What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

I know what he did the Superbowl year, and that was awesome. But I find myself holding my breath on all field goals including "chip shots". Did he over achieve in '09? Is he damaged goods?
He is %70 with a long of 53 and his % has deteriorated every year he has been in the league. That can't be good for a dome team's kicker. there has to be a better option

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

That 53 yarder he made this season is his career long, so I don't think he is "damaged goods" like you were postulating.

SP will be back next season and he'll figure out what to do with Hartley, and there really is no reason for anyone to do anything about it until then.

Also, I wouldn't say that he overachieved in '09 when '08 was a far better year for him statistically - he made 13 out of 13 attempts that year. And in '10 he made 20 out of 25 attempts which is also very good in my book.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

adios...we can find something else i'm sure.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

Cut him

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Think the Saints still have Kasay's #?

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

He never was very accurate. One thing he has done however is make some critical kicks. That's why he's still around. As of late however he has been more shaky than a French soldier. That extra point that rattled in is unacceptable. I'm done with him.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

Has he cost the Saints any games?

The Saints have a helluva lot bigger problems than the kicker!

1. A defense that is hemmoraghing points and yards
1a. We are without our head coach

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

Cutting him sounds good to me

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

Not really worried about the Kicker. We have a few other things to worry about

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If it had been another team other than the Eagles - that kick would have costed us...

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Gone. I'm tired of hearing about him, tired of his performance. Every time he is called upon I fell like I am at the dentist office getting teeth pulled.
I know he is the one to give us the chance for the ring, and he had a great Super bowl game. But this is the NFL "what has he done for me lately" "Not for Long" Blah blah blah, and that was seasons ago, so cut his ass.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

Fartly?

Ask AlaskaSaint......

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

Nothing. Hartley is fine. Kickers will miss some kicks, some of them in crucial situations and some in not. QBs will ovetrhrow som passes and trow boneheaded picks, LBs will miss tackles and RBs will fumble the ball. Things like that happen in sports.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

yes, but you want to minimize those screw ups, correct? if the answer is yes, hartley is not the best choice.

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I don't have any current issues with Hartley. He missed a long field goal in the Eagles game, so what. Dude will be alright and is a long term solution to the Saints kicking game.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

Think we may need to find another option. This guy somewhere along the way has lost it. Kickers in the NFL have to be consistent and he is too shakey. Not sure if it is a confidence thing or technique. Either way you cannot afford to wait on him. It will cost games that are tight. Bring back Kassay and cut him. Find a replacement in the draft for next year. Wonder why Moorestead can have a shot.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

He's missed 3 kicks all year and 2 of the 3 are from 50+. Falcons kicker missed 2 kicks last week from under 45 and you don't hear them wanting to get rid of their kicker. I don't know what you guys want in a kicker, no kicker is perfect!

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

all other players practice so much other stuff

RB - vision, ball security, hitting the holes, catching passes etc

kickers - kick all day in practice, nothing else to practice, just kicking all day

the amount of kicks he misses is getting out of hand

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

Hartley is an issue and a huge liability for the following reasons:

1. We are in a year where games are lost/won by very close margins.
2. We are a dome team Hartley is a low % kicker on turf, and a low % kicker in doors. I have a thread around here with the stats to prove it.

Kickers being compared to QBs is apples to oranges. Kickers kick with only one purpose, to SCORE.

Saints /Falcons is always a close game... I cringe when I think that two of our most important games this season will probably be on Hartleys leg... indoors... on turf.

The reality is that Hartley is only good when he is on banned substances...

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

everytime he goes to kick, i suddenly have to go to the bathroom.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

Yeah the 53 was beyond his consistently makeable range. Beyond 45 I don't think he's an effective option. I'd rather gamble on 4th than try a long kick. Other than that, I agree, kicker is the least of our issues.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

SP seems to have a soft spot for him - or maybe he as well has some incriminating pictures - so I'd just wait until the offseason and let SP make the call on Hartley's future with the Saints.

In any case, I seriously doubt he will affect the way this season ends for the Saints - good or bad.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

Kickers run hot and cold, remember Suisam? The redskins cut him after missing the FG against us in '09 and now hes doing well, with the Steelers I think. Like it or not, I think Hartley is here for the rest of the season, then they will evaluate his performance and see if we keep him or not.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

There's little doubt that he's a head case but Payton seems to get his best from him. We still have the rest of the season to make sure if he's our guy or not. You can bet Sean Payton is taking notes about the kicking that he will address when he comes back.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

:YAWN:

Alaska in NOLA

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

We ALL KNOW if we cut him he will come back every year and beat us. Just like Morten Andersen did. Drafting a kicker is not a sure thing take the Saints last drafted place kicker for instance. He was so good I can't remember his name oh yeah Taylor Mehlhaff.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

BURN HIM !!!


http://weblogs.asp.net/blogs/bsimser...h_3E658725.jpg

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

He is horrible. Makes me nervous before every kick including XP.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

Isn't Exerblen's son a college kicker....could be some serious competition :P

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

This game will most likely be won or loss with hartley.imo we are getting better in the red zone on defense. Meaning they will get there share of points.hartley must follow suit.

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Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

How many "Elite" Kickers are there? if he only missed 2 kicks and that put him at 80% someone would still want him cut. Go ahead and draft another kicker and watch the growing pains.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

I'm chipping in for a one way ticket out of town for this guy...

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

I would not cut him, he has proven he can kick in the league, I would bring in some competition in training camp (not a draft pick) to keep him honest. I don't think he is a bad kicker, he just misses once in a while at a bone-headed range.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

Like the critical kick vs. the Buccaneers in 2009 in week 16? Or that kick vs. the Falcons (can't remember the year)? Or against the horrid Chiefs this year?

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

As a matter of fact, he cost the Saints the division AND home field advantage in '10 when he missed a 20 yard attempt in overtime against the Falcons. He lost us the game against Tampa Bay near the end of the '09 season with a miss of under 40 yards in the final seconds. Earlier this year, he was a major contributor to a loss when he missed a field goal in the 4th quarter against the Packers, in an eventual 1 point loss. That's not to mention all the numerous other misses and a couple missed extra points. You don't have to directly cause a loss to be considered a bad kicker. He has missed a ton of kicks.

He's not an NFL kicker. His percentage might be deemed acceptable at the collegiate level, but you're supposed to be the best of the best in the NFL. Hartley certainly is not. And as for our other problems... What does that have to do with our kicker? It's already been mentioned that we have a weak pass rush and no secondary.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

He's gotta go.

I don't trust him at all and wish they would have went for the TD in OT instead of the FG.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

I've watched virtually every one of his kicks over the years, and my new opinion is that, when they hurry him, when they snap the ball without giving him that extra 2-3 seconds to compose himself, when Hartley is rushed -- THAT'S when he misses or has the kicks that go wobbly and wonky, end over end.

That one that he missed yesterday, I turned away for a moment to grab something to eat or take a sip of my drink, and when my eyes came back to the screen, the ball was already snapped...they rushed the unit out there to snap it...when you give Hartley a time out or a penalty or give him the full 40 seconds, a long snap count, he usually nails it. Some of this is on the coaches, probably Payton and McMahon, who are always kinda impatient and OCD.

He is an emo kid, head case kicker, nut job, absolutely, with attention deficit disorder, it's been proven....and when you don't give him a lot of time to be still, to settle into it and compose himself, I've become convinced that's when his performance suffers. He has problems to be sure, but his numbers are too good to declare him a complete bum... Just my take on it.

Re: What are we going to do about Hartley?
 

What exactly was wrong with Kasay?!?