Breaking News: Josh Brown To Leave Seahawks, Join Rams

by Shrug on Feb 29, 2008 6:14 PM PST

O, who has set my heart on a melancholy journey? 'Tis you, my strong-footed minstrel.

Dreamboat won't be floating in Elliott Bay next season.

(Sigh.) Who's gonna cover our kickoff returns now?

Thanks for the memories, J.B.

Update [2008-2-29 20:57:3 by Shrug]: But we'll still see him at Qwest once a year. According to the Seattle Times, Josh is now a St. Louis Ram. Be good to him, seattlesucks... (sniff, sniff).

I'm really not that broken up about it, actually, but there's no denying Dreamboat's place in Seahawks lore.

Update [2008-2-29 21:8:3 by Shrug]: 2: According to that Times article, the Seahawks allegedly offered Brown a deal that would have made him the highest-paid placekicker in NFL history.

Not that Dreamboat wouldn't try to earn every penny in that contract, but personally I think the Hawks just avoided a little financial bullet.

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What were his kickoff stats?

FO says our kickoffs were always decent but never great. But I suppose the only way for Josh Brown to stop abusing the St. Louis Rams with last second 50 yard field goals is to sign him themselves.

If there's any upside to this, it might be that it convinces Holmgren to go for it more on 4th and short next year if we have an untested drafted kicker.

by Will Kier on Feb 29, 2008 6:07 PM PST reply actions

And all this is said with the understanding that Josh is my favorite placekicker ever: As valuable as a great placekicker can be in clutch situations, and forgive me for saying this, it's still the most easily-replaceable position on the team.

The Seahawks were allegedly going to make Josh the highest-paid placekicker in NFL history. We have many other needs for that money. Placekicker is the most journeyman-friendly position on any team.

Yeah, it's a sentimental loss, but I'm not that sentimental.

--Shrug

by Shrug on Feb 29, 2008 6:13 PM PST up reply actions

Not so easily replaced

Theres a reason why there are so many journeyman kickers. It's because there are so few good kickers. When you get a guy like Josh Brown you hold on to him. The Patriots didn't trust their kicker with a 48 yard field goal so they went for it on 4th and 13 in the Super Bowl. The Giants nearly missed the super bowl but Brett Favre decided that Tynes needed one more chance. The Chiefs, believing kickers were easily replaced, traded Tynes to the Giants, and even though Tynes leaves much to be desired, regretted the decision all year long. Morten Andersen will be kicking into his 50's because every year he gets a desperation phone call from a team that thought kickers were easily replaceable.
This has nothing to do with a fan favorite. This has everything to do with winning football games.

by Nate Dogg on Feb 29, 2008 6:55 PM PST up reply actions

n/s

I agree with a lot of your points. My feeling is the Seahawks did extend every effort to keep him -- in my personal opinion maybe a little too much, but that's just me. Maybe the Rams topped the Seahawks' offer, I don't know.

My point is that this isn't a Hutchinson situation, where we lose a guy and had almost no chance to replace him with someone near his talent level. We may not get a Brown-level kicker in his place, but it's a lot easier to find someone close to his skills to fill the very specific, limited duties of the placekicker position.

Lots of placekickers have a fantastic, otherworldly season -- Rackers, Vanderjagt, Mare, Josh -- then just settle into competency the next year. There are few sure bets at the position year after year. I thought about Andersen too; obviously he's one. Ray Wersching was another. Viniateri was. I'm not quite sure -- not totally sure -- that Brown was in that rarified air, although I certainly felt more confident with him on the field. It won't be a slam-dunk to replace Brown, but I think it'll be easier than we think.

--Shrug

by Shrug on Feb 29, 2008 7:53 PM PST up reply actions

The Hawks offer was the same

or more then the Rams. The Hawks gave him an offer to be the richest kicker in NFL history. He just wanted to be closer to home, plain and simple.

by joeshow30 on Feb 29, 2008 10:52 PM PST up reply actions

Shades of Kris Dielman

--Shrug

by Shrug on Mar 1, 2008 2:53 AM PST up reply actions

bunk

What on earth did Tynes do that was special? He shanked 2 out of 3 game winning field goals in the NFC Championship game. Impressive! Then you talk like lacking a great kicker like Tynes was one of the reasons the Chiefs went 4-12 last year.

Reading that Brown declined the Hawks' tremendous offer sheet sealed the deal for me- best of luck to him 14 games out of the year, but the Hawks made a solid try to keep him and he didn't want back. With smart scouting, a modest investment in the draft can pay dividends- it's what the Hawks did in '03, and it's evidently what they'll do in '08. The cash saved can be put to much more effective use elsewhere- such as signing Trufant, who will have a much greater impact over replacement level talent then Brown would over the next 4-5 years.

by Will Kier on Mar 1, 2008 12:48 AM PST up reply actions

Tynes

My point was that a bad kicker (Tynes) nearly cost the Giants a trip to the Super Bowl. And as bad a Tynes is the Chiefs still missed him last year. My point was look at how far down the list Tynes is from Brown, and then at how much worse it can get from a kicker like Tynes.

by Nate Dogg on Mar 1, 2008 8:33 AM PST up reply actions

oh I gotcha

by Will Kier on Mar 1, 2008 12:03 PM PST up reply actions

This is all Trufant's agent's fault,

if he hadn't been such a bum and actually negotiated with us, we could have signed Tru to a long term contract and used the franchise tag on Brown. I hate that guy so very much. >:(

"I think we know who the 'Hawks true rival is"-John Morgan

by Coach Owens on Feb 29, 2008 8:03 PM PST reply actions

I blame this on boone stutz

its clearly his fault

I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.

by wadswerth on Mar 1, 2008 12:25 AM PST reply actions

Good for the Hawks and Brown

The Hawks avoid paying a shit load of money for a kicker and Brown is happy.

I wish Brown all the best, he got his big paycheck and gets to play closer to home. Good for him.

With that said, I hope the fans give him a nice little ovation when the Rams visit Qwest in 2008.

by MFAN on Mar 1, 2008 1:51 AM PST reply actions

n/s

At the end of the day I can't fault a guy for wanting to be closer to home. If you ever get into the position where you can afford to make a choice with your heart, you're pretty lucky. Josh was in that place, so good for him.

He's not a traitor; he's an unrestricted free agent. This ain't war, it's football. Maybe it looks like war, but the concessions are so much better.

--Shrug

by Shrug on Mar 1, 2008 3:42 AM PST up reply actions