Rick Cleveland

Abstract

Martin Gramatica, a 32-year-old, nine-year veteran, faces formidable competition from 22-year-old Wisconsin rookie Taylor Mehlhaff, a fifth-round draft choice. Erxleben's first regular season game, against the archrival Atlanta Falcons, ended in overtime when Erxleben retrieved a bad snap and hit Falcon James Mayberry squarely in the chest.

Two place-kickers, one job. It's the same story every year in nearly every NFL camp.

Normally, the incumbent has a huge advantage. The new guy is brought in for insurance, just in case something happens to the other guy.

Not so this season with the New Orleans Saints. Martin Gramatica, a 32-year-old, nine-year veteran, faces formidable competition from 22-year-old Wisconsin rookie Taylor Mehlhaff, a fifth-round draft choice.

A basic NFL rule of thumb:You don't draft a kicker unless you strongly believe he will upgrade your team. Mehlhaff, a left-footed athlete with the body of a cornerback, has done nothing to lessen those expectations.

In Saturday's sun-broiled scrimmage at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Mehlhaff made all five of his field goal attempts, and his 44-yarder looked as if it might have been good from 60. He also boomed one kickoff through the end zone. It landed 81 yards from whence it was teed up. The guy's got serious leg.

But then Gramatica also hit four of his five field goal tries. And his 49-yarder looked as if it might have been good from 60, as well. If anything, his leg has gotten stronger with age. He is not going to give this job away.

Worst draft ever?

Long-time Saints fans might remember a vaguely similar situation. In 1979, New Orleans made the regrettable move of drafting place-kicker/punter Russell Erxleben out of Texas - in the first round, no less.

The Saints thought they were getting two positions for one player. Wrong. They got neither.

The incumbent kicker back then was a little Polish guy named Rich Szaro. And he wasn't going to give up his job without a fight, in his case, a war of words intended to psych out Erxleben.

Broadcaster-writer Wayne Mack catalogued some of that psychology in his wonderful book The Saga of the Saints. "He's a punta, not a keecker,"Szaro said of Erxleben. "The Saints should not have drafted him; they need help on defense."

Those Saints did need help on defense. And offense. Turns, out they needed another kicker and a punter, too.

With so much money invested in Erxleben, they cut Szaro and traded capable punter Tom Blanchard. Alas, Erxleben failed miserably in both roles. Erxleben's first regular season game, against the archrival Atlanta Falcons, ended in overtime when Erxleben retrieved a bad snap and hit Falcon James Mayberry squarely in the chest. Mayberry pranced into the end zone for the winning touchdown. And so it went. If Erxleben wasn't the worst draft choice in Saints history, well, never mind that. He was.

Friendly competition

Mehlhaff laughed when the Szaro-Erxleben story was relayed to him.

"No,"he said, smiling, Gramatica hasn't resorted to barbs to try to get inside his head.

"There's competition, but it's been friendly,"Mehlhaff said. "I look at this way. Martin has been in this league nine years. Obviously, he can kick and he knows what he is doing. I should be able to learn from him.

"But once we get out on the field, I can't worry about him or how he's kicking. All I can do is do my job and focus on my kicks."

Apparently, he already has learned from Gramatica, who said virtually the same thing.

"I just worry about myself,"Gramatica said. "Ido the best Ican do and that's all I can do. We are friends off the field and even on the field, but I've been doing this long enough to learn you can't worry about the other guy. Every year, there's competition."

One wag's opinion:Place-kicking has never been more important than it is in today's NFL. The games are usually close and that's by design. The salary cap ensures one team can't outspend the others. The draft makes sure the worst teams get the first pick of new talent. The scheduling formula makes sure the better teams play the tougher schedules.

It follows that field goals decide so many close games, often in overtime. You have to win the close games and you'd better have an accurate kicker if you're going to win your share.

The good news for Saints fans:Either way, Gramatica or Mehlhaff, the Saints will be far better off than they were with Erxleben.

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Reach columnist Rick Cleveland at [email protected]

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