Steelers: Boswell or Suisham?
By Josh Fitzer
I don’t think anyone expected Chris Boswell to come in and do as well as he has. Especially since we got use to seeing Josh Scobee miss some easy kicks. With Boswell doing so well, one must ask this question going into the off-season: Boswell or Suisham?
Okay. There’s no way other way to say it, our kicker situation was an absolute nightmare a few months ago. I mean, what team has four different kickers in one season? *crickets*
Anyways. At least that problem has been solved. It’s been solved by a guy who didn’t have a job when the Steelers called him. Our hero who dons #9 for the Black & Gold goes by the name of Chris Boswell.
Nov 1, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell (9) on the field before playing the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field. The Bengals won 16-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Boswell has been quite consistent since coming to Pittsburgh. His numbers so far this season are 26 FGA (field goal attempts), 24 FGM (field goals made) and a long of 51 yards. There’s no doubt that Boswell has put the minds of Steeler Nation at ease. In fact, I know he’s sort of becoming a fan favorite, but we can’t forget about Shaun Suisham.
Shaun Suisham signed a four-year contract extension on August 1st, 2014. On August 9th, 2015 he tore his ACL, thus ending his 2015 season. Obviously he’ll be ready in time for training camp, and you gotta think the Steelers invite Boswell to St. Vincent this August. If both of these things happen, and both of these kickers perform well, do the Steelers go with the older Suisham or the younger Boswell?
I’m not saying having an older kicker is a bad thing. I mean, Adam Vinatieri is still playing at a high level and he’s like 55, right?
Suisham has been “Mr. Consistent” in the last few years. In 2014, Shaun made 29 FG out of 32 attempts (one was 53 yards) and was 45 out of 45 on extra points. Suisham has become a fan favorite for Steelers fans over the years. Nobody wants to see “their” guy get let go, but that very well could happen here.
With a large extension looming for Antonio Brown, the Steelers could go with the younger, cheaper option in Boswell. If they don’t, and Suisham gets hurt again, Boswell would’ve most likely signed with another team already and GM Kevin Colbert could be in the exact same spot again.
No matter what happens, lets hope our future kicker stays healthy.
Here we go, Steelers! Here we go!