam, Sign Matt Bryant
by Dave Choate on Dec 1, 2009 4:06 PM EST
in Falcons News
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PrintIt's been apparent for weeks that the tandem of Jason Elam and long-snapper Bryan Pittman wasn't getting the job done in Atlanta.
This was, after all, a career low percentage of field goals made by Elam, who before had only dipped to 72%. This year he was making 63.5%, and while there were clearly other issues besides just his leg, something had to give. Rather than remove one piece of the equation, the Falcons embraced wholesale change.
According to the always reliable Adam Schefter, Elam and Pittman have been released. In their place, the Falcons signed experienced kicker Matt Bryant, a tough as nails guy who was injured in pre-season and hadn't broken back in with a job, and long-snapper Joe Zelenka, who handled duties for the Jacksonville Jaguars for eight years. They're both excellent choices, my preference for a younger kicker the Falcons could mold aside.
It's fair to ask if any of this would be happening if long-snapper Mike Schneck, a guy who I respect tremendously, hadn't gotten injured. It's also fair to ask if Elam's fighting some kind of nagging injury. At the end of the day, though, this was about the Falcons recognizing a problem and fixing it. If Elam had been allowed to come in to the game and had missed a critical kick against the Eagles this weekend, the backlash against the coaching staff would have been tremendous, and Bryant could have been snatched up by another kicker-hungry team around the league.
I wish Jason Elam well and want to thank him on behalf of The Falcoholic for the tremendous boost he gave us during a magical 2008 season. Let's hope Bryant really is the answer.
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Hooray!
Best wishes for Elam, but it was time for a change. I guess we’ll discuss whether Bryant’s the long term answer, later on.
A wholesale change seemed odd at first
But I guess when you change one component, they all have to learn to work together anyway, so why not. My eyes have been opened about the importance of long snappers the last few weeks.
Basically, you want someone who is experienced and invisible
Zelenka is a fine choice based on those criteria.
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Sucks he went out this way, it had to be done
I'll Have A Matty Ice Please.
by IllHaveAMattyIcePlease on Dec 1, 2009 4:13 PM EST reply actions
Dang.
Guess that last kick really was his job going wide left.
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Matt Bryant has a story that similar to Stephen Nicholas's, but w/o the happy ending...
Welcome to the family and the team, Matt…
"If lessons were learned in defeat, our team is getting a great education." -Murray Warmath
Sweet!
Elam was starting to make me swear like a sailor on Sundays. I almost had to start taking blood pressure meds, too. I hate it for him, but it definitely had to happen. That degree he was working on in “Apologetics” will come in handy though.
well
Elams gone finally i was so tired of his horrible misses by now it might be to late but only thing we can do is have hope and try to win
It was time
It was time for a change. I would cringe when the kicking unit would come in. It was an adventure to say the least. Good Luck to Jason and Bryan. Let’s rally around Matt(!) and Joe, give them all the support they need. Especially Matt after what and his family have gone through over the past year. Good Luck to both, they will be a major contributor down the stretch.
I'm drawing the line at Matt Bryant
Do not want Matt Jones.
"Ryan, under center. Single receiver set, time on his side. Ryan, gonna throw. First professional pass.....CAUGHT!! Jenkins! 30! 25! 20! 15! 10! 5! He lives in Atlanta!!!"
So ...
Was it the kicking … or the snapping … or both?
Reporter: How will you address all of the dropped passes?
Mike Smith: I don’t think that we were as sharp as we have been catching the football. It’s something that is very fixable. It’s VERY fixable.
Don't Think The Falcons Know
Nor did they have the time to figure it out. I guess they decided two new guys working together would be a lot more beneficial than fixing the old tandem.
Both, right?
Pittman was a replacement long snapper himself, wasn’t he? I’m pretty sure it was a bad snap that cost us that critical FG in the Saints game.
Kind of feel badly for Elam, I’m not sure if his hammy injury ever fully healed. At least the poor guy has big piles of money to keep him warm at night. TD did what he had to do, though.
I believe it
was both. This past weekend I was at the game and I have to admit that the missed field goal was not entirely Elam’s fault. The snap was low and the hold wasn’t great.
bryant
is an 89% kicker for his career…was 11 out of 14 in UFL past season
He hit one from 60something not that long ago.
"Ryan, under center. Single receiver set, time on his side. Ryan, gonna throw. First professional pass.....CAUGHT!! Jenkins! 30! 25! 20! 15! 10! 5! He lives in Atlanta!!!"
Um ...
On October 22, 2006, Bryant successfully converted a 62-yard field goal as time expired in Tampa Bay’s 23-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. The field goal was the third longest in NFL history, behind the 63-yarders kicked by Tom Dempsey in 1970 and Jason Elam in 1998.
Reporter: How will you address all of the dropped passes?
Mike Smith: I don’t think that we were as sharp as we have been catching the football. It’s something that is very fixable. It’s VERY fixable.
Sounds like Bryant has a strong leg
Perhaps his accuracy from 50+ might be his weakness. His page at PFR shows him at 2-for-10 lifetime from that range. Careerwise, he’s hit 74% from 40-49 yards and 90% from 30-39, a damn sight better than we’ve been used to lately.
Given that he’s 34 years old, he doesn’t appear to be our long term answer though. I’d hate to see him suddenly hit the wall like Elam did.
That would be nice if he kicks a big one against the Eagles this Sunday
Very few kickers are reliable in 50+ situations, but you expect your kicker to be consistent in 40-49 yards, and nearly perfect in distances shorter than 40. And the guy is.
In addition to this, his 2-for-10 record in long kicks may (just may) have had something to do with where he was playing – it’s always tougher to kick FG outdoors. Considering he will be asked to try at least 50% of his FG’s in the dome, he may do just fine.
If he sticks, playing 9+ games a year in a dome can only help his average....
Our 8 home games and the 1 against the Saints away every year are played in domes…
"If lessons were learned in defeat, our team is getting a great education." -Murray Warmath
Thanks Elam..
But when I almost want Koenen to do the point afters, it was time for a change. I thought Bryant got sort of a raw deal from the Bucs at the beginning of the season. I would be nice for him to beat them in the last game of the season.
Zelenka was hugely popular in Jacksonville and is a character
He was sorta the face of the team for a long time and was definitely a fan favorite. During the unveiling of the new uniforms, Joey Z acted as the host and was constantly cracking jokes as is usual for him. There was and I believe still is a Joey Z fan club. I am/was a member and have a little laminated card that proves so.
I’m very happy for Joey Z that’s he back in a football uniform although I look forward to the day when he retires and becomes a radio personality or something for the Jaguars. You guys just got a winner.
by Adam Stites on Dec 1, 2009 9:18 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
Fantastic to hear that
Thanks for the scouting report, and we’re very glad to have him. I follow Jacksonville semi-closely because of Maurice Jones-Drew and didn’t know the first thing about Zelenka, so that’s probably a good sign.
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meh
Now if they could just recognize that the defense (and to an extent, the defensive play calling) is horrible and fix that we’d be all set…
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Corey Zickefoose: I think they should still be able to play football, regardless. Tennessee is my place. You know, it's my football team.
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Oh, I'm sure they know the D is horrible
But I think they’re pretty much stuck with what they have right now. Major changes (if they’re coming) will be in the off-season.
"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." - Aaron Levenstein
Roger that
But it doesn’t make it hurt any less.
Corey Zickefoose: I think they should still be able to play football, regardless. Tennessee is my place. You know, it's my football team.
Reporter: Even after they put a gun in your face, you say let them play football?
Corey Zickefoose: Yeah. It's Tennessee. That's the way it is sometimes.
Welcome to the SEC!
It's about darn time!
How many field goals did Elam miss that costed the Falcons the game this season? Too darn many. Might as well try another kicker. I was wondering when the Falcons would make the change.
Welcome to ATL, Matt and JoeyZ !
" If you're going to be accused of something, being accused of being a nice guy is not the worst thing to be accused of."
Mark Richt (November 3, 2009)
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