BREAKING NEWS: Texans Sign Neil Rackers
by DreKeem on Apr 5, 2010 8:08 PM CDT
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PrintYou wanted real competition for Kris Brown? You got it. Neil Rackers, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals, is now a member of your Houston Texans, according to Adam Shefter.
The deal is for two years with a total of $4.1 million available to Rackers, but only $350K of it guaranteed, which means he can easily be cut if he bombs training camp and the pre-season.
I'm a big fan of this deal. After the horrendous kicking display Brown put on last season, he needs a guy like Rackers to breathe down his neck before the season. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Rackers wins an open competition between the two.
Last year, Rackers hit 16 of 17 field goals, going 4/4 from 20-29 yards out, 6/6 from 30-39, and 6/7 from 40-49. Compare that to Brown (21/32 overall, 11/13 from 20-29, 6/9 from 30-39, 2/6 from 40-49, 2/4 from 50 out) and we have ourselves a winner. The only knock on Rackers is his inconsistency in the playoffs. He missed an easy kick from extra point range against the Packers in round one, and botched two vs. the Saints in the conference semifinals. In his defense, he was playing with a groin injury which, regardless of my lack of medical expertise, seems like an injury that would affect any kicker. And besides, it's not like Brown fared much better in similar situations. At all.
It's probably also a good idea to get to the playoffs before worrying about our kickers botching late post-season field goal situations.
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Cool
Lets see if brown was having an off year or if he’s done. Oh by the way FUCK CUNTA
If at first you don't succeed, draft, draft again
Very nice
Kris Brown tried to kick his puppy after reading this post, but he missed.
A Texans fan. Really. No, I'm not kidding.
http://www.battleredblog.com
by bigfatdrunk on Apr 5, 2010 8:19 PM CDT reply actions 8 recs
He hit it
But he was aiming for the window in front of him and instead hit his wife in the room directly to his right.
"I'm just looking forward to something great happening in the city of Houston" - Tracy McGrady
Still waiting...
by DreKeem on Apr 5, 2010 8:22 PM CDT up reply actions 9 recs
HA!
You took an insult and made it better. Nicely done, grasshopper.
A Texans fan. Really. No, I'm not kidding.
http://www.battleredblog.com
More Breaking News
Charges have been dropped against Kris Brown. His laywers provided film evidence from Colts games & argued his history shows that he couldn’t kick his own ass much less his wife’s
I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but you appear to be unarmed.
by The Night Owl on Apr 7, 2010 2:00 AM CDT up reply actions
In other news...
Neil Rackers struck out the side against the Astros on his way to sign the contract.
/thread hijack
A Texans fan. Really. No, I'm not kidding.
http://www.battleredblog.com
Ed Wade
Disapproves of strikes not thrown by 40 year olds on general principle.
YES!
This is our big time free agent signing for this year.
I’m so glad that we have big time front office who looks out after our big time players, and signs probable big time players for big time deals.
BIG TIME.
by typhoon.infamous on Apr 5, 2010 8:39 PM CDT reply actions 3 recs
you have to admit
Smith and Kubs are really doing all the right moves this offseason.
Be judgmental about the actions of the past, be hopeful about the actions of the future. -The Homers Creed
The $$$ part of this is brilliant
I’m starting to think that Smith & Morey have a side bet going over who can make the most beneficial signings & trades…
If the Treasury Secretary doesn't have to pay taxes, then why do I?
by Shake on Apr 5, 2010 8:48 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Gotta say Morey would be winning that contest so far...
and I wouldnt be surprised if it actually is going on.
To all Houston sports fans, Houston is the 4th biggest city in America, there will be traffic on the way to your respective sports game. Come Early, Be Loud, Stay Late.
Definitely winning in the trades
But I think Smith might have an edge so far in the Signings
If the Treasury Secretary doesn't have to pay taxes, then why do I?
And when I say that
I mean the $$$$$$$$ part of the contracts
If the Treasury Secretary doesn't have to pay taxes, then why do I?
Personally
I’m still pissed about Sims. Our o-line is still a giant ball of crap.
A Texans fan. Really. No, I'm not kidding.
http://www.battleredblog.com
There has to be something that we don't know
Nagging injury? Caught injecting rabies? A blessed member that would further threaten the Kubiak household? Lost the team’s good-luck pocket pussy?
I just don’t buy that an average or potentially above-average lineman gets through the entire NFL for just a 5th round pick. Something about this smells fishy.
If the Treasury Secretary doesn't have to pay taxes, then why do I?
by Shake on Apr 5, 2010 9:03 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Well, apparently, our new OC
has been really high on this guy in the past. He probably had a lot of influence in the signing of Mr. Sims.
by typhoon.infamous on Apr 5, 2010 9:06 PM CDT up reply actions
Warning: You may be confused
We didn’t sign Sims away from the Seahawks. BFD just wanted us to, and is pissed we missed out on that opportunity since Sims was an RFA who was only tendered at the minimum level (original round).
If the Treasury Secretary doesn't have to pay taxes, then why do I?
Im confused
if Alex Gibbs didnt want him for the ZBS, why would he be a good fit for us?
Be judgmental about the actions of the past, be hopeful about the actions of the future. -The Homers Creed
Not saying that
It just seemed to me that T.I was mixing up Sims with Wade Smith.
If the Treasury Secretary doesn't have to pay taxes, then why do I?
Because
now that Gibbs isn’t around, don’t be surprised to see them change the style of the blocking/running game slightly.
It’s pretty much what every other team has done in the first few years after Gibbs left. It’s still going to be mostly ZBS, but don’t be surprised if they start grabbing O-linemen with a bit more assmass than, say, Ragdoll. Probably won’t happen this season, but I bet it happens sometime in the next 2
Stunner, I know.
Sims?
Rob Sims? He was traded out of Seattle because he didnt fit the ZBS was he not?
Be judgmental about the actions of the past, be hopeful about the actions of the future. -The Homers Creed
That's Rivers' theory
And he might be right. Still, I don’t understand how your standard scarecrow wouldn’t be an upgrade over Studdard.
A Texans fan. Really. No, I'm not kidding.
http://www.battleredblog.com
Mike Johnson or Marshall Newhouse
in round 4 or 5. Get on board with it, bfd!!!!
"Lord, beer me strength."
Rivers' theory
sounds too logical. This is football. There is no logic, but men hittin’ each other which was the best part of Sims’ game.
And it couldn’t be a standard scarecrow. Now, if it was a 300 lbs. scarecrow, Studdard would have some real competition.
by theaxeeffect4311 on Apr 5, 2010 10:00 PM CDT up reply actions
Wait, did we sign scarecrow and mop-head already?
by typhoon.infamous on Apr 5, 2010 10:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Frank Bush thinks they'll be great in zone
A Texans fan. Really. No, I'm not kidding.
http://www.battleredblog.com
by bigfatdrunk on Apr 5, 2010 10:34 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
You'll never find Mop playing out of position
by theaxeeffect4311 on Apr 5, 2010 10:45 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
NEWS BREAK:
Mop who used to work in the Astrodome, signs $2.6 Million 1 yr deal with the Houston Texans to play CB. Along with this signing the Texans also pull off another big signing in Freddy the 300lb Scarecrow to play Center. Chris Meyers feeling threatened attacked the scarecrow in the parking lot and ended up on his ass.
by Taco Joe on Apr 5, 2010 11:48 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
I really can't wait until the draft starts.
Smithiak is currently on a roll now, and if it carries over to the draft. What a great off-season we would have had.
by typhoon.infamous on Apr 5, 2010 9:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Great Move
Very little risk, and it shows K. Brown that the challenge for the kicking job is real. Much better than bringing in an undrafted free agent or rookie who might rattle more easily.
Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...
Infinitely better than even using a medium round draft pick on a kicker
not that there is a draft eligible PK that I know of that is worth picking before the 7th round. Rackers is a proven commodity and a veteran who excels at both KO depth and FG accuracy. His postseason meltdown was due at least in part to a nagging groin. Anyone who has ever played soccer knows how debilitating even a mild groin strain is to the natural kicking motion. He passed the Texans physical an I fully expect him to be the 2nd PK in the Texans history. If Smith plays his cards right, is it possible we could even end up getting a low draft pick for KB? Not sure about the trading deadline, but that would be some tasty lagniappe on this signing. Kudos to Rick Smith.
It took the Astros 44 years to get to the Series, the Oilers-Texans are due to get to the big dance...Go Texans!!!!!
by oiler-texan diehard on Apr 7, 2010 9:32 PM CDT up reply actions
whoa
this would be awesome if it were still 2006 and Neil Rackers was about to have a career year. Nonetheless, it’s bad news for Shankapotamus.
Did Arizona cut him?
Interesting. He was the best kicker in football in 2005. Lots of those guys are year-to-year, I suppose. Either way, it’s a nice addition to an already strong off-season. Kris Brown might have Brad Lidge syndrome now. Wouldn’t surprise me if he had another good year or two somewhere in this league, but I don’t think it’ll be in Houston.
Arizona didn't cut him
they just didn’t re-sign him. Instead, they signed Jay Feely.
by theaxeeffect4311 on Apr 5, 2010 9:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Pancakes reported it was a salary dispute that led to the Feely signing.
Rackers wanted $2 mil/year and the Cards balked. Our good fortune I think.
It took the Astros 44 years to get to the Series, the Oilers-Texans are due to get to the big dance...Go Texans!!!!!
by oiler-texan diehard on Apr 7, 2010 9:34 PM CDT up reply actions
This is a good move by SMITHIAK
I am now dubbing Smithiak, as “The All Powerful All Knowing, WIZARD OF OZ!”
I like Rackers, I am actually surprised the red birds let him go… Oh well anything to help or rid us of Shankopotamus!
Right
We are going to shorten it to “The Wiz of Oz”, since that will be much easier than both the long version or “Smithiak”.
As soon as you hit POST, you knew a reply like this was coming, amirite?
If the Treasury Secretary doesn't have to pay taxes, then why do I?
I saw it coming shake
I just felt that Smithiak doesn’t show the complete mind power of the two headed monster.
oh guys,
go over there and thank the Cardinals for Rackers.
http://www.revengeofthebirds.com/2010/4/4/1404848/neil-rackers-to-visit-the-new-york#comments
Their latest post was that Rackers was going to visit the Jets
Smart move by Smithiak
finding a replacement clutch & attempting to repair the broken clutch at the kicker position
I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but you appear to be unarmed.
This should knock K off the needs list to leave...
- CB. Must get a starter. Whether that’s K. Wilson, McCourty, B. Ghee, or someone else…gotta get a guy.
- DT. Everyone wants their big beefy. Preferably D. Williams, but Troup, Joseph, and Ross are options.
- FS. Starter not important, but having someone ready to go for the inevitable Wilson injury is. Burnett, Major Wright, and Myron Lewis are options.
- OG/C. Still would be nice to get at least 1 more quality interior lineman. Mike Johnson, Newhouse, Carter, Petrus are options as are Iupati and Pouncey.
- RB. Would be nice to add someone like Hardesty or Tate. A lot of mocks are actually beginning to put Tate and Houston together.
"Lord, beer me strength."
im shocked
Daniel Jeremiah have us going Kareem Jackson, even with Kyle Wilson available.
http://www.movethesticks.com/?p=1422
Die hard Texan fan from the heart of Denmark!
Yeah I'd love to pick his brain on Jackson
And believe me, I’ve tried to get an interview with him.
- Rivers McCown, From Mom's Basement | Twitter
At 20 (in the 1st round in general), Jackson's a reach.
He’s pretty good in coverage but I don’t like him as much as Javier Arenas (3rd to 4th round prospect) because Jackson’s kind of a pansy on the field (read: he’s not physical with the WR when he gets off the line, struggles to get off of blocks, poor tackler….)
"Lord, beer me strength."
I look at this picture and I think to myself
How on earth can he kick the ball with his pants falling off of his ass like that?
I'll eliminate you like I eliminate gluten from my diet.
/walks from porch to lawn to yell at cars driving by
If the Treasury Secretary doesn't have to pay taxes, then why do I?
Seriously
Put me in the practice facility and let me practice kicking the damn ball. For $350k guar. I could make about 80-95% of my kicks…I mean, I played soccer as a kid, that’s close enough, right?
::mumblemumblestupidjobhuntnotworkingstupidlowpayingunemploymentmumblemumble::
/bitter
by Autra on Apr 6, 2010 7:13 AM CDT reply actions 3 recs
Rackers
I remember when the NFL game in Mexico City with the Cards and 49ers was happening i nearly shat my drawers when Rackers kicked the ball on the kickoff clean out of the field and if i recall it hit the retainer wall.
Winning season... Check. Higher expectation bar... big Check.
Scottish descent maybe?
I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but you appear to be unarmed.
by The Night Owl on Apr 6, 2010 9:48 AM CDT up reply actions
yeah I was thinking it's probably a trial balloon
for the football kilt
roomy
comfortable
dunno how they got him to test it for them.
by BattleRedFan on Apr 6, 2010 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions
Good signing.
Only good can come out from this right?
The competition might push Brown into improving his game and reverting back to his old ways.
And if not, we have an accurate kicker (well, more accurate than Brown recently) ready to go.
Good job by Smithiak. I still think we should sign an undrafted kicker and let the three of them battle it out in the pre-season.
Wow.
60 responses for a thread about our second kicker.
It’s a long, long offseason.
I'll eliminate you like I eliminate gluten from my diet.
by tehGrindCrusher on Apr 6, 2010 9:04 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Actually..
For all the trouble we had last year with KB this is exciting news. At least to me. At least we’re not taking on an undrafted rookie.
Also Rick Smith is a genius with these contracts. He’s doing a great job of manipulating the money to the situation. Sure is nice to have a competent GM.
I hope this doesn't kill our chances at eventually drafting Alex Henery
I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but you appear to be unarmed.
by The Night Owl on Apr 6, 2010 9:49 AM CDT up reply actions
Both these guys are "Old" so it's not like we gotta keep them.
however the way our FO clings to the piece of shit named Matt Turk continues to shock me. I promise if we had someone like Scifers from the Chargers we’d be in a far more comfortable world. Turk sucks almost as much as Travis Johnson
Winning season... Check. Higher expectation bar... big Check.
by BattleRedHusker on Apr 7, 2010 6:59 AM CDT up reply actions
are you talking about
This Matt Turk? Because I don’t see what you mean about him sucking at all. What makes you say that he sucks?
The only thing I see Turk sucking at is the oxygen tank after every punt
otherwise he’s been the highlight of the special teams
I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but you appear to be unarmed.
by The Night Owl on Apr 7, 2010 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions
I have to agree with both ^^
Turk is a damn good punter, the only thing going against him is that the man is 40+ but for a punter/kicker age isn’t as much of an issue as say an RB/WR
I just can't get the image...
…of Turk chasing that high snap into the end zone a season or two back and then running around the ball like he didn’t know what it was… KICK THE DAMN THING OUT OF THE END ZONE!!!! DO IT!!!! DO SOMETHING!!!! YOU KICK LITTLE BALLS FOR A LIVING!!! KICK IT!!!! AAAAAAAHHHH! Nope… touchdown. It’s just a nightmare.
well I remember
Turk getting us a couple first downs last season and having the best ypc of all our running backs.
Be judgmental about the actions of the past, be hopeful about the actions of the future. -The Homers Creed
Fumbles = 0
Our best RB by a WIDE margin.
Bacon tastes good... Pork chops taste good.
by beefy on Apr 9, 2010 11:03 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Okay...
…there is that. Now that you mention it, there was one of those runs where it wasn’t planned and I thought it was pretty funny to see his face as he came off the field… Kind of a mix of amused exhaustion…
You speak the truth.
At least the draft is less than a month away..
I just hope we're not screaming at the TV screens for the same reason as last year
except at a different kicker =/
I saw this on the top right corner of the link to
http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1767/Neil_Rackers
Scouting Report
Assets
* Intense and competitive. Has fantastic leg strength and can hit the long ones with distance to spare. Will get in a zone for weeks and be almost perfect. Does kickoffs too.
Flaws
* Streaky, both in-season and year-to-year; will even miss the occasional free point when he’s out of his rhythm.
/cry
streaky . . .
if he were 100% solid they’d have resigned him in a heartbeat I bet =/ .
at least Kris Brown has history of being consistent. Just that last year he was consistently missing the clutch kicks. Hopefully, he’ll get over this hump and get back to the kicking job he used to do so well.
ok nm I just looked up
http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/2707/Kris_Brown
Scouting Report
Assets
* A good and flexible athlete. Has solid technique and decent power. Can have some hot streaks at times. Almost an automatic inside 30 yards.
Flaws
* Very inconsistent. Has some execution lapses. Tends to precipitate his motion and push away most of his misses. Has some serious confidence issues.
Career Potential
* Overrated journeyman kicker.
* Awards
I don’t know =) I only started paying attention in the 2009 season.
I really thought Kris Brown was more consistent than the SB Nation Scout report says but maybe someone else paid better attention.
That sounds a little negative...
…for a guy that was MONEY for several years for us. Granted, on any given kick, no one in the stadium (except those directly behind the uprights) could be ruled out to catch the ball last year, but still…
yeah I can't tell . . .
If the SB nation scout report is by one person or a group. Oh and the bold was my emphasis.
I just thought Kris Brown had been pretty solid for us before last year.
by BattleRedFan on Apr 6, 2010 11:50 AM CDT up reply actions
I would disagree on MONEY...
11 years for KB as a NFLer and 6 years he had seasons with a FG accuracy of under 78%. Never once has he had a better accuracy than 88%. For his career, he only has a 77% accuracy.
"Lord, beer me strength."
Interesting how perceptions differ...
…and apparently statistics. The only misses that he’s had that stand out in my mind are:
1) The AWFUL shank against the 49ers in the ironically named “Reggie Bush Bowl” to lose the game. In that case I was actually pulling for the miss…
2) Most of this last season… It was just PAINFUL.
I’ll grant you that perhaps my choice of “MONEY” may have been somewhat generous, however, I still never really worried about a field goal when we needed it until this season.
Even if “MONEY” is too much, I think that “OVER-RATED JOURNEYMAN” is just about as far in the other direction; and even MORE inaccurate; I’m just sayin’… beledat
Oh I beledat
Brown never caught flack for his average numbers because he usually didn’t blow any games.
In 2009, that changed because he cost us games. If he makes those then no one worries about another season in the 70s.
"Lord, beer me strength."
We probably don't have this conversation if he goes 3 for 3 on November 23rd
We win that game, go to the playoffs, and no one cares about his 72% accuracy.
Competition will be good for him. He perhaps got too comfortable.
"Lord, beer me strength."
OMG ! you HAD to remind me. . .
There it was Monday night Football. It was my birthday, AND Monday night football. My home team is SUPPOSED to win and we lose to Tennessee? On my birthday?
I was very disappointed. The Texans were supposed to win on my birthday ;-). They didn’t get the memo. And then the next weekend we got stomped by the Colts . .gah!
Of course I think I remember Andre Johnson pointing out after one of those close losses that we shouldn’t have been in a position to NEED a field goal to win or tie the game. Sooo yeah touche there.
hopefully this competition at K
isn’t settled in OTAs, training camp, or preseason but with a grueling sword fight to the death between rackers and brown. Last man standing has my endorsement to kick for us.
In all seriousness though, has anyone seen Kris Brown lately? are we sure he hasn’t been ravaged by man-eating coyotes?..nvm that was a dream I had.
jacoby's response on twitter when he heard of the new signing....
“whut it do fat boy”
Michael Scott: Toby is in HR, which technically means he works for corporate, so he's really not a part of our family. Also, he's divorced, so he's really not a part of his family.
http://www.twitter.com/doobieman21
Question for FA
OK, first off, kudos to Rackers for the gangsta shorts while still making a nice long field goal. That had to play into the signing somehow.
My worries are that
1. Neil had to wait until April to sign with a team? He’s a pretty well-known name in his position, is it common for a special teams guy to wait that long to sign with a team?
2. Only $350K guaranteed out of that $4 million contract? Is that just Smith giving himself insurance in case Brown shines and he bombs, or is there something else here at work? There had to be a reason AZ didn’t want him, and only guaranteeing him less than 10% of his contract doesn’t show much good faith on Smithiak’s part in my opinion. Could something else be worrying Rick and Gary we don’t know about, at least yet?
If that’s the case, I guess this is still an intelligent move to not put a lot of money in front of him w/o earning it, but someone w/ his accuracy shouldn’t, in theory, be protected against so feverishly. Just doesn’t seem like this adds up, at least to me.
Welcome, J-Copp
Look forward to reading more from you. My thoughts:
1. Might’ve just been what the market bore; I wouldn’t read too much into it. If Arizona decided to make him an UFA, he couldn’t have signed anywhere before March 1st, and as we saw, teams were much more focused on locking up their own guys or signing the “impact” free agents.
2. I think you nailed it when you mentioned Smithiak giving himself insurance in the event Brown shines and Rackers bombs in camp. No way the Texans carry two kickers, so it would’ve been insane to guarantee Rackers a fat payday regardless of whether he made the roster. He makes the team, and then he gets paid his $2 mil for 2010.
Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...
by Tim on Apr 8, 2010 8:50 AM CDT up reply actions
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