Jury Is Still Out On Graham

Here at WDR, we have about a dozen writers who contribute to the site.  Naturally, since we are all intelligent, good looking human beings...we aren't going to agree all the time.  I know some of my fellow comrades have been blasting the Bengals about franchising Shayne Graham, and initially I was disappointed as well.  But after some research and thought, I think the final verdict is this:  we should pass on this battle, and save our fighting for another day.

In all honesty, C Trent's reaction mirrors my own...it's really not that big of a deal.  It's the smallest tag number by far, and it restricts Graham's movement in free agency (no one will give up two first rounders for a kicker).  The Bengals have been fairly lucky with kickers over the past 30 years, with the only hiccup being Neil Rackers and his inconsistency due to his lack of maturity and horrible natural turf at PBS.  Jim Breech and Doug Pelfrey were extremely consistent for the Bengals, albeit Pelfrey never played in an actual meaningful game.

And not that this translates into wins on the field, but Graham's positive activity in the community has to be recognized by the team.  The Bengals know that they don't get many good stories in the paper these days...for actions on (and previously off) the field...so having someone on the team who is active around town with Kicks for Kids can't hurt.  Plus, the guy is a pretty damn accurate kicker, making 173/202 for a 85.6% success rate over his career.

But I digress...we should really take a look at the big time kicks that Graham has had to make here in Cincinnati (2003 - 2007).  As John Madden says, great players aren't great all the time, they are just great when they have to be.  This notion separates guys like Adam Vinatieri from Mike Vanderjagt.

Let's consider all the 'clutch' kicks in Shayne's Graham's history here in Cincinnati.  Please feel free to add to this list in the comments, and I will edit as necessary:

September 19, 2004 - Bengals vs. Miami - Game winning field goal (1/1)

December 5, 2004 - Bengals @ Baltimore - Game winning field goal, capped 24 point 4th quarter (2/2)

December 11, 2005 - Bengals vs. Cleveland - Game winning field goal (3/3)

December 31, 2006 - Bengals vs. Pittsburgh - Misses game winning field goal as time expires, Bengals lose in OT.  Bengals conceivably would have made playoffs since San Francisco beat Denver later that afternoon (but after watching Back to the Future Part II...you never know what would have happened in the space time continuum if the Bengals would have actually won).  (3/4)

November 16, 2008 - Bengals vs. Philadelphia - Graham misses game winning field goal in OT, Bengals end up tying Philly.  (3/5)

So, according to my unofficial tally, Shayne Graham has only attempted five clutch field goals, making three.  No doubt, the PIttsburgh miss was huge, but is that really enough to say we should give up on the guy?  The real crime is the fact that the Bengals have not spent any considerable amount of time in the postseason, where having a rock solid kicker is vital.  Now if the Bengals are in the playoffs the next two seasons, and he misses two make-able kicks to win or tie, then I think you have to start looking elsewhere.  But until that point, the jury is still out.

Here's my guess on what happened during negotiations for a long-term deal.  Graham is demanding to be the highest paid kicker in the league, at over $3 million per season.  The Bengals weren't ready to commit those kind of dollars, long term, to Graham, especially since they are holding the 6th pick in the draft and have a bunch of holes to fill on this team.  They decided to save somewhere between $600,000 and $800,000 by tagging Graham.

My only complaint on spending this kind of money for Graham is his poor performance on kickoffs.  It's not just touchbacks, but his lack of getting the ball inside even the 10-yard line on kickoffs. 

His number of touchbacks per season are as follows:

2003 - 4 out of 77 kickoffs (5.2%)

2004 - 2 out of 82 kickoffs (2.4%)

2005 - 2 out of 91 kickoffs (2.2%)

2006 - 13 out of 84 kickoffs (15.5%)

2007 - 8 out of 86 kickoffs (9.3%)

2008 - 8 out of 52 kickoffs (15.4%)

(Look at the insane drop in kickoffs in 2008...wow this team was anemic offensively)

One thing I do not understand is why more teams do not have a roster spot for a kickoff specialist.  If field position is such an important part of this game, isn't having the opposing team start from the 20 yard line more than 75% of the time after kicking off a huge advantage?  Of course the NFL has altered the tee size and ball in order to have more kickoffs, which makes the game more exciting.  Bottom line...not many people on Earth can kick the ball out of the endzone consistently in the first place.  But, here's hoping that the Bengals can find someone who can boom it back there and keep the opposing team from starting at the 40 yard line more often than not someday.

Trust me, I'm against the way the management run this organization more than anyone...but I just don't think this deal is worth getting upset about.  Let's save our venom for when they screw up another draft in April.

(Other attempts of note)

January 8, 2006 - Misses field goal in the first possession of the second half due to bad snap

October 15, 2006 - Bengals @ Tampa Bay - Misses 60+ yard field goal as time expired

December 24, 2006 - Bengals @ Denver - Infamous missed extra point due to a bad snap

September 10, 2007 - Bengals vs. Baltimore - Graham plays hurt and goes 2 for 3, missing a 53-yard field goal early in the game (very, very questionable coaching decision by Coach Lewis)

Comments

[BengalAnthony13]

I agree. And with the jerk comments T.J. has been making, let him walk. This move only becomes a great one if they pursue quality free agents with the money saved by tagging Graham and not T.J. (Darren Sproles, Jordan Gross, etc.). They need to be active this offseason in order to show their fans and the rest of the NFL that they mean business.

[Jeff]

"December 11, 2005 - Bengals vs. Cleveland - Game winning field goal (3/3)" - I was there!

[BMN]

So 60% on big kicks is fine by you? By that logic, let's not spend $2m plus on Shayne Graham, let's go get Mike Vanderjagt and his 70-something percent career percentage in the playoffs for $300K. Hey, he has the highest regular season completion rate of all-time, is equally terrible at kickoffs and can't be proven to be any worse in the clutch and comes way cheaper.

Stop and ask yourself if getting Mike Vanderjagt is a good idea. If the answer is "no" (and I'm betting it is) then you're saying taking part in "Kicks for Kids" and not being a mouthy kicker adds $1.5 million to your value.

I'm not knocking Shayne here. I wish him success and if and when he misses a big kick in the future, it won't be him I'm cursing but rather Mikehole. But my point is, 3/5 in big kick situations is nothing to brag about and it's likely that the Bengals could have gotten the same product for cheaper. Mikey could have not used the tag, spent $3-500K on a kicker and took the money he would have spent on Graham and used it for scouts. But we all know that would never happen.......

[Ghost of Boomer]

BMN - you are missing the point. The point is that 5 kicks are not enough of a sample size...specifically when NONE of the kicks were in the playoffs and only one actually meant something.

I mean he could be one for one and that would be 100%...that doesn't really mean much either.

My point is that over his 6 years with the Bengals, Graham has had only five kicks that really were clutch. How do we know the guy can't kick in the clutch when he's only had one true, white knuckle opportunity?

I was furious when he missed the kick in '06 against the Steelers...but the guy is consistent and probably does deserve to be paid among the top 5 kickers in the league until he proves otherwise.

I agree it was POSSIBLE they could find another kicker for less money that would be equal or better to Graham...but it's not as much of a slam dunk as you might think.

Anyway, that's my two cents.

[Who Che]

Look at it this way... At least we are GUARANTEED to see Shayne out at more dirty bars hitting on dirty girls... Plus, now that he's rich (bi*ch) he will have more money to lease sweet rides and buy said dirty girls more shots.

I look at this as a plus for Cincinnati nightlife.

[Drew Persinger]

Are you kidding me.....seriously...are you fn kidding me. The fact that they didnt give TJ all that he asked for in the first place makes me hate the bengals even more. The fact that they gave it to a FN kicker just makes me want to gag. If I were TJ I would make the same comments that he is making because the Bengals are crapping on him. He is by far the best receiver on the team and most dedicated. Chris Henry being next for talent, and then Chad. Chad would drop balls, forget his routes and so on to get out of the city. Tj deserves whatever he is asking for by whoever. The Bengals are stupid for not giving it to him. Brownie thinks that getting 8-8 will fill the seats and give false hopes for next season. You have three of the best receivers in football on the field and your running (which the lineup of there run plays is no secret where there going) up the middle. The bengals should have given TJ every cent he asked for because he is worth it. Now, I bet there going to pick up some scrub ass players for the money they saved on Shayne...I love Shayne but man, cmon. this is beyond stupid. If TJ is gone (I really hope he isnt) I hope he goes to a good team who's owners care about them, and gets to a super bowl.

[Hofbraunow]

Plus, he 'crushes it like Big Red'...

...this means, when partying with three chicks in bikinis, two of them you could do without, but then there's another one that's pretty rad

[Sam Stancheck]

It's February. And as always, following a miserable season, Bengals fans come back to the joy of the offseason to give them hope. The psychology of us Bengals fans is astounding. Technically, everyone in our divison is 0-0. The Steelers parade is long over. We can forget that and move on. The horror of getting trounced 34-3, 35-3, and 30 something whatever is long behind us. In our minds we can go back to hoping. Ahh.. what a beautiful word..hope. We Bengals fans must remember all of those bad memories last season and stay true to the boycott. Its easy to forget when the season is over. That is what Mikey expects.
As for the tag. I have mixed feelings. In my opinion this team needs a solid o-line and d-line. Palmer needs time to throw and more time can turn an average receiver into a better one. Likewise on the d-line. Our linebackers and secondary may be slightly better than average, but with a rush attack, they will be better since the opposing QB will be forced to get the ball out faster. Shake up the lines through draft and free agency and sign Derrick Ward.