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PK Matt Stover, Baltimore Ravens
HT: 5-11, WT: 178, Born: 1-27-1968, College: Louisiana Tech, Drafted: Round 12
2008 Projections
Best Case
... the offensive under new coordinator Cam Cameron produces similar to the squads he coached in San Diego several years ago. If given the opportunities, Stover produces. Last year he hit 27 of 32 Field goals (84.4%). It was his ninth year in a row hitting at least 84%. The next closest to that current nine year streak is Nate Kaeding with three years. Over a decade ago (October 29, 1996) is the last time he missed an extra point. His 348 consecutive PATs trails only Jeff Wilkins' and Jason Elam's record of 371. Extra points may look easy, but most kickers miss at least one every two or three years.
Worst Case
... the offensive under new coordinator Cam Cameron produces similar to the squad he coached in Miami last year. The departure of Brian Billick and his staff should also not be underestimated. During the Billick years, Stover was an anomaly. Most fantasy kickers with continued success are fueled by a strong offense. Every year there's one or two exceptions of a kicker that happens to get a lot of field goals with a mediocre offense, but it doesn't last beyond that year. Stover was the exception to the exceptions. He finished in the top ten in kicker scoring in six of the last eight years. While Stover remained consistent with his accuracy, the Ravens remained consistent with their scoring tendencies. Most teams score more touchdowns than they do field goals. Baltimore was the opposite. Stover attempted more field goals than PATs in seven of the nine years while Billick was head coach.
Outlook
Every seven years, Stover has a bad game on opening day. He missed three Field goals in week #1 of 1998, and he missed three Field goals in week #1 of 2005. You won't need to worry about Stover missing three field goals on opening day again until 2012. In between the rare misses, he has scored plenty of points (1,822). Stover is currently in 4th place on the NFL all-time scoring list, trailing George Blanda by 180 points. How quickly the offense gels (or not) under new head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will determine how much of that gap Stover closes this year. As is not uncommon with aging kickers (Stover is entering his 18th season), the Ravens periodically utilized a strong-legged second kicker to handle kickoffs and long field goal attempts. Stover resumed handling those duties the last two years and did fairly well. Should the new staff opt to keep a second kicker again, Piotr Czech is the current candidate.
