In year of the kicker, best 2 - Steven Hauschka and Matt Prater - meet in Super Bowl XLVIII

February 2, 2014

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J - If the Super Bowl comes down a last-second field goal, might as well head for the fridge. If your team has the ball, the question is not whether it's going to be good — it will — but whether to pop the cork on that bottle of champagne you've been saving for some big occasion.

NFL kickers had their best season ever by several important measures, and the two on call Sunday — Seattle's Steven Hauschka and Denver's Matt Prater — finished ranked Nos. 1 and 2.

Including the playoffs, Hauschka was 39 of 41 (95.1 percent; the NFL average was 86.5), including a perfect 3 of 3 from 50 yards and beyond (NFL average: 66.9). Hauschka's longest was 53.

Prater was 30 of 32 (93.8 percent), and 7 of 8 from 50-plus. But that last number might be even more impressive, considering his range. Just this past December, in frigid, icy conditions at home against Tennessee, Prater set the league record for the longest field goal ever: 64 yards.

With these two, any ball snapped from an opponent's 35-yard-line on in is a strong candidate to squeeze through the uprights. The longest made field goal at MetLife this season was 57 yards, by Green Bay's Mason Crosby, but it came on an unseasonably warm 59-degree day in November.

Still, as desperate measures go, even a kick from the midfield stripe — and perhaps even two steps beyond, roughly 70 yards — is not out of the question.

"I know Prater can hit it," Hauschka said. "I've seen him it several times."

"Where?" a reporter asked.

"In Denver," Hauschka replied. "Yeah, he could hit 75 for sure."

"Without wind?" came the follow-up.

"Yeah," Hauschka said. "For real."

Exactly how Hauschka wound up witnessing those feats speaks volumes about the kicking fraternity and the lack of job security. It's why the profession's unofficial motto is: "Everybody wants your job during the week. But nobody wants it on Sunday."

Like Prater and nearly every other NFL kicker, Hauschka went undrafted out of college and Denver was the fifth of the six teams he's kicked for — a stint in Detroit lasted all of 18 days — in his six seasons in the league. He wound up in an emergency relief role with the Broncos in December, 2010, when Prater pulled a groin muscle. The two became fast friends, even as they battled for the starter's job at training camp the following fall.

"We got along great," recalled Prater, who kicked for three other clubs before gaining a foothold in Denver in 2007. "He was a real professional. We were competing for a job and then we'd go get dinner. Just a fun guy to be around."

Not coincidentally, the two ran into each other again on Wednesday at MetLife Stadium. Hauschka had just finished practice as Prater was coming in. Their respective scouting reports revealed a lot about how they view their craft.

"I'm not one to try and overanalyze," Prater said. "It was nice. The conditions were pretty good and the ball was flying pretty good."

Asked whether he was following the weather forecasts for Sunday, Prater leaned back in his chair.

"Everyone else has been keeping me updated," he laughed.

Hauschka, on the other hand, described his brief kicking session this way: "Pretty typical winds, kind of go from Denver's sideline to our sideline. Wind usually comes from the west, then bounces off that side of the stadium and then blows toward our sideline. ... I've looked at it on film, I've kicked there a couple times, and it's always been doing that."

Small wonder that Seahawks coach Pete Carroll described Hauschka's , "He's very intellectual, very astute about his skills, in the game and the situation. We totally trust him."

When someone asked Denver's Brandon Marshall, a reserve linebacker who plays on special teams, to describe Prater's approach, he just laughed.

"Power," he said. "The dude is not even 6 feet (actually, 5-foot-10), so I don't know where it comes from. ... I got big feet (size 14) and I tried kicking in eighth grade and the ball didn't go anywhere. So I've got all the respect in the world for Matt."

If that last-gasp kick scenario comes into play, both Hauschka and Prater will be prepared for it, but in different ways.

"I first thought about it back in April," Hauschka said. "We sat down as a team back then and each player wrote down his goals. One of my goals was to kick the game-winning field goal in the Super Bowl."

When asked whether he dreamed about that same kick, Prater was nonchalant.

"No," he laughed. "To be honest, when I was younger, I didn't even want to be a kicker. I wanted to play baseball.

"I try not to think about the situations," Prater added a moment later. "I try to play them as they present themselves."

Kicker Steven Hauschka has figured it out with Seahawks

Steven Hauschka, a former college soccer player, was cut by five NFL teams before the Seahawks picked him up before the 2011 season. Hauschka was not discouraged by those earlier failures and has thrived with the Seahawks

By Bob Condotta

January 15, 2014

Steven Hauschka didn’t start kicking until his sophomore year at a Division III college in Vermont, but has established himself now as one of the NFL’s best.

The Steven Hauschka file
Height: 6 feet 4
Weight: 210
Colleges: Middlebury (Vt.), North Carolina State
Age: 28, born June 29, 1985
Regular season stats: 33 of 35 field goals, 44 of 44 PATs.
Did you know? His point total of 143 this season is second in Seahawks history behind the 168 scored by running back Shaun Alexander in 2005.

RENTON – His Seahawks teammates say Steven Hauschka takes a rather clinical approach to his craft.

Makes sense, considering he spent most of his college years thinking he’d make his living fixing teeth rather than kicking footballs.

His mom and brother are dentists. And during his years at Division III Middlebury (Vt.) College, where he also played soccer, Hauschka assumed dentistry was his destiny, as well.

Hauschka’s path began to change, though, when some of his roommates at Middlebury who were on the football team asked him to try out as their kicker.

Hauschka agreed, saying, “I was kind of getting too slow for soccer.”

That was during his sophomore year.

Flash forward a decade, and the 28-year-old Hauschka is among the best kickers in the NFL. This season, he was an alternate for the Pro Bowl and set a Seahawks record for points in a season by a kicker with 143. He was 3 for 3 on field goals in the wind and rain at CenturyLink Field in Seattle’s divisional playoff win over New Orleans last week.

“He’s had just an incredible season, and he’s been so consistent. Under those conditions — look what happened on their side of the ball,” coach Pete Carroll said, referencing Saints kicker Shayne Graham’s two misses Saturday. “It was a great performance.”

Carroll even coined a term for it — “Hausch Money.”

“When we say ‘Hausch Money,’ you know what we’re talking about,” Carroll said.

Hauschka took a winding road to this point, having never played football at any level until his sophomore year at Middlebury, which has an enrollment of about 2,450. After earning a degree in neuroscience there, he contemplated his future.

With one year of eligibility left, he sat down and compiled a list of roughly 30 schools that had lost their kickers or had struggled in that area the previous year and contacted each one.

Only two responded — North Carolina State and Northwestern.

N.C. State was close and willing to work to get him into school as a walk-on. That fall, as a 22-year-old already holding a four-year degree, he found himself on a dorm floor with every other first-year football player, including a freshman quarterback named Russell Wilson and a freshman lineman named J.R. Sweezy.

“Seventh floor,” recalled Sweezy, now Seattle’s starting right guard. “He was the guy to go to if you had to ask what is there to do, what can we do now. It was our first time being away from our parents and we didn’t really know what to do, so we kind of hung out with him a lot.”

He made 16 of 18 field goals in his lone season at N.C. State, and was named a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to college football’s best kicker. The fate of all but the elite of the elite college kickers, though, is to be left fending for an NFL job as a free agent.

He was signed and cut by Minnesota in 2008. He was signed and cut and then re-signed by Baltimore, where he ended up kicking in nine games in 2009. After a few untimely misses, though, he was cut late in the season, which he considers a turning point in his career.

At Minnesota, veteran kicker Ryan Longwell, who played 15 seasons in the NFL, told Hauschka the key to success was being able to treat a game-winning kick on Sunday as no different than a practice attempt on Wednesday. It was after his tenure with the Ravens that he decided to fully buy into that philosophy.

“Those first couple of years, you are just kind of tossed into the fire, it feels like,” he said. “Looking back at it, I wish I had known what I know now, that (the game) is just the same as practice.”

He later had stints with Atlanta, Detroit and Denver before Seattle called him shortly before the 2011 season, seeking a successor to Olindo Mare.

At age 26 and already signed and released by five teams, it all clicked for Hauschka in Seattle.

He made 49 of 57 field goals in 2011 and 2012, but was just 3 of 8 from 50 yards and beyond. So he decided after last season to alter his offseason program to strengthen the core of his body and start kicking earlier in the offseason.

It’s paid off this season. Including the playoffs, he is 36 of 38 on field goals, one of which was blocked at Indianapolis, and 3 of 3 from 50 and beyond, booting overtime game-winners against Houston and Tampa Bay.

He’s also a three-handicap golfer, a sport whose approach Wilson says complements Hauschka’s field-goal kicking.

“He’s very, very technical in everything that he does,” Wilson said. “He’s a perfectionist. He’s had an unbelievable season for us this year, so you expect that out of Steve just because he does everything right.’’

And while his early NFL struggles are a reminder of how tenuous the fate of a kicker can be, Hauschka also says those experiences made him the kicker he is today.

“Ultimately, those things harden you and make you a better kicker,” he said. “You just get better at it each year that you do it.’’

Steve Hauschka named to Professional Football Writers of America All-NFC Team

By The Sports Xchange

January 13, 2014

The Kansas City Chiefs placed a league-high three players - running back Jamaal Charles, safety Eric Berry and punt returner Dexter McCluster - on the 2013 All-NFL team, chosen in voting conducted by the Professional Football Writers of America.

Only five players from the PFWA's 2012 All-NFL team were repeats: Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, and two players from the Seattle Seahawks, cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas. Johnson is a member of the PFWA's All-NFL team for the third consecutive season, the longest current streak.

Manning was voted All-NFL by the PFWA for the seventh time in his career and Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas earned his fourth career All-NFL selection. A total of 17 players, including Minnesota Vikings rookie kickoff returner Cordarrelle Patterson, were first-time All-NFL honorees.

Nine clubs - the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Rams, Seattle and Tampa Bay Buccaneers - each had two players on the All-NFL team. In all, 16 clubs are represented among the 27 players honored.

The PFWA also announced the All-AFC and All-NFC teams. The Chiefs led all AFC teams with seven All-AFC selections, while the Browns had five All-AFC honorees. The Seahawks led all NFC clubs with four All-NFC selections, while the Panthers, Eagles and San Francisco 49ers each had three All-NFC honorees.

2013 PFWA ALL-NFC TEAM

Offense
QB - Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
RB - Matt Forte, Chicago Bears; LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
WR - Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions; Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears
TE - Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
C - Ryan Kalil, Carolina Panthers
G - Evan Mathis, Philadelphia Eagles; Josh Sitton, Green Bay Packers
T - Jason Peters, Philadelphia Eagles; Joe Staley, San Francisco 49ers

Defense
DE - Greg Hardy, Carolina Panthers; Robert Quinn, St. Louis Rams
DT - Gerald McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions
OLB - Ahmad Brooks, San Francisco 49ers; Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
MLB - Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers
CB - Patrick Peterson, Arizona Cardinals; Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks
S - Earl Thomas, Seattle Seahawks; Donte Whitner, San Francisco 49ers

Special Teams
PK - Steven Hauschka, Seattle Seahawks
P - Johnny Hekker, St. Louis Rams
KR - Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota Vikings
PR - Golden Tate, Seattle Seahawks
ST - Justin Bethel, Arizona Cardinals

Steve Hauschka named to All-NFC West team

January, 2, 2014

By Terry Blount | ESPN.com

Six of the eight Seahawks who made the Pro Bowl also made the All-NFC West team, as you would expect, along with two other Seattle players.

Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner and kicker Steve Hauschka, who were not Pro Bowl selections, made the all-division team, which was voted on by the four team reporters for ESPN.com.

The six Pro Bowlers on the All-NFC West team are quarterback Russell Wilson, running back Marshawn Lynch, center Max Unger and three members of the Legion on Boom -- cornerback Richard Sherman, free safety Earl Thomas and strong safety Kam Chancellor.

Sherman and Thomas, two players who will be in the running for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, were easy choices. Chancellor, one of the game's biggest hitters, made it after what coach Pete Carroll said was his best season.

Sherman led the NFL this season with eight interceptions. He also has the most interceptions (20) and the most passes defensed (60) over the past three seasons.

Thomas had five interceptions this season and is the emotional leader of the Seattle defense. He led the team in solo tackles with 75.

Wilson certainly was no surprise with the season he has had in leading the Seattle offense. Wilson has more victories than any second-year quarterback in NFL history with 25. He also is one of only three quarterbacks in league history to throw for more than 50 touchdown passes in his first two seasons, joining Dan Marino and Peyton Manning. Wilson has 52.

Lynch rushed for more than 1,000 yards for the third consecutive season and the fifth time in his career. His 1,257 yards rushing in the second-best total of his career to last season’s 1,590 yards. Lynch has the most TDs in the NFL since 2011 with 39, including 35 rushing and four receiving. He has a career-best 14 TDs this season.

Also making the All-NFC West team on offense was Unger, who was voted to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive year. Russell Okung, considered Seattle best offensive lineman and one of the best left tackles in the game, didn’t make the all-division team because he missed eight games with a toe injury.

Okung is a Pro Bowl alternate, as is Hauschka and receiver Golden Tate (as a punt returner).

Hauschka has made 33 of 35 field goal attempts, but one miss was a blocked kick at Indianapolis. He is 14-of-15 from 40 yards and beyond.

Wagner earned his spot with an outstanding second half of the season. He got off to a bit of a slow start this season and missed two games with a high-ankle sprain, but has played the best football of his career over the last seven games.

Wagner leads the team with 119 tackles, but also has five sacks and two interceptions. He had 12 tackles in the 27-9 victory over St. Louis Sunday and was a big reason the Rams rushed for only 13 yards.

No one made it from the Seattle defensive line, but part of the reason could be that no man plays more than 70 percent of the snaps. The Seahawks have a seven-man rotation up front, but Michael Bennett has 8.5 sacks and Cliff Avril has eight sacks.

All-NFC West Offense
WR Larry Fitzgerald Arizona Cardinals
WR Anquan Boldin San Francisco 49ers
TE Vernon Davis San Francisco 49ers
LT Joe Staley San Francisco 49ers
LG Daryn Colledge Arizona Cardinals
C Max Unger Seattle Seahawks
RG Alex Boone San Francisco 49ers
RT Anthony Davis San Francisco 49ers
QB Russell Wilson Seattle Seahawks
RB Marshawn Lynch Seattle Seahawks
WR Michael Floyd Arizona Cardinals

All-NFC West Defense
DE Robert Quinn St. Louis Rams
DT Justin Smith San Francisco 49ers
DT Darnell Dockett Arizona Cardinals
DE Calais Campbell Arizona Cardinals
OLB John Abraham Arizona Cardinals
ILB NaVorro Bowman San Francisco 49ers
ILB Bobby Wagner Seattle Seahawks
OLB Alec Ogletree St. Louis Rams
CB Richard Sherman Seattle Seahawks
CB Patrick Peterson Arizona Cardinals
SS Kam Chancellor Seattle Seahawks
FS Earl Thomas Seattle Seahawks

All-NFC West Specialists
P Andy Lee San Francisco 49ers
PK Steven Hauschka Seattle Seahawks
KR/PR Tavon Austin St. Louis Rams

Seahawks’ Steven Hauschka keeps same approach on game-ending kicks

Seattle kicker credits mindset, core training for torrid start to season.



Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka leaves the field victorious after the winning field goal in overtime to beat Tampa Bay on Sunday.

By Bob Condotta
November 6, 2013

RENTON – Reporters who approached Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka after his 27-yard overtime field goal to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday were greeted with a sympathetic smile.

Sorry, he had no great story to tell. For Hauschka, it was just another kick.

“It really is,’’ he said. “It’s not that exciting. It’s a big one because it won the game. But for me it was just the same thing (as any other kick). It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to go through, right?’’

Indeed, that is an essential mindset of the position, that the kick in overtime to win a game that might ultimately decide whether the Seahawks get home-field advantage through the playoffs is the same as the one in practice Wednesday.

And, no doubt, a 27-yarder is about as automatic as it gets in the NFL — kickers have made 122 of 123 attempts in the 20- to 29-yard range this season.

Still, Hauschka remembers his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2008, when treating a game-winner the same as a practice attempt wasn’t possible.

“Ryan Longwell told me that all the kicks count the same,’’ Hauschka recalled of the former veteran who kicked in the NFL from 1997 to 2012. “I didn’t really understand it because most people think that that kick at the end of the game is way more important than the kick at the beginning of the game.

“But as a kicker you can’t think like that. They are all the same. They all count the same. And you’ve got to treat each kick like it’s another kick. It’s just been a mental thing realizing that. But it clicks with me now, and it’s been really helpful.’’

That realization came as Hauschka learned some hard truths about the business early in his career. He was cut by the Ravens late in the 2009 season after going 9 of 13, with two of the misses playing decisive roles in the outcome of games.

He also had a brief stint with Denver in 2010 before landing in Seattle in 2011.

But everything has come together for the 28-year-old Hauschka with the Seahawks. In his third season as Seattle’s kicker, he’s off to one of the best starts in the NFL.

He has made 18 field goals, tied for fourth in the NFL, including another overtime winner, at Houston. He has missed only one, a kick that was blocked at Indianapolis. And his percentage of 94.7 is third-best among kickers who rank in the top 20 in made field goals.

“He’s having a great season,’’ Carroll said. “And we’ve recognized the whole mechanism from (snapper) Clint Gresham to (holder) Jon Ryan to Steven. They’re doing a great job for us and they’re just really consistent and performing at a tremendous level. Steven has hit everything, but the one that they knocked down, so he’s had a great first half of this season.’’

Hauschka credits not only a maturing mindset but also some changes in his offseason routine for his current success.

If there was a knock on Hauschka his first two years as Seattle’s kicker, it was his lack of success on longer attempts. He was 3 of 8 from 50-and-beyond the last two seasons while going 46 of 49 inside 50 yards.

To address that, and improve his overall consistency, Hauschka altered his conditioning routine to strengthen the core of his body.

“I just strengthened some muscles in particular that kept shutting down on me and were weak last year,’’ he said. “I get a lot of power from my core. Just like a baseball player, there is a lot of rotation in my swing, so the stronger I can be through there, the more powerful I can be throughout the game and throughout the entire season.’’

It appears to have worked. Hauschka made his only 50-plus attempt this year at Arizona, a 51-yarder, but also hit three from beyond 50 in an exhibition game against Denver and just missed a 61-yarder at San Diego that glanced off the crossbar.

He also said he started his offseason kicking program in March, a little earlier than past years, to further refine his kicking stroke.

“I started with a good, solid, natural stroke back in March and just kind of continued that all the way through,’’ he said. “In years past, I’ve felt maybe I had to change some part of my motion in camp, but this year it was smooth sailing all the way through.’’

Hauschka stays perfect, wins NFC special teams award

By Darin Gantt

October 2, 2013

Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka stayed perfect on the season, but none of last week’s kicks was bigger than the final one.

His 45-yard field goal with 3:19 left in overtime helped the Seahawks to a come-from-behind win at Houston, and earned him NFC special teams player of the week honors.

He’s a clean 8-of-8 this year, and hasn’t missed from inside 50 yards since the 2011 season.




2013 Seahawks: Making the grade so far
The Seahawks are 4-0 for the first time in franchise history.

By Bob Condotta

Sunday’s 23-20 overtime win at Houston marked the end of the first quarter of the season for the Seahawks. And judging by the most important stat — wins and losses — it was the most successful first quarter of a season in team history. Never, since the team began play in 1976, had the Seahawks started 4-0.

The road to getting to 4-0, though, was hardly a straight line. Seattle needed somewhat unlikely fourth-quarter comebacks to beat both Carolina and Houston on the road, sandwiching easy home wins over the 49ers and Jaguars.

The end of the first four games, though, also marks a good time to hand out a few quarterly grades and awards for the offense, defense and special teams.

SPECIAL TEAMS: This area has been an underrated reason for the team’s success.

To list a few highlights:

• Kicker Steven Hauschka is 8 of 8, including the 45-yard game-winner last week at Houston.

• The coverage has been solid as Seattle has allowed just 8 punt-return yards — least in the NFL — and hasn’t been hurt in the kickoff game (Jeremy Lane has been a quiet standout on those units, leading the team with four special-teams tackles).

• And Golden Tate, while sometimes taking angst-inducing risks on punt returns, has statistically been just fine — he ranks fifth in the NFL with an average of 12.3, including his 32-yard return in overtime against Houston that helped set up Seattle’s winning field goal.

Grade: A.

MVP: Hauschka. He has been perfect and only one kicker has also made eight or more without missing (the Jets’ Nick Folk, also 8 of 8). Hauschka has 18 touchbacks on 24 kickoffs (Seattle’s opponents have had eight touchbacks on 14 kickoffs), a key reason Seattle’s drive start following kickoffs has been 3 yards better than its opponents.

Steven Hauschka wins MMQB's Special Teams Player of the Week

THE AWARD SECTION

Offensive Players of the Week

Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego. Maybe its Rivers’ turn. Maybe in his 10th year he’s seen his fellow 2004 draftees, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning, with their shiny Super Bowl rings, and now he’s saying enough. The Chargers beat NFC East frontrunner Dallas to go 2-2 Sunday (and they’re still two games behind two teams in the AFC West), and Rivers completed 35 of 42 passes for 401 yards and three touchdowns.

Reggie Bush, RB, Detroit. There is no doubt about it: The difference between this year’s Lions and every other year of the Stafford Era is Reggie Bush. In the first 28 minutes of Sunday’s division match against Chicago, the Lions roared to a 30-13 lead—and Bush jetted around the field for 136 yards on 14 touches. Great signing by GM Martin Mayhew.

Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco. After slumping through the season’s first three games, Gore, 30, played like Gore, 23. “A-plus-plus,’’ is how coach Jim Harbaugh graded Gore’s 20-carry, 153-yard performance in the surprising rout of the Rams Thursday night. “Very Frank Gore-like. Pure attitude.”

Defensive Players of the Week

Kiko Alonso, MLB, Buffalo. The second-round rookie is proving his worth as a rangy sideline-to-sideline playmaker in his first month on the job. He picked off two Joe Flacco passes and knocked two more away from their targets Sunday as the Bills stunned Baltimore.

Aqib Talib, CB, New England. He didn’t win every battle with Falcons wideouts Sunday night. He actually lost one. He gave up one completion, for one yard, and was huge in the Patriots’ fourth win of the young season. Talib, invaluable, is tied for the league lead with four interceptions.

Alterraun Verner, CB, Tennessee. Co-leads the league with four picks (with Talib and Alonso), and he had two of them against Geno Smith of the Jets on Sunday, along with recovering a fumble. Verner has become one of the most instinctive corners in football, and no player has accounted for as many takeaways this early in the season as Verner’s six (four picks, two fumble recoveries).

NaVorro Bowman, ILB, San Francisco. Memo to Niners defensive coordinator Vic Fangio: Blitz Bowman more. Bowman had two sacks, two quarterback hits and three quarterback pressures in the 35-11 rout of the Rams. He deflected a pass and forced a fumble too, and had six tackles. I’ve always thought Bowman to be the equal of Patrick Willis, which is not an insult to either man if you’ve watched the 49ers much. Two great, great players.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Dexter McCluster, KR/RB, Kansas City. The Giants trailed 10-7 late in the third quarter and were making a great game of it until punter Steve Weatherford booted it to McCluster, standing at his 11-yard line. McCluster never was touched, and he juked two Giants so badly that they fell to the turf at Arrowhead. McCluster’s return was the vital play of the game.

Steven Hauschka, K, Seattle. His 48- and 39-yard field goals in regulation helped push the game to overtime on a day Seattle’s offense moved in fits and starts. And with 3:19 left in overtime, he nailed a 45-yard game-winner that would have been good from 65 to win it, 23-20.

Coach of the Week

Rob Chudzinski, head coach, Cleveland. “You’re 2-0 since you gave up on the season,’’ I told Chudzinski Sunday night. He said: “Good thing nobody told that to our players.” Chudzinski may have some guys on his team looking at the brass cross-eyed for trading Trent Richardson after two weeks, but it’s a tribute to Chudzinski that the players are playing as hard as any group in the league. The defense held Cincinnati to 266 yards Sunday in a 17-6 win. “Winning reinforces the good things,’’ he said, “and these guys have worked hard. They don’t care about what the perception is on the outside.’’ Speaking of hard work, the Browns have the Thursday night game this weekend, and Chudzinski was in tape-studying mode by 6:45 Sunday night.

Goat of the Week
Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore. He threw five interceptions at Buffalo, leading to 13 Buffalo points, and the Ravens lost by three. Not good.

Seahawks re-sign kicker Steven Hauschka

Hauschka, who has been with the Seahawks since 2011, became an unrestricted free agent following the end of last season.

By Jayson Jenks
April 22, 2013

Kicker Steven Hauschka re-signed with the Seahawks, the team announced Friday.

Terms of the contract were not released.

Hauschka, 27, has made 49 of 57 field-goal attempts (86 percent) since joining the Seahawks in 2011 with a long of 52 yards in each season. He made 23 of 23 field goals inside of 50 yards last season and also made a franchise record-tying five field goals in a 22-17 win against the Ravens in 2011. He did, however, make only 1 of 4 field goals longer than 50 yards last year.

Hauschka, who had become an unrestricted free agent last month, was injured in the playoffs against Washington and didn't play against the Falcons the next week after being placed on injured reserve. Hauschka's return answers one of the questions surrounding the Seahawks this offseason — the kicking game. Hauschka kept Seattle in a handful of games early last season, particularly while the offense struggled. He made three field goals in a 16-12 win against Carolina in Week 5, made another in a 24-23 win against the Patriots the following week and made 3 of 4 field goals to give the Seahawks a chance against Arizona in Week 1, an eventual 20-16 loss.

Hauschka made 11 of 12 field goals last season with the score tied.

The Seahawks claimed Hauschka off waivers after the Denver Broncos cut him before the 2011 season.

Mixed wishes for Steven Hauschka

October 13, 2012

By Mike Reiss | ESPNBoston.com

RENTON, Wash. -- The text messages that Seattle Seahawks placekicker Steven Hauschka has received from friends in his hometown of Needham, Mass., have been a little more frequent this week with the New England Patriots coming to town.

"They're wishing me the best, but not wanting us to win," he relayed Friday. "They're like, 'I hope you have five field goals but you don't pull it out.' They want the best of both worlds."

Tough crowd. But it's all in good fun for Hauschka, who grew up admiring Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, has an autographed picture of Vinatieri's famous snow bowl kick, and understands the passion of New England fans because he was once one of them.

But these days, he views the matchup against his hometown team as pure business.

"In the past five years, everything has kind of changed since I've been playing. The allegiances change," he said. "Obviously, I'm the biggest Seahawks fan now. It seems like every week there is something new, you're playing an old teammate, an old coach, you're playing in a town where you know everybody, or an old team. You kind of get used to all those distractions and it's football at the end of the day."

Like teammate Breno Giacomini, who grew up in Malden, Mass., and first started cheering for the Patriots when quarterback Drew Bledsoe was drafted in 1993, the 27-year-old Hauschka reflected Friday on attending his first Patriots game in the 1990s when Scott Zolak replaced Bledsoe and led the team to victory.

Fast-forward 20 years later, and this time it will be Zolak watching Hauschka, providing analysis for the Patriots' radio broadcast at CenturyLink Field on Sunday.

"I like the matchup. They are obviously a great team but I think our team fights hard to the end," said Hauschka, who has made 51 of 62 career field goal attempts, and is 10-of-11 this season. "We have a tough stadium to play in. Anything can happen in that stadium."

For Hauschka, who is expecting only a few friends in town for Sunday's game, breaking through in the NFL has been a long journey.

It started at Middlebury College, then N.C. State, while his NFL resume includes mostly brief offseason and preseason stints with the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos. There was even a stop with the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League.

He joined the Seahawks at the start of last season, and this is as close as he's had to a secure regular-season job in the NFL.

"I just stayed on course and kept kicking, and knew I would get another opportunity. You just have to make the most of that opportunity," Hauschka said, adding that a big part of his breakthrough has been trusting his abilities, treating every kick the same, and developing a rapport with snapper Clint Gresham and holder Jon Ryan.

So far, so good.

"Steven has been really consistent for us," head coach Pete Carroll said. "He's a very smart kid, great worker, big kid for a kicker (6-4, 210). He's just been very effective and hopefully we can just keep him knocking them in. We haven't asked him but just a couple times to have to bomb any kicks, but his consistency has been excellent."

Seahawks settle for Hauschka’s record-tying five FGs

Steven Hauschka made five field goals for the Seahawks on Sunday. (AP Photo/Ted Warren)

By Christian Caple

November 14, 2011

Steven Hauschka would prefer they’d been extra points instead of field goals.

But the fact remains that the Seahawks kicker was essential to their 22-17 win over Baltimore on Sunday, tying a single-game franchise record with five made field goals.

Hauschka now shares the record with Norm Johnson, who did it twice, once in 1987 and again in 1988; Olindo Mare, who also did it twice, both against Arizona last season; and Todd Peterson, who did it in 1999.

“I guess it’s a fun day for a kicker to be part of the game like that,” Hauschka said. “It would have been nice to get a couple scores on offense … we did a great job today as a team.”

Indeed, Hauschka’s appearances on Sunday were more disappointing than they were exciting. That’s usually how it goes with kickers. But the Seahawks’ failure to score touchdowns was especially frustrating in this game because of the chances they were presented following Baltimore turnovers.

Hauschka’s first make, a 22-yarder, came after the Ravens David Reed fumbled a kickoff return following the Seahawks lone touchdown in the first quarter. That set Seattle up with the ball at Baltimore’s 19-yard line.

The Seahawks moved to the Ravens’ 4-yard line before settling for three points.

Reed fumbled again on a kickoff late in the first half, after Hauschka had made his third field goal to put Seattle ahead 16-7. The Seahawks took over at Baltimore’s 18-yard line, but gained only one yard in three plays and again had to settle for a Hauschka kick, this time from 35 yards to go ahead 19-7 heading into halftime.

And when David Hawthorne intercepted Joe Flacco and returned the ball to the Ravens’ 4-yard line in the third quarter? Three plays saw the Seahawks head backward eight yards, and Hauschka again trotted out to boot a 30-yarder for the Seahawks’ final points of the game.

Hey, at least he made all of them. The same couldn’t be said for Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff, who missed tries from 50 (short) and 52 (wide right) yards. He also made a 35-yarder in the third quarter.

Cundiff isn’t the first kicker to struggle in the Qwest/CenturyLink era. Arizona’s Jay Feely missed two field goals in a loss at CenturyLink earlier this season.

“I think I’ve done a good job,” Hauschka said. “You notice a lot of kickers come in here, there’s been missed kicks. There also haven’t been many touchbacks. It’s a tough place to kick I think. It’s a lot easier to kick inside or in warm weather. We don’t really get above 60 degrees here much for home games, so those touchbacks are hard to get.”

Maybe not quite as hard as touchdowns were for the Seahawks, though.

Broncos sign free-agent K Steven Hauschka

December 13, 2010

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos on Saturday signed free-agent kicker Steven Hauschka and waived offensive lineman Stanley Daniels, it was announced.

Hauschka (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) is a third-year player who played 17 games with Baltimore in his first two seasons after signing with Minnesota as a college free agent out of North Carolina State in 2008. He has spent time with Minnesota, Baltimore, Atlanta and Detroit during his first three NFL seasons. His last name is pronounced HOWSH-kuh.

After graduating from Middlebury College where he was a two-time New England Small College Athletic Conference selection as both a kicker and punter, Hauschka enrolled in graduate school at North Carolina State and converted 16-of-18 field goals during his one season with the Wolfpack.

A soccer player at Needham (Mass.) High School, Hauschka didn’t play football until his sophomore year of college. He was born on June 29, 1985.

Steven Hauschka field goal lifts Locomotives to overtime victory

Las Vegas Locos tackle Jason Capizzi lifts up kicker Steven Hauschka after his field goal against Hartford Colonials during the Locos 24-21 overtime win Saturday, October 23, 2010 at Sam Boyd Stadium.

By Ray Brewer

October 23, 2010

On a typical windy Las Vegas fall afternoon, Steven Hauschka’s game-winning field goal Saturday for the Las Vegas Locomotives football team was easier said than done.

The distance of the 53-yard attempt was only half the battle.

Hauschka also had to account for wind gusts up to 20 mph that severely altered game strategy, passing plays and kicking all afternoon.

Still, he was able to drill the long attempt — a wobbling kick that didn’t win any style points but still did its job by splitting the uprights for a 24-21 overtime victory against the Hartford Colonials.

The winning boot came with 17 seconds to play in overtime, lifting the Locomotives (4-1) to their fourth straight victory. It was the first regular season overtime game in the history of the 2-year-old United Football League.

A Hauschka miss would have likely resulted in the league’s first tie. But the former NFL kicker, who honed his craft of kicking in poor conditions while with the Baltimore Ravens and growing up in the Boston area, was calm under pressure.

“I hit it pretty solid on my foot and I felt it, so I knew it was going to be good,” Hauschka said.

Las Vegas led 21-13 late in regulation before Hartford scored the equalizing touchdown and 2-point conversion with 1:04 to play. Hartford’s Josh McCown threw a 4-yard scoring strike to Tyson Devree for the touchdown, then connected with Syndric Steptoe for the conversion to even the score at 21.

That’s when strategy took over.

Las Vegas coach Jim Fassell ran out the clock in regulation, opting to be conservative with rookie quarterback Drew Willy making his first professional start. He knew it would have been asking a lot of Willy, a rookie from the University of Buffalo taking over for injured veteran Tim Rattay, to lead the Locos into field goal range going into the wind.

Then, when Las Vegas won the overtime coin toss, Fassell made the no-brainer decision of having the wind at the Locomotives’ back while on offense.

Fassell allowed Hartford to receive the ball first, knowing UFL overtime rules guarantee each team receives the ball once. In the NFL, overtime is sudden death, meaning the winner of the coin toss always elects to receive.

The strategy paid off as Hartford kicker Taylor Mehlhaff missed a 38-yard attempt wide right with five minutes remaining in overtime — a kick clearly hindered by the wind.

“I thought the team that won the wind in overtime would definitely have an advantage,” Hartford coach Chris Palmer said.

Fassell credits his nine seasons coaching the NFL's New York Giants for helping him become comfortable with managing the game with windy conditions. The UFL's overtime rules didn't hurt, either.

“I think it’s better than the college system, and I think it’s better than the NFL system," Fassell said.

Willy was effective in his debut, completing 18 of 29 passes for 191 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He connected with Adam Bergen for a 4-yard score in the third quarter to give Las Vegas a 14-13 lead.

When the 23-year-old Willy returned to the sidelines, Bergen gave him the ball to keep as a souvenir. It was that kind of day from Willy, who spent time with the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts before signing with the UFL.

He’s making the most of his opportunity. He solidified his spot as the Locos quarterback and will be in the spotlight as the UFL’s first-place team looks to defend its championship.

“I felt good out there. I thought I made some good decisions,” Willy said.

Locos getting kick from Hauschka

Steven Hauschka (9), shown lining up to attempt a field goal in the Locomotives' 22-10 victory over Omaha on Oct. 8, has converted 7 of 8 field-goal tries for Las Vegas and drawn praise for his deep kickoffs.

By STEVE CARP

October 22, 2010

The Locomotives might not know if they have a quarterback, but they finally have a kicker.

While the jury is out on backup quarterback Drew Willy, who replaces the injured Tim Rattay on Saturday when the first-place Locos host Hartford at Sam Boyd Stadium, Steven Hauschka not only has given Las Vegas a dependable field-goal kicker, the 3-1 Locos also have someone who consistently can launch kickoffs into the opposing team's end zone.

"I had been waiting for an NFL team to call, and it took a lot of thought to do it," Hauschka said of playing in the United Football League after stints the past two years with several NFL teams, including Minnesota, Baltimore, Atlanta and Detroit. "Sometimes, you don't know if it was the right decision. But so far, it's worked out."

In two games, Hauschka is 7 of 8 on his field-goal tries, including a long of 49 yards. He kicked four field goals in the Locos' 26-3 win over Sacramento last week and was selected as the UFL's Special Teams Player of the Week.

"Obviously, you want to make all your kicks," said Hauschka, who was signed Oct. 4. "But to get off to a good start and help the team win has helped my confidence."

Coach Jim Fassel knew one of his offseason tasks was replacing Graham Gano, who had signed with the Washington Redskins after the Locos won the inaugural UFL championship in November. He thought he had filled the void with Brooks Rossman, but Rossman hurt his leg late in training camp, forcing Fassel to sign Parker Douglass, who had played in the UFL last year with California (now Sacramento).

But Douglass was erratic with his field goals, and his kickoffs weren't going deep enough. He was released after Las Vegas' 1-1 start, and Hauschka, who had played soccer at Middlebury College in Vermont before becoming a place-kicker and played one year at North Carolina State, got the call.

"We always keep a list of players at every position in case we get in trouble," Fassel said. "We researched a few guys, and I really liked (Hauschka's) demeanor. He's calm and confident. Kickers don't have to learn a system; they just have to kick. He's come into a pressure situation and done a real nice job for us."

And while Hauschka is putting points on the board, his kickoffs have been just as vital. In the Locos' first two games, the average starting field position for their opponents was the 27-yard line with no touchbacks in eight attempts. With Hauschka, teams are starting drives at their 22. In 13 kickoffs by Hauschka, only one has been returned beyond the 30, and there have been five touchbacks.

"The depth of our kickoffs early this season bothered me," Fassel said. "We don't have that concern anymore."

Hauschka said he has concentrated on driving the ball deep.

"I think I have a strong leg, but I've been focusing on hitting my kickoffs right on my foot and hitting it square," he said. "The difference between starting at the 20 or at the 35 is huge."

Hauschka said he hopes to follow in Gano's footsteps and get picked up by an NFL team in late November.

"I think if I can keep kicking well, I can get back" to the NFL, he said.

Kicker Steve Hauschka named Special Teams Player of the Week

United Football League

October 19, 2010

Las Vegas Locos Pair Honored

JACKSONVILLE, FL – Omaha Nighthawks quarterback JEFF GARCIA was recognized for guiding his team into a tie for first place in the United Football League standings with his second Offensive Player of the Week award.

Also for the second time this season, Garcia directed a fourth-quarter comeback against the Hartford Colonials. His 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jeb Putzier with 6:43 to play ended up being the difference in a 19-14 road victory. Garcia completed 18 of 34 pass attempts for 185 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a game that saw turnover play a key role in the outcome.

In the Nighthawks' first-ever game in front of a 23,067 sellout crowd at Rosenblatt Stadium, Garcia led a dramatic game-winning drive in Week 2, which culminated in his 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert Ferguson with six seconds remaining to give Omaha a breathtaking 27-26 victory over the Colonials. That performance saw him share the offensive award with Sacramento Mountain Lions quarterback Daunte Culpepper.

United Football League Players of Week 5

Offense – Jeff Garcia, QB, Omaha Nighthawks

Defense – Lewis Baker, S, Las Vegas Locos

Special Teams – Steve Hauschka, Las Vegas Locos

Defensive honors went to Las Vegas Locos safety LEWIS BAKER, who made a significant impact in a 26-3 victory at the Sacramento Mountain Lions. Baker had a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception and two tackles as the Locos stayed tied atop the UFL standings at 3-1.

Chosen in the 10th round (46th overall) of the 2010 UFL Draft by the Locos, Baker boasts NFL experience with the San Francisco 49ers (2008-2009) after playing for four years at Oklahoma from 2003-2006 where he recorded 171 tackles from the safety and linebacker positions.

In only his second week in the UFL, Locos kicker STEVE HAUSCHKA tied a league record by hitting four field goals in the same 26-3 victory at Sacramento to earn the Special Teams Player of Week 5 vote. Hauschka hit field goals of 47, 44, 34 and 36 yards in the victory, equaling the mark set a week earlier by Florida Tuskers kicker Nick Novak. In his pro career, the North Carolina State product signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and has played for the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions.

Locos Sign Kicker Hauschka

October 5, 2010

By UFL Press

LAS VEGAS, NV – Saturday, September 25, 2010 – The Las Vegas Locomotives added Steven Hauschka to their roster Monday. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound kicker has gained NFL experience with the Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions.

Hauschka entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He shared kicking duties for the Vikings with Ryan Longwell in the preseason, before being waived by the team. He debuted in the regular season with the Ravens. His first professional field goal attempt came on November 9, 2008 against the Houston Texans, when he connected on a 54-yarder.

“We have some experience with Steve,” said Locos’ head coach Jim Fassel. “Graham Gano, who was our kicker last year, competed with him in Baltimore and so we’ve watched his career unfold. We certainly feel that he can come in and make a difference for our team both with his long kickoffs and with his accurate field goals.”

Hauschka also handled kickoffs for the Ravens. He was most recently on the Detroit Lions roster, playing in two 2010 preseason games. He went 4-for-4 in the Lions’ 25-20 win over the Denver Broncos making field goals of 28, 27, 29 and 27 yards.

Hauschka didn’t get a shot at a field goal in the other preseason game he played in, but he went 5-for-5 on extra points. He also showed off his big leg on kickoffs in both games.

“Long kickoffs are huge in our game,” Fassel said. “Everybody in our league has good returners and to help our special teams out we need a guy that can get the ball deep and get some hangtime on it, and we certainly feel like Steve can provide that for us.”

The Locos cut kicker Parker Douglass to create roster space for Hauschka. Douglass went 4-for-6 on field goals in the first two games for the Locos, but kept the ball short in his kickoffs.

Kicker Steve Hauschka impresses Lions

BY CARLOS MONARREZ

August 25, 2010

Lions kicker Steve Hauschka had an impressive game Saturday in Denver. He converted four field-goal attempts and showed off a strong leg by booting seven kickoffs into the end zone for six touchbacks.

Coach Jim Schwartz praised Hauschka on Monday, but he doesn't want to expend a valuable roster spot on a second kicker and tempered the enthusiasm about Hauschka, who is filling in while Jason Hanson recovers from knee surgery.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Schwartz said. "A lot of people have kicked balls deep in Denver. Steve's got a strong leg. He's got good leverage. He's got that little Ernie Els kick, where he doesn't look like he's giving it his all, but the ball carries on him. He sort of smoothes it.

"I'd like to see Jason healthy and hitting his kickoffs and feeling good about that, but theoretically, we could (keep Hauschka)."

Hauschka spent the past two seasons with Baltimore and has a career-long field goal of 54 yards. He said he would be happy to be a kickoff specialist, especially considering he hasn't been a kicker long.

Hauschka didn't play football until his roommate at Division III Middlebury College in Vermont -- safety Scott Secor of Lake Odessa -- talked him into trying out. He won the kicking and punting job while completing a neuroscience degree.

Encouraged, Hauschka enrolled at North Carolina State in 2007 as a graduate student, studied parks and recreation and kicked the winning 42-yard field goal to beat Miami (Fla.), 19-16, in overtime. He was carried off the field at the Orange Bowl.

Former Hurricanes offensive tackle Jason Fox barely remembered Hauschka. But ex-Miami safety Randy Phillips did -- with a little help from roommate and former Wolfpack defensive end Willie Young.

"Willie brought it to my attention that that was him who was doing that kicking," Phillips said. "Yeah, they rubbed it in on me. In fact, they was in my room when I got in there Friday. I was like, 'Who is this?' Oh, yeah, that's the kicker from N.C. State that sealed the deal on y'all."

Hauschka gets his kicks with NFL's Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens placekicker Steven Hauschka (6) follows through on a point-after during the game against the New England Patriots on Sunday Oct. 4, at Gillette Stadium.

By Sean Jacquet

October 7, 2009

Needham —

Some might look at Steve Hauschka’s whirlwind journey to the National Football League and consider it a detour on his road to a career as a dentist.

But somewhere along the line, the NFL became the destination. Dental school can wait.

“If the NFL comes knocking, you pursue that with everything you have,” said Hauschka in an interview with the Baltimore Sun last week. “Maybe I can go back to dental school later.”

The Needham native and Baltimore Ravens placekicker made his first trip to Gillette Stadium Sunday, drilling all three of his extra-point attempts in a 27-21 loss to the Patriots. The homecoming was just the latest high point in a five-year odyssey that has taken him from football neophyte kicking at Division III Middlebury College to the game’s highest level.

The 24-year-old Hauschka’s story is well documented in these parts but for those unfamiliar, here’s the Cliffs Notes version. A soccer and lacrosse player at Needham High and as a freshman at Middlebury, Hauschka, at the behest of his football player roommate, walked on to the gridiron as a sophomore. He thrived almost immediately, earning second-team All-NESCAC honors as a sophomore and junior (2004 and ‘05). As a senior, he broke the school’s single-season record with 10 field goals - eventually finishing with a career record 20 — making the All-NESCAC first team as the Panthers won the conference title.

“I was about as raw as it got for talent,” said Hauschka in the Sun interview. “Somehow, they ended up going with me, and I did pretty well. And I remember thinking: ‘What am I doing here? I’m a soccer player.’ I never even played football, and there were these recruits and everyone was talking about these recruits that they brought in. So I had those nerves and worried that I might not win this. But the only way to get over that is to keep your head down and get better as a kicker, and those things took care of themselves.”

After graduating from Middlebury with a degree in neurosciences — he finished with a 3.59 grade-point was accepted into five dental schools — Hauschka took his remaining year of NCAA eligibility to North Carolina State in 2007. He earned the starting gig in 2007, becoming a finalist for the Lou Groza award as the nation’s top kicker.

To this point, Hauschka’s journey closely resembles his father’s path. Peter Hauschka was a soccer and track star at Amherst College — now a NESCAC school — in the mid ’60s before earning a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys in 1967 despite never having played organized football. He also had a short stay with the Chicago Bears before attending dental school. His son had taken a similarly circuitous route to the NFL before a likely second career in dentistry.

But that’s where the paths diverge.

Steve signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. The Vikings placed him on waivers, but the Ravens snagged him the next day, signing him to their practice squad. Activated on Oct. 30 to share kicking duties with veteran Matt Stover, Hauschka hit his first field goal attempt, a 54-yarder against the Houston Texans.

After releasing Stover — the starting kicker since the franchise’s inception in 1996 — on March 5 this year, the Ravens re-signed the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Hauschka two weeks later. Despite some early struggles, Hauschka beat out Graham Gano for the starting job, hitting six of his last seven field goals to end the preseason. So far this season, he’s connected on four of five attempts, nailed all 16 of his extra points and even made a solo tackle in a Week 2 win over the San Diego Chargers.

“He’s done a great job,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said in a conference call last Wednesday. “I think he’s improved tremendously in the last year with Randy Brown, who is one of our coaches who helps him. He has a lot of talent. He’s a big, tall, strong guy and he’s very athletic. He has to prove himself, but he has a chance to kick in this league for a long time. He may miss a kick here or there and work through it, but he may not. So he does a good job.”

He also has a good job — the NFL league minimum is $385,000 — even though, in this profession, he’s liable to have his teeth knocked out as opposed to being the one to repair fractured molars. And he’s got another good gig lined up once his kicking days are through.

But that will have to wait.

Hauschka locks up Ravens' kicker job

From Aaron Wilson's "Ravens pare roster to 53"

September 6, 2009

OWINGS MILLS — Reacting to a series of uneven preseason performances, the Baltimore Ravens released five wide receivers on Saturday during their final major roster cutdown as they parted ways with Justin Harper and Yamon Figurs while signaling interest in former New York Giants wide receiver and special-teams ace David Tyree.

Plus, the Ravens cut rookie kicker Graham Gano and informed Steve Hauschka that he’s their choice to succeed veteran kicker Matt Stover.

The Ravens cut Harper, a big, athletic former seventh-round draft pick who repeatedly struggled with his hands, and Figurs, a former third-round draft pick who was replaced as the primary returner to Chris Carr this offseason.

Hauschka converted 5 of 6 field goals this preseason, locking up the job when he hit field goals from 46 and 33 yards in the final preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons

"Steve is really excited and has worked very hard," said Hauschka’s agent, Neil Cornrich. "He’s got a lot of ability and he’s honored that the Ravens chose him to be their kicker. Obviously, he follows a great kicker in Matt Stover. Steve has learned a lot from John Harbaugh and special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg. This is a great opportunity for him."

Harbaugh expresses confidence in new kicker Hauschka

Ravens Notebook:
By Aaron Wilson

September 8, 2009

OWINGS MILLS -- Steve Hauschka won the Baltimore Ravens' kicking job over Graham Gano because of his range, accuracy and fundamentals as he takes over for veteran kicker Matt Stover.

In Ravens coach John Harbaugh's estimation, Hauschka has the best mechanics of any young kicker he has watched in a long time. And he accompanied that compliment by referencing Philadelpha Eagles kicker David Akers and Cleveland Browns kicker Phil Dawson.

Hauschka converted 5 of 6 field goals during the preseason, including a 46-yarder against the Atlanta Falcons to wrap up the preseason.

"Obviously we're confident in him or he wouldn't be our kicker," Harbaugh said. "Let's understand this: he's going to miss some kicks. Now if he goes 100 percent and makes them all, we'll all look like geniuses, but that's not going to happen.

"He's going to miss a couple of kicks. The thing we're looking for is how he handles missing a kick just like how does Joe [Flacco] handle throwing a bad pass or Ray [Lewis] missing a tackle. We have to give him that kind of leeway. He's really talented."