49ers 2011 Roster Confidence, Kicker: Now What About Jeff Reed?

by James Brady on Mar 16, 2011 12:00 PM PDT in 49ers Roster

So the Joe Nedney confidence post is up and running and I figured we may as well get this one up as well. Jeff Reed was brought in when Joe Nedney's injury complications became too much to deal with. In truth, he could have just donned the number six and all we would have suspected was Nedney got a little bit fatter and quite a bit douchier. Jeff Reed is largely the same kicker, albeit not as consistent.

His kickoffs look the same, there's not a whole lot of "wow" there, but they do hang for a decent amount of time and the coverage units are generally on point when he kicked. As far as field goals are concerned, he nailed nine-of-ten and made all of his extra points. He looked good, but I still view his performance as "unremarkable."

Reed was released from the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in the year after going only 15-of-22 on field goals and generally doing things like wrecking bathrooms and unwary towel dispensers, or something similar. Still, could he be a better option than Nedney going forward? It's definitely possible. People seem to be voting high for Nedney in the confidence polls thus far, which is totally alright - he doesn't look horrible, but my confidence in him is definitely on the down-slope with his age and health.

If the 49ers have a chance to retain both, I'm sure which I'm happier with, at this point. If Nedney is healthy, I suppose that the best course of action would be for him to start. If he isn't healthy, I consider Reed to be a viable option and he shouldn't come at a high price. It's unlikely he earned himself a big pay day in his five games with San Francisco.

Still, we're going to proceed as if Reed is the starter. Basically the same criteria as Nedney, just replace age and things like that with inconsistency and the like. I'm going to be voting a six, personally.

Poll

What is your confidence level for Jeff Reed as the starting kicker in 2011?

10

10 votes

9

14 votes

8

43 votes

7

65 votes

6

42 votes

5

52 votes

4

36 votes

3

15 votes

2

10 votes

1

2 votes

0

29 votes

318 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

6

Nedney got a 7 even with the injury concern, so you can probably tell how I feel about Reed. He was solid in relief of Ned, but he’s not someone I’m going into the season with as the primary kicker. He’s the guy you call in December when Nedney goes down and there’s no one else; much like last year. I don’t think he had one kickoff land inside the end zone even with the wind at his back. I’m also not so sure he’s gonna be booting 50 yarders any time soon either.

Personally, if you do move forward with Reed, the first thing you do is get that doughboy on a treadmill and get him some couseling so he doesn’t pick any more fights with a towel dispenser at the quick-stop.

by 9thevolution on Mar 16, 2011 12:47 PM PDT reply actions

Reed is a servicable kicker with an upside while Nedney is in his declining years

I wouldn’t over pay for Reed but he’s a proven kicker in windy conditions which is what we need primary so I don’t get all the hate.

by asmithisaverage on Mar 16, 2011 12:51 PM PDT reply actions

Im not a huge Reed guy

but wasnt some of his failure due to kicking on what is widely considered one of the worst fields in the NFL?

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by Miaminole on Mar 16, 2011 2:15 PM PDT reply actions

If we go with two kickers...

…I’d prefer that one of them be a specialist in kickoffs as field position is so important. There’s evidence that FG accuracy is heavily influenced by luck. In that regard, Nedney’s consistency is probably overrated.

by Bigmouth on Mar 16, 2011 2:40 PM PDT reply actions

I'm on board with 2 kickers

Field position can make or break a game. Having a team backed up to near their own goal line makes it really difficult as they become more one dimensional and easier to read.

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by wellnesscoach on Mar 16, 2011 6:34 PM PDT up reply actions

Jeff Reed is the man!

He ranked 8th in pct. in 09. He has playoff experience. And he’s a Charlie Sheen wannabe. What more could you want?

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by Amigo on Mar 16, 2011 3:55 PM PDT reply actions

He doesn’t have Adonis DNA

by mcwagner on Mar 16, 2011 5:25 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

5

If Reed couldn’t hack it in Heinz Field, why should we expect he’ll improve at Candlestick?

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by OnDeck_Matt on Mar 16, 2011 7:10 PM PDT via mobile reply actions

nedney was our team MVP in 2005

He is the best kicker the niners have had including Ray Wershing in my opinion. giving the finger to the crowd aside, he is a good dude. In the swirling winds at the stick he has been money. If he is healthy, I would love to see him kick fg’s next year. But a second kicker with a strong leg for kickoffs wouldn’t be a bad idea.

by wtlichens on Mar 16, 2011 7:14 PM PDT via mobile reply actions