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Fans of the Seattle Seahawks have been hoping for the team to invest in a kicker since Steven Hauschka was allowed to leave for the Buffalo Bills as a free agent following the 2016 season. The 2017 season saw the disaster that was Blair Walsh and during 2018 Sebastian Janikowski acted as a perfect example of why teams might want to shy away from employing an overweight kicker with a bad back in their forties.
In any case, on Wednesday the Hawks delighted many fans with the signing of Jason Myers, who made the Pro Bowl for the AFC this past season after being waived by the Seahawks in August. Myers made 91.7% of his field goal attempts for the New York Jets this past season, missing on just three attempts on the year. Unfortunately, he also missed three extra points on the season, which put him all alone in NFL history in a less than desirable category.
Those three missed extra points in 2018 pushed his career total to fifteen missed PATs, and near the top of a less than desirable list.
Most PATs missed druing first four years of an NFL career since 1946
| Kicker | Rookie Year | PATs missed |
|---|---|---|
| Kicker | Rookie Year | PATs missed |
| Joe Vetrano | 1946 | 16 |
| Jason Myers | 2015 | 15 |
| George Blair | 1961 | 13 |
| Bob Thomas | 1975 | 12 |
| Fred Cone | 1951 | 12 |
| Rolf Benirschke | 1977 | 12 |
| Pat Leahy | 1974 | 11 |
| Mike Clark | 1963 | 11 |
| Josh Lambo | 2015 | 11 |
| Steve Little | 1978 | 10 |
| Neil O'Donoghue | 1977 | 10 |
| Steve Mike-Mayer | 1975 | 10 |
Now, Myers is obviously in second place on that list, but the guy at the top, Joe Vetrano, played during a different time period. Vetrano was not a kicker. Back when Vetrano played, players often played both offense and defense, which is exactly what Vetrano did, playing both halfback and defensive back at times, in addition to his kicking duties.
In addition, Vetrano’s rookie season was in 1946, which was just after World War II and two full decades before the NFL and AFL in 1966. Thus, during the Super Bowl era began, Myers holds the NFL record for most PATs missed by a kicker during the first four years of their career.
So, as mind boggling as it is that Myers converts field goals at a quality rate, his performance on PATs leaves quite a lot to be desired. Hopefully the Seahawks have the special teams coaches on staff necessary to address whatever the issue is that has led to his PAT struggles, and that this is not a problem about which fans need to worry over the four years of Myers’ contract.