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The question was jokingly asked to special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg when he stepped up to the podium yesterday after practice to meet with the media:
"So, who's your kicker going to be?"
With Shayne Graham and Billy Cundiff just starting to compete against each other for the Ravens' place kicking job, Rosburg won't be able to answer that question for a few weeks.
That won't stop us from asking, however.
The Ravens will closely monitor Graham, the former Bengals kicker, and Cundiff throughout training camp and the preseason, and while fans and media members would like to know which guy will be in a Ravens jersey when the team kicks off (pun intended) the 2010 regular season, Rosburg says the team will be patient throughout the audition process.
"It's going to be day to day, kick to kick and preseason games," Rosburg said. "We have two NFL kickers in camp. They're going to be rotating with each group. They're going to be getting reps with each snapper, getting reps with each lineman.
"So, we're going to make it as balanced and fair as we possibly can. And then, when the dust settles, I think we'll have our kicker. It'll express itself."
After the first two full days, neither kicker has done much to stand out, mostly because both have split the uprights far more than they've missed.
Cundiff is 11-of-12 by my count over the last two days, with his only miss coming from 42 yards.
Graham is 10-of-12, but one of those misses came after a Matt Katula snap skipped along the turf, likely throwing of Graham's timing. His only clean miss came yesterday from 50 yards.
Each guy has his own advantage at this point; Graham, a Pro Bowler in 2005, has more NFL experience and a better career kicking percentage, while Cundiff has been with the Ravens longer and is coming off a stronger finish to the '09 season.
Rosburg says that because both Graham and Cundiff are solid kickers, the team will give them a long leash over the next month, allowing each guy a fair chance to make a positive impression.
"I think both kickers are really good," Rosburg said. "And with that in mind, you want to give them every opportunity and not rush to judgment."
