Seahawks re-sign Steven Hauschka
Apr 19, 2013, 2:29 PM | Updated: 2:36 pm
By Danny O’Neil
Kicker Steven Hauschka was a waiver-wire addition when the Seahawks signed him a week before the 2011 regular season began.
Hauschka |
He has become a mainstay for the team, and the Seahawks announced Friday that he had re-signed.
Hauschka was one of the team’s unrestricted free agents. He has made 49 of 57 field-goal attempts in his two seasons with the Seahawks, making a field goal in a franchise-record 14 consecutive regular-season games from October 2011 to September 2012.
Hauschka’s field-goal percentage for the Seahawks – 86 percent – is the second-highest of any player in franchise history with a minimum of 25 attempts. Olindo Mare – Hauschka’s predecessor in Seattle – ranks first at 88 percent.
Pretty good pickup considering the Seahawks signed Hauschka in September 2011 after he was waived by Denver.
Hauschka has good depth on his kickoffs, but the only criticism has been his range on field-goal attempts. He has made three of the eight kicks he has attempted from 50 or more yards and was just one of four in 2012.
There is a new generation of kickers in the league, and last year rookies Greg Zuerlein in St. Louis and Blair Walsh in Minnesota showed just how much an asset a strong-legged kicker can be.
Seattle already has Carson Wiggs signed, and he is a strong-legged candidate who is with the team in training camp last year.