All PK projections • Current PK rankings • DET team report
PK Jason Hanson, Detroit Lions
HT: 5-11, WT: 190, Born: 6-17-1970, College: Washington State, Drafted: Round 2
2008 Projections
Best Case
Hanson has been a fixture with the Lions for all of his 16 years in the NFL, and has seen the ups and downs of the Detroit offense. Last year's 122 points was the third highest point total of his career, and placed the Lions at 8th in kicker scoring for the year. He's currently ranked 10th on the NFL's all-time scoring list, and needs only 41 points to move past Jan Stenerud and 53 to surpass Nick Lowery this year. Hanson has always had the leg to make the longer kicks. He added three field goals of 50+ yards last year, bringing his career total to 33 which is third all-time. He averages two 50+ yarders per year. He's improved on PATs over the years, having missed only two in the last eight years. One of those misses was last year, however it was blocked. Hanson is in very good shape for an "old" guy. He did miss one game in 2005 with a hamstring injury; however that was the first and only injury of his career. If the offense can continue to provide Hanson with scoring opportunities, he could replicate last year's results.
Worst Case
The Lions have ranked in the top ten in kicker scoring each of the last two years. Football is a team game, but it's hard not to associate that recent success with one person. Those two years coincide with Mike Martz's tenure as offensive coordinator. During the six year stretch from 2000 to 2005 before he arrived, the Lions ranked 16th, 23rd, 20th, 27th, 19th, and 32nd in kicker scoring. Martz in now gone and former offensive line coach Jim Colletto has been promoted to fill the position. The change in coordinator and offensive system could easily drop Hanson back into the bottom half of the kicker standings this year.
Outlook
After hitting an impressive 95.7% on field goals in 2003 and a solid 85.7% in 2004, he slipped to 79.2% (19 of 24) in 2005. He rebounded in 2006, going 29 of 33 (87.9%). Last year's 29 of 35 (82.9%) probably could have been better if two of the attempts had not been blocked. The 8th and 7th place finishes in kicker scoring the last two years were a huge jump from 2006 when the Lions were the worst in the NFL. Unfortunately the change in offensive coordinator and offensive system this year makes it unlikely they will remain in the top ten. Learning and growing is the more likely itinerary for 2008. As they age, many kickers starting losing distance on their kickoffs. Hanson started showing signs of a decline for the first time in 2005. His 61.2 average and five touchbacks were both the worst of his career. He rebounded however, averaging 66.9 yards with 13 touchbacks in 2006 and 65.0 yards and 13 touchbacks last year. Should Detroit decide to lighten Hanson's workload, off-season signee punter/kicker Paul Ernster could conceivably handle kickoff duties.
