With the Eagles drafting a new kicker this year, it could mean David Akers’ fruitful stint with the Eagles could end.
During Akers’ tenure that spanned 12 seasons, he has proven to be the surprise package for the team, scoring game-changing field goals when it depended on them and becoming one of the most consistent kickers in the league. Akers’ best statistical year came in his fourth year with the team when he successfully kicked 30 of 34 field goals, an 88.2% percentage.
Akers’s has received five Pro Bowl selections and also holds the record for most consecutive postseason field goal conversions. An extraordinary player and a very charitable role model, it appears that in light of the most recent circumstances, however, he may not return to Philly. He is now a free agent, and the Eagles tagged him as their transition player this offseason, a move Akers disagreed with. The uncertainty surrounding Akers’ contract is likely the motivation for picking a kicker in this season’s draft. Another factor could have been the underlying personal issues that led a previously calm and collected kicker to miss two vital field goals in last season’s playoff loss to the eventual winners Green Bay Packers. We all know that even the most reliable kickers have been benched after missing key field goals.
So out with the old and in with the new. In Alex Henery, the Eagles get a fantastic player. The former Nebraska Cornhusker was ranked 120th overall, and he’s the best kicker drafted since the Patriots took Stephen Gostkowski two spots before that in 2006, and the best part is he’s a great kicker too.
Henery definitely has some big shoes to fill, but it sounds like he’s the right man for the job. In his four seasons with the Cornhuskers he missed just two attempts for less than 50 yards. Does he have a long leg? Take a look at this kick and decide for yourself…
Is he a clutch kicker? Well, if scoring all the points against the Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship game is anything to go by, I’d suggest he’s up for the task in Philly.
I still highly doubt Akers’ career is over, one setback shouldn’t cost him his entire career and I’m sure he’ll get a second chance. One man’s loss is, of course, another man’s gain. Some sources have already linked Akers to rival NFC East teams the Redskins and Cowboys. Current Cowboys kicker David Buehler made 24 of 32 (75%) field goals last season, and Akers, even at age 36, still made 32 of 38 (84%). The Redskins’ Graham Gano made just 24 of his 35 attempts (69%), illustrating another cause for concern for the struggling franchise.
As one of the Eagles’ most prolific scorers, wherever Akers ends up, I’m sure he will be sorely missed. But in Henery I hope the Eagles can find a talisman that can guide them into the new era.
