McCrane

Got to our seats 2 hours before kick off against the Bengals and McCrane was the first player on the field kicking extra points. He was kicking towards the North Endzone and we were all the way up top dead center. He was dead center as well on every kick. I saw him miss only one and that was at the open endzone wide right from about 52 yards. He was nailing everything. Probably went about 24 of 25 with the long snapper and holder. Noticed he got a long workout in prior to the game.

During the game he hit all 3 of his field goals and the XP. The 47 yarder wasn't pretty but dinged off the upright and in.

Just thought I'd share the pregame practice kicks for FG's and XP's although his during the game his kickoffs weren't impressive at all. He did not practice one kick off before the game which seemed odd to me. A little bit of work on that and I think he'll be legit.

Might be a silver lining in this post season mess.

 

Boz will be our Kicker next year.

 

Nice write up, thanks.

Why in the hell are you in your seat 2 hours before the game?

 

Gates opened at 2. My son and I were about the first people in the stadium and we went through the great hall and he said he wanted to go check out our seats. It was my 11 year old's first game and it was a blast.

 

I say just draft hot rod out of Georgia in the 5th

 

This kid didn't miss a kick all season and has distance to boot. A few years away but keep an eye out for him.

http://www.fox19.com/2018/10/13/mee...who-just-might-be-best-high-school-kicker-us/

 

It would be nice if we knew what Boz was actually diagnosed with. Was it mental breakdowns or mechanical due to an undisclosed injury?

Anyways bring in the competition at training camp and let the best kicker win the job. Boz would probably be a huge cap hit but so is losing games by shanking XP's and FG's. Tomlin on a short leash next season shouldn't take that gamble.

 

Cris Boswell had a Grade 2 Groin Injury according to his brother. Stephen Boswell claimed nobody wanted to report it. Keyword here is "wanted". Here is my question now.



How long was this been going on? If it is a Grade Two injury , there is a very good chance he played with a Grade One for much of the season. Grade One's do have an effect on kicking even though one can soldier on with the pain. Continue to enact on said injury and a Grade Two is likely to occur.



That all being said, nice to see Matt McCrane get another shot. He did very well given his circumstances no less. I would invite him next to Training Camp to keep the pressure on Chris. May the best man win.

 

I think it's more BS from the BS Master.

That being said, I think it's Boz's job to lose in training camp.

 

Boz came down with the Tomlin Syndrome which prevents players from using their talent during games. Reoccurring in weekly cycles. Sometimes it skips a week and then comes back with a vengeance. No cure at the moment.

 

It didn't seem like his accuracy was an issue, but I didn't like his short kickoffs either. We got a little spoiled with Boswell sending his kickoff into the endzone. I didn't think McCrane got any kickoffs into the endzone.

 

Training the boys up to be kickers.

They have the best longevity and less hits to the head.

 

Not a single one. I was watching him like a hawk. At the end of the game I kept wondering why they didn't practice it.

 

McCranes kickoffs were extremely short as I recall

 

I am not a medical doctor, although I do stay at the Holiday inn Express,
If he was so badly injured why didn't the Steelers put him on IR earlier?
Oh he had an injury all right in his head.

 

The kicker from oklahoma is quite good too.

 

The injury thing reminds me of Cortez Allen a little bit.

 

Not sure how much practice can help distance kicking, which has more to do with leg strength, he may get a little better with good technique but Im not sure he could still get it into the endzone without more leg strength. He was pretty short of the goal lines at times like 15 Yards short.

 

His kickoffs were short and I don't think I'd use him to kick more than a 45 yard FG in a game. Yeah, he made a 47 yard but even without hitting the upright it only goes over the crossbar by a yard. Hitting 50 yarders in warmups when you can kick at a lower trajectory with more power means nothing.

I watched Tony Franklin hit FGs in warmup from mid field, 60+ yards but during a game the fans would be holding their breath on FGs 45. His career was like 67% but he was good with most kicks under 45, once you went to that 45 yard distance he was terribly inaccurate. McCrane looks like he could be the same way, good accuracy with a small leg so you have short kick offs nd accuracy will fall off when he has to try to get a lot of distance on FG.

 

Matt Bahr 2.0?

 

Just saw your comment and thank you for such detail. I just wish he would have been given more chance to compete before getting cut.
I’m biased but wanted to share a few facts..... not that it matters for Steelers now, but wish them well.


McCrane’s career stats
#7 ALL time NCAA career % accuracy. Broke many of Gramatica’s records, College Freshman All American. NEVER missed an extra point in college or NFL (1 blocked freshman year). 5 NFL games played, 2 game balls. Perfect for two NFL teams, Missed 4 FG’s ( 2 off dirt in Oakland(1 moving when kicked) and a 57 yd against the wind before half as hitting 60 yarders pregame the other direction.
One game for Steelers, kicked once in 3 weeks prior and lost 10 pounds as thought season over. Practiced 1 1/2 hours on Friday and in game went 100% but YES, not that pretty and kickoffs short due to limited practice. Kicked for 5 1/2 years and thought season over after getting cut by Cardinals for the 3rd time, even though 100% all kicks preseason and 1 in season. Lesson learned but wanted to point out the facts to his rookie year. Thank you for your post back in Jamuary.

 

I see you are a new member. Welcome. Thanks for the stats. It makes me wonder why he was let go without getting a chance at camp competition especially after Boswell's melt down of a season last year. Probably just MT going off his old "gut feeling" again.