Kai Forbath Named NFC ST Player of the Week

For Immediate Release
October 29, 2014

KAI FORBATH NAMED
NFC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The National Football League announced today that Washington Redskins kicker Kai Forbath has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in a Week 8 overtime win against the Dallas Cowboys.

Against the Cowboys, Forbath converted two field goal attempts including the eventual game-winner, a 40-yard attempt, on the Redskins’ first possession of overtime in a 20-17 road win on Monday Night Football. His performance came a week after setting a career high with four field goals including a game-winning 22-yarder at the end of regulation against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7.

Forbath has made his last nine attempts and is 13-of-14 (92.9 percent) on field goal attempts this season. For his career, he has converted 48-of-54 field goal attempts (88.9), the highest percentage of any kicker in franchise history with a minimum of 50 attempts.

This marks the first NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award of Forbath’s career. He is the first member of the Redskins to earn the honor since Graham Gano in Week 16 of the 2010 season.

Redskins players have won 86 Player of the Week awards, including 13 NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors, since the NFL started awarding weekly honors in 1984. Forbath joins Gano, Hunter Smith, Santana Moss, Ryan Plackemeier, Shaun Suisham, Antonio Brown, Brian Mitchell (three times), Matt Turk (twice) and Chip Lohmiller as the only members of the Redskins to receive the award.

It should also be noted that he's kicked the game-winner TWO weeks in a ROW

Awesome! Couldn't be happier for him.

“He’s one of those guys that in practice you say he should probably look at another kicker,” Gruden said. “But game day, he rises to the occasion all the time. I don’t think in pregame warmup he made a kick. [But] he’s been a gamer.”

That is why Forbath was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. A week earlier, Forbath made four field goals, including a game-winning 22-yard kick. For the season, Forbath has made nine straight and 13 of 14.

This from a guy who was nearly cut at the end of training camp. But a strong showing in the preseason finale boosted him ahead of Zach Hocker.

“Yeah, it feels good to show them they made the right choice,” Forbath said.

It’s not just his field goals, as Forbath has improved on his kickoffs as well, with nine of his last 19 resulting in touchbacks. Three of his five kickoffs Sunday were touchbacks.

Click to expand...

Keim

Washington Redskins' Jay Gruden on kicker Kai Forbath: He's a gamer - ESPN

Really am impressed by the recent kickoffs. Punching out touchbacks instead of returnables that give up way too much field position has been a boon to the defense.

Forbath makes kicks that's all that matters.

Kick offs? Joe Gibbs brought in Steve Cox to punt AND kick off because Moseley kept tweaking his groin on them. But he didn't cut Moseley

Tress Way can continue to kick off if it becomes problematic again.

But you don't cut a 'money' kicker because of short kickoffs.

Bulldog's Twin said:

Forbath makes kicks that's all that matters.

Kick offs? Joe Gibbs brought in Steve Cox to punt AND kick off because Moseley kept tweaking his groin on them. But he didn't cut Moseley ��

Tress Way can continue to kick off if it becomes problematic again.

But you don't cut a 'money' kicker because of short kickoffs.

Click to expand...

Well, the Zach Hocker experience seems to have made him better, because he seems like's both a better placekicker and a better kicker-offer, too.
If using a 6th rounder had that effect, I guess it's worth it.