santos is TOAST

[Lucky Luciano]

time to look for a new kicker, possibly round 5-7 unless a really good FA is available. if we were in the hunt for the playoffs, this year he has cost us at least 2-3 games. any field goal under 50 should be automatic. if you can't hit xtra points yer done.

this makes 2 out of 3 years with us he has sucked. time to move on.

[adam]

I would definitely draft one in the 6th or 7th. Competition is always good. He is slowly becoming less reliable and waving off kicks under 50 is terrible. 

He doesn't even do kickoffs, so his value is extremely limited at this point. Bagley kicked better than him, the Bears should've just kept him.

[lemonej]

Agreed! Seeing him shying away from that FGA was disturbing. Our special teams have made critical mistakes in most of the one score losses.

Chris Dunn of NC State and Jake Moody should be targets in the draft for Poles. The last 2 Groza Award winners. Moody kicked in the Midwest at Michigan.

[Mongo3451]

24 minutes ago, lemonej said:

Seeing him shying away from that FGA was disturbing. Our special teams have made critical mistakes in most of the one score losses.

That was terrible.  However, the coaches should have never put him on that position in the first place.  The special teams coach should have made that call for him.  The side wind was terrible down there, so it was the correct call.  Just should never put the player in that position.

[lemonej]

21 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

That was terrible.  However, the coaches should have never put him on that position in the first place.  The special teams coach should have made that call for him.  The side wind was terrible down there, so it was the correct call.  Just should never put the player in that position.

The fact that he had to be asked again points to Special Teams Coach. This coach has made questionable decisions all season long. 

[Lucky Luciano]

32 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

That was terrible.  However, the coaches should have never put him on that position in the first place.  The special teams coach should have made that call for him.  The side wind was terrible down there, so it was the correct call.  Just should never put the player in that position.

unless the wind is 30+ mph steady with upward gusts you make the kick. if nothing else to gain experience in those conditions. plus... to miss an xtra point is ridiculous in any weather conditions. a strong hard kick puts it through.

[Lucky Luciano]

6 minutes ago, lemonej said:

The fact that he had to be asked again points to Special Teams Coach. This coach has made questionable decisions all season long. 

to me, special teams have done a very good job all season (exception santos). the coverages have been good with only a few lapses. i really don't have a problem with our ST coach.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

1 hour ago, Lucky Luciano said:

unless the wind is 30+ mph steady with upward gusts you make the kick. if nothing else to gain experience in those conditions. plus... to miss an xtra point is ridiculous in any weather conditions. a strong hard kick puts it through.

It's not like he plays in the "Windy City" or anything... I've become pretty disappointed of Santos as of late.

My wife somehow recalled he was out for 'personal reasons' earlier this season and wondered if maybe that affected him somehow.  He hasn't been the same since, I'd have to agree.  

[Stinger226]

I think something is happening to him , remember he missed a week due to personal issues. His head may not be in the right place due to a divorce or a death in his family. Bring in competition and see if next yr he gets his act together.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

I think he is still an accurate kicker - the problem is he is not a weapon. He doesn't have the ability to hit the 50+ yarder's that can be a game changer in the final 2 minutes etc.  Given where the Bears are - I think it is time to start to try to find a weapon, even if it takes 2 attempts.  Santos is a very accurate field goal kicker though and in my mind probably as a whole middle of the pack NFL kicker (somewhere between 15-20).  But he is not special - given his lack of a big leg.  

That said - I read where after he missed the last extra point he moved his placement to try something different.  Cause his issue really has been almost entirely on extra points. 90% accuracy from field goal is really good - despite the less than strong leg.

[BearFan PHX]

2 hours ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

I think it is time to start to try to find a weapon, even if it takes 2 attempts.

true, and this goes for every position on the roster that doesnt start with a Q.