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Sepulveda Expendable

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by traceman, Dec 5, 2011.

  1. Blast Furnace

    Blast Furnace Staff Member Mod Team

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    :this!: Too bad for the injuries, would have liked to have kept this guy around. Guess we will find out if the Steelers will or not, I don't see how they can though.
     
  2. HugeSnack

    HugeSnack Well-Known Member

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    Many people have said that, because I think Kapinos' average was like 61 or something in the preseason. But if I'm remembering correctly, he only had something like two punts, and they were both from our side of the field. Sep had like 4 or 5 punts, mostly closer to the other team's goal line. It was way too small a sample. If you go back to last year or beyond, Sep has a better average and consistency, and an as strong or stronger leg. The coaches did the right thing by looking beyond the extremely limited sample given in the preseason. For the record, I've pretty much supported the way the team's handled the punting situation since drafting Sep. I like Kapinos.
     
  3. HawkeyeJames

    HawkeyeJames Well-Known Member

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    I like Kapinos and would like to see someone drafted or signed as a free agent to compete with Suisham in the off-season...
     
  4. GB_Steel

    GB_Steel Well-Known Member

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    I like Sep, but never supported how we acquired him. If we save anything I say keep Kapinos and bring in a FA after the draft for competition.
     
  5. mac daddyo

    mac daddyo Well-Known Member

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    i think we got what we deserved. kap came in last year and had numbers right there with sep. he punted every bit as well in preseason and we dumped him like a bag of dung. we should be very happy he was still out there for us and we better hang on to what we have with him. he didn't cost us 2 draft picks either. i never did see all the worth of sep and 2 draft picks over his years or half years here. not that he was a bad punter , just nothing that special. :shrug: :cool:
     
  6. ThrowToHeath

    ThrowToHeath Well-Known Member

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    Punting is a vital component to Special Teams. Being able to control field position is key, and a good punter is the key to that.

    Keeping Sepulveda because he can tackle and throw is absurd. He is too injury prone and his kicks aren't as great as many of us think they are.

    When Mitch Berger was signed to replace Sepulveda during his first IR season, Berger's punts averaged more than Sepulveda's during the regular season.

    Kapinos is awesome, and I am not sure why other teams didn't pick up on the fact that he is a very good punter before we were able to get him when Sepulveda went down again.

    It is time we move on from Sepulveda and keep Kapions.

    P.S. If you are into luck, then consider the fact that we have been to the Super Bowl 2 out of the 3 times Sepulveda has been placed on IR. He has never punted during a Super Bowl for us.
     
  7. HugeSnack

    HugeSnack Well-Known Member

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    You are mistaken. Berger was not good, inconsistent, and had no power. Sepulveda has never had a year where he averaged as little as Berger did, in either gross or net yardage. I do believe you are the first person I've seen that prefers Berger to Sepulveda.

    I don't believe anyone seriously wanted to keep him for his throwing or tackling. He's an athlete, and that comes in handy and is an excellent bonus, but of course punting should be at least 97% of what's considered when choosing a punter (I gotta give him something for his tackling -- he saved multiple touchdowns that no other punter could have during his time here; he gives us 11 coverage players instead of 10 and a quarter, and that's major for a team with historically terrible punt coverage). People do look at his punting when comparing him to Kapinos and others, and Sepulveda comes out on top.

    http://www.nfl.com/player/danielsepulve ... areerstats

    http://www.nfl.com/player/jeremykapinos ... areerstats

    Sep's net average is 3 yards longer than Kapinos', he consistently displays more power (Kapinos has zero 60 yarders in his career), and he averages 3.7 yards per return, compared to Kapinos' 5.6. In case you're looking for a more apples to apples comparison when it comes to punt coverage teams since Kap spent some time on other teams, take this year's stats: Sep's punts yielded 1.5 ypr, Kap's 7.0 ypr. That's with the same coverage team, and neither of them faced Josh Cribbs. Other factors there at work, granted, but Sep's punts gave us acceptable, superior distance (generally top 5ish in NFL for net) while taking the risk level down to near zero. As a longtime Steeler fan and punt return fearer, I appreciate that a lot.

    He's got a bad knee, and it's probably going to cost him his career. But I think we should at least recognize him for the player he was instead of whining over what a bad draft pick he was or how we shoulda kept Kapinos to start the year (as if it cost us anything). And I'm not accusing you of that, ThrowToHeath. It's a good player with an unfortunate career, and I wholly believe that at his talent level, no one* would have questioned the draft move had his knee held up, because he'd be a rock on our special teams for another 8-10 years. You can't see this kind of thing coming, even from someone with a college injury. And really, how many punters have to bow out early from injury? Bad luck, let's accept it and move on.

    *besides deljzc
     
  8. Myronwemissyinz

    Myronwemissyinz

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    LOL!!
     
  9. Bleedsteel

    Bleedsteel

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    Wow... I guess deljcik never made it to this board!
    Haven`t heard his " I todjya so`s"!!
    I thought Sepulveda was a good use of a draft pick..
    Unfortunately, he hasn`t been able to stay healthy.
    Even though this latest injury isn`t to the same knee that has been repaired before,
    I gotta say it is time to cut ties with him.
    MAYBE bring him back if he will play for a reduced rate, but otherwise...
    We can`t afford to pay for a kicker that can`t kick, no matter how good he does, when healthy...
    Damn shame, cause I really did like him, and think he is a great punter, when healthy.. but...
     
  10. TerribleTowelFlying

    TerribleTowelFlying Staff Member Site Admin Mod Team

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    He made it... memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=579
    I'm sure he'll stop back in at some point with a told you so or two. :thumbs_up:
     
  11. GB_Steel

    GB_Steel Well-Known Member

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    I'm with Deljzc 100% on the Sepulveda issue. Never should've spent a pick on a punter, let alone two. He's presented concrete statistical evidence about why punters have little to no impact on the win/loss record of teams.

    The trick is having a punter of enough quality that he doesn't consistently shank the ball and/or get blocked, yet not so good that he takes cap space away from the other 52 players. Don't need to spend two draft picks to achieve that.
     
  12. HugeSnack

    HugeSnack Well-Known Member

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    Well, he never argued that we shouldn't have picked him because of his knee, just that we shouldn't have picked him because he's a punter. He went on to say that even if he'd been a 7th rounder and had a long and successful career, he would still be without a doubt the single worst draft pick in Steeler history. Yes, worse than a 1st rounder that never played a single game. And even if he never played because he had no talent and no work ethic, instead of a good reason like injury. He had some pretty twisted logic that I thought was a bit removed from reality.

    I'm of the opinion that drafting a punter is okay as long as you only do it once every 12 years or so, and it works out. Obviously this did not work out for long enough, but I don't blame the FO for not predicting his knee problems. You just can't predict that. I think it would have been a good pick and proven worth it in time if he'd stayed healthy.
     
  13. mdbates2

    mdbates2 Well-Known Member

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    I like both players. I think, stats aside, either one makes the team better. However, since we can only keep one of them, I would lean toward Kapinos. This doesn't mean that the Steelers shouldn't bring them BOTH into training camp again. Having both on the roster at this point is a good problem to have. Let them duke it out in August and see how they end up. If they come out substantially equal, though, I would go with Kapinos simply because his legs seem to be healthier.
     

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