Top 5 Surprises for 2007 Season: #5 - Jeff Reed

by Michael Bean on Jan 8, 2008 3:02 PM EST in News

We try to be fair and balanced here at BehindtheSteelCurtain, so if there's going to be a list of the disappointing developments in the Steelers' 2007 season, you better believe there will also be a list celebrating the surprisingly noteworthy individual performances of this year.

I begin with Jeff Reed, our lovably drunk place kicker who is known more for his propensity to denudate than for his place-kicking skills.

If the Tennessee Titans were actually able to finish off a scoring drive, Jeff Reed might be headed to Honolulu in place of Rob Bironas, who rightfully garnered the nod for his 35 FG season.

Reed actually finished the year with a higher FG % than Bironas - 92% vs. 89.7%. Although Reed's 23 FGs put him in the middle of the pack in the NFL, no kicker with more than 13 attempts had a higher % than Reed. He also converted on all 44 of his XPAs.

Reed still leaves plenty to be desired in the kickoff game, but it's notoriously difficult to kick for distance at Heinz Field. His place-kicking, however, was nearly perfect this year, with one of his 2 misses coming against Miami in unplayable conditions. Reed was hardly a question mark heading into this year, but last year he missed 7 of his 27 attempts, good for only 74.1%. I'm not sure where I'd list the importance of having a great kicker in the NFL, but it's not trivial, that's for sure. These games are decided by painstakingly close variables, and if you can't rely on your kicker, you're going to miss out on one or two wins a year. That, often times, is the difference between the playoffs and the golf course come January.

Congratulations to Spikey on a phenomenal 2007 season. For his consistency and reliability, he's my #5 surprise for the 2007 season.

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Reed

My darkhorse candidate for the Pro Bowl had a great season, just think he could have been 100% if not for two completely impossible attempts, as Blitz stated in the Mud Bowl and the 60 yarder in Denver.

Other than kickoffs, I don't know how we could have expected more out of everyone's favorite drunk kicker.

Time to take the training wheels off this offense.

by cgolden on Jan 8, 2008 4:53 PM EST reply actions

Kicking in Heinz

FG% are signifigantly below the league average at Heinz Field. That cost us a game against the Ravens during their SB run when Kris Brown missed 4 FGs in one game. I consider that a home field advantage as long as we have a kicker who can figure out how to kick at Heinz. Jeff Reid has been pretty good at that. The fact that he's only missed two this year is phenomenal.

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Jan 8, 2008 5:28 PM EST reply actions

Guaranteed Reed

The subject line says it all.

by steelguy on Jan 9, 2008 12:12 AM EST reply actions

Kicker-brain

Even as a HS football coach, I realized long ago that a true kicker is well "different". Many years ago I had a truly talented kicker who should have been a D1 kicker at a big school. He was better as a HS soph than any HS kid I've seen to this day. He was also our 2nd string QB, so talk about a mental block possibly going bad big time! He actually had to play as the starting QB in the later part of the season. Luckily, he kept his head and we won - actually contributed to an undefeated season of all things... He never did kick in the big time - mostly because of his "Kicker-brain" getting in the way of school and other things.

I also generally dislike FG's, especially in big games where you fail to score a TD once inside the 20 yard line. I know I'm not alone in that regard. That said, Reed has been a very good, accurate kicker. I would keep him as long as the budget allows or until his Kicker-brain spins out completely (which does happen like many closers in baseball). Looks like Reed is definitely a kicker first and a football player second as most of them are... hopefully he'll keep it together for many more years.

"Franz" in NoCal

by franz on Jan 9, 2008 2:39 PM EST up reply actions

Fill Me In

I must have missed out on all this drunk kicker fun. I know he has crazy hair - anyone fill me in on the denudate drunken stuff?

by smashmouthsteel on Jan 9, 2008 12:21 PM EST reply actions

previously on BTSC

Check him out here, or to save you some time.

Time to take the training wheels off this offense.

by cgolden on Jan 9, 2008 12:41 PM EST up reply actions

Sometimes I'm glad I'm not famous.

God know what pictures of me people would be posting all over the place.

I'm actually starting to feel bad for Jeff.

by HinesField on Jan 9, 2008 3:28 PM EST up reply actions

feel bad if you want

If he can manage to keep his shirt on while he's public this picture never makes news (even if with his crazy hair).

There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of animals Chuck Norris allows to live.

by cgolden on Jan 9, 2008 5:32 PM EST up reply actions

Reed Day 1

I always liked Jeff Reed. Do you guys remember how we acquired him?
Coach Cowher had had it with Krissy Brown missing field goals in clutch situations. I can't remember the exact game (maybe Baltimore or Houston) where he missed a bunch of kicks and Cowher just cut him.
During the wintry week in Pittsburgh the Steelers brought in about a dozen non-pro kickers to the tundra of Heinz and had them all try to kick field goals on the worst field in the NFL into the wind. Reed outkicked everyone there and landed the job.
He's kind of like the Steelers inVINCEable.
Lovin' that picture! Looks like Hoolihan's in Station Square.

When You Run The Ball Good Things Happen

by 5020 on Jan 9, 2008 5:18 PM EST reply actions