Kicking around the kicking game

The Browns have booted “The Scottish Hammer,” punter Jamie Gillan, off their roster, but, at least for the time being, they have not chased their kicker, Chase McLaughlin, off it as well.

I don’t want to see anyone lose their job — especially in the NFL, where they are so hard to come by — but I am thrilled about the first move because Gillan simply made too many mistakes, and disappointed about the second one because I have to believe that the Browns can do better at kicker, right?

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Really, do you have any confidence in McLaughlin when he attempts a field goal? I know I sure don’t, and I don’t think anyone does. Even when he made kicks, too many of them were line drives instead of towering shots about which there was no doubt.

To be honest, though, kicking field goals is tough. It’s downright hard. So, while McLaughlin failed, a lot of kickers, not just on the Browns but throughout pro football, have done the same thing over the years.

But punting is not that hard, at least in terms of transitioning from college to the NFL. You take the snap and kick the ball. Pretty simple.

Gillian, though, after a good performance last season, really struggled this year, beginning with dropping the snap in the opener at Kansas City that played a huge role in the Browns losing. He took a lot of heat for that, as well he should have, and he never seemed to recover. It appeared as if the negativity got into his head and just stayed there, resulting in too many shanks. And shanks are many times game-changers, flipping the field position — and the outcome of the game — in a negative way, as what happened against the Chiefs.

Let’s hope Dustin Colquiutt can keep up the good work.

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By Steve King