With Chargers training camp underway, and the season just right around the corner, Chris Ello takes an inside look at how the Bolts stack up position-by-position heading into 2009.
Today: Special Teams (last of the series)
Kicker
Nate Kaeding, 6th yr., Iowa: Anybody got a problem with Nate Kaeding coming back for another season as the Chargers’ place-kicker? Wouldn’t think so.
Kaeding has connected on 86.1-percent of his field goal attempts through five seasons — making a total of 118 kicks in all. Of the 254 extra points he has tried, he has converted 253. Furthermore, from inside 40 yards he’s about as automatic as any kicker could be, converting 82 of 86 (95.3 percent).
Nevertheless, there were some red flags during the ‘08 season, when Kaeding made only 4-of-9 tries from 40 yards or further. The only miss that proved costly was in the 11-10 regular-season loss at Pittsburgh, and that was attempted in horrible weather conditions. Still, Kaeding needs to bounce back in ‘09.
If he continues to misfire from distance, the Bolts will lose a weapon that nearly every team in the NFL now has: the ability to call the 35-yard line field goal range. Too often last season, with little trust in their kicker, the Chargers were forced to punt (or go for it on 4th-and-long) for fear of turning the ball over in good field position.
Prior to last year, Kaeding had been 32-for-42 from beyond the 40 (76.2 percent). He needs to return to that kind of form.
Punter
Mike Scifres, 7th yr., Western Illinois: For punting aficionados, the Chargers’ Wild Card game against the Indianapolis Colts was a night to remember. (Count me among those aficionados). Never before had an NFL postseason game been decided so decisively by a punter.
Averaging a remarkable 52.7 yards per punt, Scifres’ net average of 51.7 was an all-time NFL playoff record. Furthermore, he landed all six of his punts inside the Indianapolis 20-yard line (another playoff record), and he forced Peyton Manning and Co. to start drives from the 10, 19, 3, 7, 9 and 1 yard lines.
His regular-season performance wasn’t too shabby, either. In 12 of 16 games, Scifres averaged better than 43 yards per kick. His net average was 40 yards or better an amazing 11 times. And he finished with 19 punts inside the 20.
The only even remote negative was what happened after the season — when inexplicably Scifres was passed over by Oakland’s Shane Lechler (once again) for the AFC Pro Bowl team. Exactly how many games Lechler helped the 5-11 Raiders win evidently didn’t enter into the equation.
Nobody, of course, likes to see their team have to punt. But when the Chargers do, chances are most fans are still paying close attention. Other than a Pro Bowl berth, there’s no better compliment a punter can get than that.
Cover Teams
Kassim Osgood, 7th yr., San Diego State: Osgood didn’t make it as part of our wide receiver preview because…well, the team refuses to use him at wide receiver. And in a lot of ways, it would be nice to see the former Aztec get traded somewhere so he could get a shot catching some passes.
However, that’s not likely to happen as long as the two-time Pro Bowler keeps making big plays on kick and punt coverage. In fact, it’s not inaccurate to say that Osgood made the single biggest play of ’08 when he recovered an onside-kick in Kansas City to set up the last-minute touchdown that allowed the Chargers to save their season.
Osgood’s tackle numbers were down some last season (thus no Pro Bowl) but that’s because he often demanded double- and triple-team blocking as he sailed downfield. That, of course, enabled his teammates in for free and easy stops.
Still one of the team’s most popular players — and a big contributor off the field in the community — it’s fair to say that Osgood has carved out a pretty nice career for himself. But because he’s so valuable on special teams, it seems he’ll never get a shot at wideout.
It’s kind of like if you become too good at washing the dishes. Whever dishes need to be washed, you get the call — while everybody else is enjoying themselves with an after-dinner drink or two.
Long Snapper
David Binn, 16th yr., California: The longest-tenured Charger? Not only is it David Binn, but it’s Binn by a wide margin. Only Jamal Williams (getting ready for his 12th-year) is also in double-figures. With 239 games played, Binn is the franchise record-holder. And he’s the only player on the club still around from the ‘94 AFC Championship team.
Maybe being a (perfect) long-snapper isn’t such a bad way to go. Binn’s had a long career, earned a Pro Bowl berth (in ‘07), hardly ever gotten injured (missed just one game — in ‘98), and even (reportedly) spent some time running around with Pamela Anderson. Life could be worse.
The Chargers are in no hurry to end the relationship, either. By the time Binn’s current contract runs out in 2011, he’ll have snapped for every Chargers’ punt, point-after and field goal attempt over a span of 19 seasons.
Think about that the next time you see a highlight of some poor other NFL punter chasing a ball that has been hiked about six feet over his head.
– Ello
