The Lass Word: Where Have You Gone, Mason Crosby?
Miss you. Wish you were here.
By KenLass
Even though the Green Bay Packers retained kicker Greg Joseph on their 53 man roster, and Alex Hale on his developmental status, it was no secret general manager Brian Gutekunst was still going to comb the waiver wire to see if something better was out there. At the cutdown deadline this past Tuesday, nine kickers were cut across the league. What did he have to choose from?
Four of the kickers released were rookies with no pro football track record. They were Spencer Shrader, Brayden Narveson, Jude McAtamney and Charlie Smyth. Shrader was a free agent out of Notre Dame, cut by the Colts. Narveson was undrafted after kicking for three different colleges, the last one being North Carolina State. He was cut by the Titans. McAtamney and Smyth were both from Northern Ireland who have only recently converted to American football.
Of the five veteran kickers who were set free, only two had better career field goal percentages than Joseph’s 82.6 percent. The Steelers released four year veteran Matthew Wright, who had a career accuracy mark of 85.1% in four years playing for the Steelers, Jaguars, Chiefs and Panthers. He appeared in one game for Carolina last season, attempted one field goal, and missed it.
The Commanders cut Riley Patterson, who sports a career accuracy mark of 88.1%. Patterson was a three year veteran who spent the first thirteen games of 2023 kicking for the Lions. But Detroit felt they could do better, and Patterson finished the year with the Browns where he attempted one field goal and made it.
The remaining three veterans were Chad Ryland, who made just 64% of his field goals in his rookie season last year and was released by New England, Austin Seibert, a five year vet with a career percentage of 80.4%, cut by the Jets, and Lucas Havrisik, whose career accuracy stands at 75%, cut by the Browns.
I give you all of this pablum to illustrate the fact that there wasn’t much out there for Gutekunst to get excited about. In the end, Gutey cut Joseph and decided on Narveson, based on an impressive preseason at Tennessee. The first year player converted six of seven field goal attempts, including one from 59 yards. He also kicked a game-winning field goal against Seattle from 46 yards. His only miss was from 58 yards out. They get him on a low cost rookie contract.
They also like his consistency. In five college football seasons at three different schools, Narveson never missed an extra point in 196 attempts. Anders Carlson missed five of them last year alone. It is interesting to note however, that Narveson’s career college field goal percentage is just 78%. He made 71 of 91 attempts. That’s a lower mark than Carlson’s 81.8% posted with the Packers in 2023. And Narveson was kicking in the sunny south.
So there are certainly no guarantees Green Bay has found a kicker they can rely on. They are not alone. There are more teams in the NFL searching for a steady kicker than have one. There is a reason the Chiefs signed Harrison Butker to a new contract that averages $6.4 million per year. Jake Elliott of the Eagles and future Hall of Famer Justin Tucker of the Ravens also make over $6 million per campaign. I remember being a bit stunned in 2020 when Green Bay signed Mason Crosby to a three year extension worth an average of $4.3 million per year. Why would they commit that kind of money to a kicker, I wondered. Just bring in a hotshot rookie and save several million bucks.
I get it now. There aren’t many Mason Crosbys out there. I’d take him right now, no questions asked, over what’s currently on the Packers’ roster. But Crosby was a rookie once. No one knew in 2007 he would kick for the green and gold for sixteen years, and finish as the leading scorer in franchise history. He was just an unknown sixth round draft pick out of Colorado back then.
Who knows? Maybe this is the beginning of a similar story for Brayden Narveson. Or is it just the next ride in a merry-go-round of kickers for years to come?
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Ken Lass is a former Green Bay television sports anchor and 43 year media veteran, a lifelong Packers fan, and a shareholder.
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Comments (35)
Rory P Scrotem
August 29, 2024 at 03:42 pm
"I guess kicks just keep gettin' harder to find.
Before you find out it's too late,
you better kick 'em straight!"
*With apologies to Paul Revere & the Raiders*
ImaPayne2
August 29, 2024 at 03:50 pm
The good news he is young and "gets no kicks from Champaign and mere alcohol doesnt thrill him at all" but hell get a kick out of you".
Matt
August 29, 2024 at 03:45 pm
My heart couldn't accept letting Mason go. But my mind was telling me: do not mix feelings into sports. And I was glad I was not in Gutekunst's shoes. I hoped management and coaches know what they do, especially when we planned salary cap catharsis. Everything seemed so had but reasonable. Now we know it was a mistake... maybe. The fact is that with Crosby's age we would have to look for replacement anytime soon.
For me the real mstake was Rasul Douglas trade. With him in this secondary I would feel much more confident. Stokes could be CB3 and that would make a pretty sold formation. We'll see.
Coldworld
August 29, 2024 at 04:59 pm
Douglas would be a horrible fit in what the Hafley D seems to be and wasn’t comfortable in the slot. Probably looks like a better trade for both sides now than it did when it happened.
dobber
August 30, 2024 at 08:26 am
Take heart in the fact that we're now several years since they let Taysom Hill go and we only need to hear about it a couple times a year.
GregC
August 29, 2024 at 03:56 pm
Stopped reading when you compared a college kicker's extra point success rate to an NFL kicker's extra point success rate. That's a 20-yard attempt vs. a 33-yard attempt.
Irish_Cheesehead
August 29, 2024 at 06:40 pm
Even more puzzling as this article is about missing Mason Crosby, yet Mason missed 8 PATs over his four years at Colorado.
dobber
August 30, 2024 at 08:27 am
Comparing a college kicker's FG pct to a pro kicker's FG pct is also a little silly.
Doug_In_Sandpoint
August 29, 2024 at 03:59 pm
Any chance he pronounces Narveson as Navre-son?
LeotisHarris
August 29, 2024 at 04:13 pm
I'm pretty sure both Ns are silent. At least that's what a lot of people are saying.
dobber
August 30, 2024 at 08:27 am
Arve not!
Bitternotsour
August 29, 2024 at 07:36 pm
instant hall of famer
splitpea1
August 29, 2024 at 04:04 pm
"I'd take him right now, no questions asked, over what's currently on the Packers roster." Come on. We all appreciated the job Mason did for so many years, but don't you think it's time to let go? Two other teams let him go last winter. Football is still a young man's game, and although kickers sometimes push this boundary a little further out, the position still isn't fully exempted.
So all we can hope now is that Narveson is equal to the "Pressure is a Privilege" heading on his X page. I'm interested in seeing how strong his leg is for kickoffs as well.
NickPerry
August 29, 2024 at 04:04 pm
I still remember Crosby's very first game as a Packer. He went 3 for 3 in FGs and nailed a FG as time expired for a Packers 16-13 win against Philly. I knew then the Packers had a kicker...This guy looked good in Tennessee and that 59 yard bomb would have been good from longer.
There's not much on the internet about this kid but I did find something from like 8 years ago...I'm assuming this was maybe before he choose a school to attend, but he was hitting some bombs back then. All I'm sure about is I'm glad it's not Anders. I wish him well and hope he is able to turn it around, but when he missed that 32 yard FG against the Ravens, you KNEW he's could miss ANYTIME or ANYWHERE...
It wouldn't let me post the link of the little video but it's on YouTube...8 More Days!!!
Coldworld
August 29, 2024 at 05:08 pm
Crosby took 5 years to average above an 80% conversion rate. Many of us and supposedly, many inside Lambeau, wanted him gone. In fact Gute referenced that yesterday:
“I give Ted a lot of credit, certainly, he was a much [more] patient man than I was. I think Mason was under 80 percent until like his fifth year, and then that sixth year was my first year in the office in 2012, and I think he was 60-some percent and missed like 12 kicks. I can tell you right now there were people in the office that were like, ‘Let’s move on.’” Press conference yesterday.
Crosby was 21/33 for a 63.6% conversion rate in his 6th year in fact. It’s pretty staggering Ted kept him after that on retrospect. After that year Crosby was significantly better.
Sometimes I think memories do burnish reality.
LeotisHarris
August 29, 2024 at 06:03 pm
"Sometimes I think memories do burnish reality."
No doubt, CW, and the research into how we try to create some sense and continuity in life is fascinating. Positive experiences can become more cherished, while negative ones might be softened or even romanticized. Similarly, details might be forgotten, distorted, or altered to fit a coherent narrative that aligns with one's self-perception or current beliefs. We all have a somewhat skewed version of reality. How could we not?
NickPerry
August 30, 2024 at 07:54 am
I remember 2012...Matter of fact I didn't stop closing my eyes and trust Crosby again until probably 2017. He was terrible in 2012. Remember that 53 yard attempt against Indy to win the game in 2012? It went wide right about 30 yards...The Packers lost. And there were a lot of kicks wide by 30 yards that year...
barutanseijin
August 29, 2024 at 04:12 pm
In three games with the Giants last year Crosby hit 5 of 7 FGs (71%) and 6 of 7 extra points. That impressed the Giants so much that they replaced him with Graham Gano.
Coldworld
August 29, 2024 at 05:18 pm
Crosby looked well past his sell by date in doing so. One never knows when the effects of age will hit, but they looked to have done so for Crosby.
I’m laughing, because the idea that the author was serious about bringing him back never occurred to me. May as well see if Matt Flynn wants to be back up QB.
TOMMY'63
August 29, 2024 at 04:43 pm
Please wtf ,Crosby?He missed several fg and xtra pts, in many matches that's cost us,every body forget? Yes , many here don't remember what american crap they've eaten yesterday! Longwell and jacke were better kickers than him. Dont believe? Go to the videos, yes he played longer and received a better long term record, but wasn't a kicker. When did Longwell and jackee miss 4-5 attempts in a fucking match? Only Crosby has,remember that!!
LeotisHarris
August 29, 2024 at 06:09 pm
Hemorrhoids bothering you again, Tommy?
Leatherhead
August 29, 2024 at 06:31 pm
People keep referencing all the games we've lost because of a missed FG, or an extra point. Apparently, it's been happening a bunch and I never knew it.
I remember a few, but I also remember quite a few where our kicker did the job. I remember when Crosby had a stretch where he was referred to as Missin Crosby. But I could really use some help with my memory here, because I don't remember it happening a bunch, especially over the last 30 years.
dobber
August 30, 2024 at 08:30 am
"I remember when Crosby had a stretch where he was referred to as Missin Crosby."
We were hearing about stretches from 2019-2021 where Crosby was virtually automatic....then Corey posted an article about it and he immediately went into a funk.
Bear
August 29, 2024 at 07:18 pm
Crosby stats - 400-492 81.3 10-10 114-116 133-152 99-134 44-80 58 739 760 1939
He averaged 81.3% for a career. Last year he averaged 71%. Liked him but he’s done…
GregC
August 29, 2024 at 07:37 pm
Narveson will be #44 for the Packers--a pretty bold number for a kicker! We now have three players with numbers in the 40s (Narveson, Matt Orzech, and Eric Wilson) and only two with numbers in the 60s (Jacob Monk and Rasheed Walker). The formerly illustrious 60s have truly fallen on hard times when they are outnumbered by the 40s, which fell into disrepute a long time ago.
dobber
August 30, 2024 at 08:31 am
Winner!
CanPackFan
August 29, 2024 at 07:46 pm
Consistency and trust are numero uno for me in a kicker. Accordingly, Anders was a crap shoot everytime he kicked. Too many extra points missed as well. But, to have a kicker who is consistent about 85% in FG and can kick well in the 55-60+ yard range is rare indeed. Is Narveson that guy? Maybe. But even if he doesn't have Justin Tucker range, I'd settle for good FG percentages as well extra points.
Pro-LifeMatters
August 30, 2024 at 08:01 am
I asked this question to Silverstein during his blog on cut down day, he posted it but never answered. How about bringing Crosby in as an assistant special teams coach or a consultant, to have him work with whomever the kicker is? Nobody knows the nuances od kicking in the swirling winds of the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field than the great Crosby
LambeauPlain
August 30, 2024 at 08:28 am
Rather than hire Crosby, how about hire and pay a top NFL salary to a ST guru to coach up the kicker(s)?
Then promote the ST coach to Assist. HC/STs and draft the erratic college kicker/family friend he lobbied heavily for.
That should do the trick, right?
Ferrari-Driver
August 30, 2024 at 10:14 am
I would prefer that Love throw for 45 TD's this season. This kicking game drives me nuts...just like golf.
Bitternotsour
August 30, 2024 at 10:42 am
exactly. 45 tds and go for two
dobber
August 30, 2024 at 11:07 am
You kick the ball in golf, too?
Ferrari-Driver
August 30, 2024 at 11:29 am
So dobber, you've been watching me in the rough.
dobber
August 30, 2024 at 04:11 pm
I'm not sure I know how to respond to that!
Ya_tittle
September 02, 2024 at 02:04 pm
I will go on the record that this kicker we nabbed from the Titans will be a real asset to the team.