any kickers signed yet? i know art carmody's there

[broncos1997]

i was just wondering if we signed any kickers or punters or are in the middle of signing one. i thought we would draft caromdy, but maybe now that hes a FA we can sign him.

[Accordngs]

Yes.

Broncos K Garrett Hartley (Oklahoma)

Broncos P Brett Kern (Toledo)

http://fflivewire.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=128822

[broncos1997]

sweet any idea how good these guys are? and do you know where i can get more up to date info? broncos.com isn't helping much....

[Accordngs]

sweet any idea how good these guys are? and do you know where i can get more up to date info? broncos.com isn't helping much....

Some people have said good things here. I don't know much personally...here is all I got from Insider..

Garrett Hartley

PK | (5'8", 201, 5.0) | OKLAHOMA
Scouts Grade: 30

Strengths: While missed two field goal attempts inside 40 yards, they were his only two misses last year and is generally accurate. Flashes the ability to get good distance on kickoffs and has enough power to connect on the occasional long-range field goal attempt.

Weaknesses: Doesn't get great hang time and can the kick the ball out of bounds when kicking off. Line drives the ball on some field goal attempts and is vulnerable to getting blocked. Inexplicably missed five point-after-attempts last year and needs to be more consistent in that area.

Overall: Hartley arrived at Oklahoma in 2004 and took over as the Sooners' primary placekicker late in the year, appearing in three games and converting all 12 of his extra point attempts and his only field goal try (29 yards). In 2005, he played in 12 games and went 14-for-22 on field goal attempts (with a long of 52) and 37-for-38 on extra points. He appeared in 14 games in 2006, hitting 19 of 20 field goals (with a long of 46) and 49 of 50 extra points. As a senior in 2007, he connected on 13 of 15 field goals (with a long of 53) and 71 of 76 extra points. For his career, Hartley also averaged 62.9 yards on 260 kickoffs (with 94 touchbacks). Hartley doesn't have upper tier leg strength and missing five PATs last year is certainly going to raise some red flags but he has the combination of power and accuracy to develop into an NFL player.


Brett Kern

PT | (6'2", 200, 4.9) | TOLEDO
Scouts Grade: 39

Flags: (D: DURABILITY) Player that can't stay healthy

Strengths: Displays solid leg strength, adequate distance on punts and flashes the ability to get elite hang time with punts. Shows adequate accuracy and can place the ball inside the opponent's 20-yardline. Fields snaps well and gets rid of the ball quickly. Completed one of the two passes he threw in 2005, completed his only two passes last year and can throw the ball downfield. Has good athletic ability and is an adequate open field runner.

Weaknesses: Inconsistent mechanics, rushes to get the ball off at times and he doesn't always take advantage of chances to pin opponent's deep. While can handle the holding duties has not shown the ability to kickoff and lacks ideal versatility. Missed two games with an injury in 2004 and durability is a minor concern.

Overall: Kern arrived at Toledo in 2004 and took over punting duties as a freshman. In his first three seasons ('04-'06), he averaged 40.8 yards on 137 punts (with a long of 69 yards), placed 42 punts inside the opponent's 20 and was credited with 14 fair catches. As a senior in 2007, he was a third team All-America Selection and one of three finalists for the Ray Guy Award. He averaged 46.1 yards on 52 punts (with a long of 66), placed 17 punts inside the 20 and had 11 fair catches last season. During his Rockets career, Kern also ran for 45 yards on four attempts, completed five of six pass attempts (for 114 yards) and served as the holder on placekicks. He missed two games in '04 because of an injury. Kern is a streaky kicker who needs to work on his overall technique but he he's accurate and strong enough to develop into an effective NFL punter.

[haciendadad]

Let me add this:

Analysis

Positives: Before 2007, he was a model of consistency in all phases of his kicking game - field goals, placements and kickoffs...Has just adequate leg extension and flexibility, but drives the ball with good explosion...Needs to improve the rise of his placements and the hang time on his kickoffs, but is very accurate from either hash on intermediate field-goal tries...Has enough strength in his legs to power through the longer field-goal attempts (just not asked to do it often)...Gets enough lift on his field goals to reduce the blocks he had earlier in his career...Even with his slower kick times in 2007, he did a good job of adjusting to pressure...Gets the ball up with good lift (erratic in 2007) and is very accurate on three-point tries inside the 40-yard line...Has enough leg strength to drive his kicks through the wind...Cool under pressure and is good at blocking out field distractions... Has the functional strength to assist the coverage team as a tackler.

Negatives: Known for his consistency and accuracy, Hartley seemed to be rushing his placement kicks often in 2007, resulting in his five misses...Has good leg strength, but seemed to lack explosion behind his kickoff attempts as a senior (averaged a career-best 66.8-yard distance average, but after having just 55.1 percent of his kickoffs returned during his first three seasons, 72.1 percent of his kickoffs were returned in 2007)...Functional tackler as the last line of defense in kick coverage, but needs to do a better job of wrapping, rather than colliding with the returner (seven returners were able to gain at least another 10 yards after bouncing off his tackle attempts the last two years)...His kickoffs seemed to lose their height as a senior (his placements were also lower than his standard) and this greatly reduced his hang time (averaged 4.34 second per kickoff the first three years, but only 3.89 seconds as a senior)...Has run afoul with the coaching staff for his off-field partying and needs to show better judgment and maturity in the locker room (has been in the coach's doghouse)...The pop and drive he displayed in his kicking approach was too inconsistent as a senior and his snap-to-toe timing is just adequate (1.34-second average in 2007, compared to 1.28 in 2006).

Compares To: PHIL DAWSON-Cleveland...A model of consistency during his first three years, Hartley had a few chinks in his armor as a senior, as he uncharacteristically hit more than several kicks off the side of his foot, especially on placements, where he missed five as a senior. He got very good distance on his kickoffs, but more than a few were low, line drive types, leading to more than 70 percent of them being returned. It just seemed like he was distracted all season. He does have the leg to kick in the pro ranks, but must show that he is serious about his craft.

[broncos1997]

interesting, based on this i really like the punter, but i'm not sold with hartley. 5 xp misses is kind of shaky, i still wish we would have gotten caromody. i'm not so worried about the kickoffs since we still have that one guy, whats his name.... something that starts with a P like paracleter or something but he boomed like three fourths of the kicks into the endzone.