1) Introduction: My my, what do we do with Mason Crosby. On one hand, Crosby had one of the biggest meltdowns for a kicker of late. On the other, fans tend to forget that Crosby was a good kicker during the beginning and end of the season and his problems really only manifest themselves during the middle of the season.
2) Profile:
Mason Walker Crosby
- Age: 28
- Born: 09/03/1984, in Lubbock, TX
- Height: 6’1″
- Weight: 207
- College: Colorado
- Rookie Year: 2007
- NFL Experience: 6 years
3) Expectations coming into the season: Crosby had perhaps his best season in 2011 with career high 85.7% success rate on field goals; however it could be said that Crosby was often never in much pressure to perform since the Packers that year were a offensive juggernaut. In 2012, with the offensive sputtering, the team turned to Crosby more to keep the game close and at least in the middle of the year, it definitely seemed to effect him.
4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Crosby’s highlights was probably the end of the regular season where he managed to connect on both his kicks and translate that into success in the post-season. Crosby lowlight was week 15 against the Bears where he hit rock bottom with two missed field goals out of two attempts.
5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: While it could be argued that Crosby didn’t lose a game for the Packers, he probably could have won the game against the Colts in week 5 and a couple game could have been a lot easier if Crosby had managed to connect on a couple kicks. At least in terms of kick-offs Crosby remained fairly consistent and only pushed 1 kick off out of bounds.
6) Player’s contributions in the playoffs: Luckily Crosby held on to his best game for the playoffs, where he connected on 7 out of 7 extra points, 2 out of 2 field goals and was basically a kicker of old.
Season Report Card:
(C) Level of expectations met during the season
(C) Contributions to team’s overall success.
(B) Contributions to team during the playoffs
Overall Grade: C
——————Thomas Hobbes is a staff writer for Jersey Al’s AllGreenBayPackers.com.
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KEEP Mason Crosby!
John Rehor. It’s always an F. Why does no-one rate an ‘E’, ever….?
A C? Seriously?
21/33 on FG attempts=63.6%. That is abysmal.
Regardless of how he finished the season, the stretch in the middle of the season when he was 7/15 is an automatic F for me.
Anytime your Head Coach starts bypassing attempting field goals because their kicker is struggling should be enough to verify an F grade.
Can only hope that Ted finally brings in some competition this offseason to let Crosby know last season was completely unacceptable.
F. A great big F for me.
Thompson has to bring in another kicker when training camp rolls around. If he could use a 7th rounder or even a 6th and get the kid from Florida, go get him! Crosby was near perfect though the first several weeks of the 2011 season right? Sure he hit 85.7% which I’d take all day long as a fan but didn’t he start to miss at the END of 2011? He had hit on 23 straight attempts (or close to that) including the end of the 2010 season right? What I’m getting at and this is only if my memory is right, is if he started missing at the end of 2011 and then to have the season he had in 2012, YIKES! Time for a new kicker right???
Right Nick! Competition can’t hurt at any posiiton. Crosby seems to need some external pressure to perform at his best.
but he does not kick well under pressure ever. his first game was just about it.
but he does not kick well under pressure ever. his first game was just about it.
the one good thing about him is that he actually makes tackles on kick returns. i cannot think how many times he stopped a return about the 45 that would have gone all the way. but that is about all i can say positive about him.
That sounds like an indictment of our kick coverage unit.
Nick, I’ve been asking for a little competition for four year. I’d be shocked if he does it now…
I agree. Gotta bring in some competition for Crosby. If only to make him earn the job and let him know that he MUST perform alot better this season.
D at best.
I would suggest his troubles started much sooner. Remember family night, when he missed several long but makable field goals in a row? We all said “don’t worry” and made excuses for him (like the new scoreboard disrupting the wind). Also I think it’s worth considering how he missed his field goals – he was either hitting knuckleballs or 20 yards off to the right or left. And his misses forced the packers to go for it on fourth down at least a couple of times, but those consequences of his poor kicking don’t show up in his stat line. I don’t see how you can grade out one of the worst kickers this season. As “average.” Just because he wasn’t benched doesn’t mean his performance was anything but poor.
Sign Dawson. Cleveland is going to let him go. He’s a very good kicker well experienced in kicking in the elements.
Is he a hit on the cap if the Packers cut him say, NOW? I like the Dawson idea.
Also let’s keep in mind that Crosby’s hit on the 2013 salary cap is $3.15M, making him the 13th highest paid player on the team. Tell me again, how much would we have to pay a 7th round pick?
I have zero faith in Missin to make a clutch F.G. no matter the distance. He is over paid, and absolutely needs competition. I wish there was something lower, an F just doesn’t give justice to his level of suckness this year. That idiot probably took years off of my life.
GBP 4 LIFE
There can only be 2 reasons he stayed on the roster all year, he was legally adopted by McCarthy or he proposed to McCarthy’s older daughter from his first marriage. His history is he cannot kick under pressure, if it is tie or win he chokes big time. Example, Indy to tie, it looked like someone was picked out of the stands to win $1,000 to kick a field goal, it was so far left it did not even stay on the field or make it to the end zone. Example 2, he misses far right but the opposing coach calls time out, now he has pressure, next kick is missed far to the left. He also has not had as many non returned kicks, believe he was 21st. Only positives are he will tackle if he has to and he is as good an onside kicker as I have ever seen. That said, McCarthy will regret not replacing him next year when he chokes when they need it the most. The Greg Jennings types who patted him on the head on the sidelines after missing will be kicking him in the ass then.
I forgot to add, the Green Bay Press Gazette gave him an F (Driver was the only other F), and Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal gave him a D. If the author of this article gave him a C, then look for Erik Walden who Pro Football Focus graded for the 2nd year in a row “the worst 3/4 LB in the NFL” a B.
If I performed this poorly at my job I’d get a F.
Crosby has never been a statistically good kicker, has a big contract and was historically bad this season. He earned and deserves a F.
If we’re even grading this guy next year, I’m gonna flip.
F just doesn’t do justice here. I give him a Z.
Oh, I also think this whole idea that he has some huge leg is garbage. I consistently see the opposing kicker force touch-backs against the Pack, not so much with Missin. And I don’t buy the “he kicks it high and short” argument, so zip it. Guy sucks.
I agree. I’ve never thought he has a great leg. And when he does have to kick if far he knuckleballs it.
On a second note, a C? I don’t know if the grade was just to generate comments or if the author actually feels that way. Didn’t Crosby get close to setting the nfl record for the worst year by a kicker in the modern era? Oh wait, because he didn’t technically lose a game it wasn’t that bad. Wow.
He tied the record, 9 straight games with a miss, he then hit the upright at home it it went through or he would own it with 10 straight games. I like the Z grade remark also. A friend who is a high school teacher was asked at a PTA conference, “how could you give my son an F” his reply was there is no grade lower.
Lol. Wow, so it was that bad. Thanks for posting.
I would give him a D, because he did not cost the team any games. Also 8 of the FG’s he missed were over 50 yards. Yes, he should hit some of them but anything over 45 yards are not gimme’s. in any case bring in some competition and send him a message.
C? If he was in the middle of the pack statistically he would be a C. Crosby was the worst kicker (percentage wise) in the NFL last year. We had to stop kicking field goals he was so terrible. Luckily it didn’t kill our record but no way can you award a C for that performance. It was historically bad. I give it a D minus if I’m going to be generous…. only because he didn’t single handedly lose us games.