Something to keep an eye on this off-season is the Kicker competition. Head Coach Raheem Morris has labeled it the simplest competition to determine:
"You line up the ball, you snap it, you tee it up and you let them kick. Whoever gets the ball between those two yellow bars the most wins." – Head Coach Raheem Morris per the Pewter Report
I guess it is that simple when you really think about it. Pedigree has to go into a little bit as well, meaning Bryant has gotten the job done in pressure situations (62 yarder against the Eagles in ‘06) in the past and so that can’t be overlooked. But you’re not going to keep a guy around who bombs in the Pre-Season based on his past successes. I just hope if Nugent were to win, his success in the off-season wouldn’t be an illusion much like Major League Baseball players who rake in Spring Training and then tank when real action begins, because Matt Bryant will get picked up if released. For their careers they are very comparable in completion percentage on their kicks: Bryant (82.1% on 168 attempts) and Nugent (82.4% on 92 attempts).