Sort of like a bake-off: Redskins hold ‘kick-offs’ to help settle ever-so-close kicker battle

Redskins hold ‘kick-offs’ to help choose kicker

ASHBURN, Va. — “19-17.” ”Twelve seconds left.” ”No timeouts.” ”Mayday! Mayday!”

Washington Redskins special teams coach Danny Smith barked the scenario with a loud-and-clear twinge of panic and started the countdown — “11, 10, 9, 8 …” — the seconds flying by perhaps a bit quicker than they would on an actual clock.

Shaun Suisham ran onto the practice field with the field goal unit. As Smith kept counting — “3, 2, 1″ — Suisham booted a 52-yarder into the black net that hangs between the uprights at Redskins Park, then celebrated by slapping hands with holder Hunter Smith.

Then the whole thing was done all over again. Only this time, it was Dave Rayner getting the chance to kick, his 52-yard attempt also hitting the net. Yes, he also slapped hands with the holder.

Another day, another stalemate in the final week of the too-close-to-call race for the kicker’s job.

“It’s hard,” Danny Smith said. “It really is. I don’t know what the (heck) to do.”

Perhaps there are bigger issues in the final two weeks before the regular season opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 13 — Jason Campbell’s readiness, Carlos Rogers’ health, the battle for No. 2 receiver — but there’s no diminishing the importance of a reliable kicker. The Redskins had five games decided by three points or fewer last year, and Suisham’s 16-for-26 season ranked near the bottom of the league.

So Rayner was signed to give Suisham some competition, the thought being that one would separate himself from the other during the preseason. Circumstances soon conspired against the plan: The Redskins have only attempted three field goals in three games, and two of those were gimmies from 20 and 25 yards. The other was a 52-yarder that Suisham missed in Friday’s game against New England.

So, on Tuesday, the coaches held a “kick-off” for the second straight week. With the rest of the team watching, Suisham and Rayner took their turns trying kicks from various distances from both hash marks. Last week, the kick-off didn’t help make up the coaches’ minds at all: Both made all six attempts.

Tuesday’s competition consisted of seven kicks at distances of 39, 52, 44, 40, 41, 47 and 52 yards. The first six were at a normal pace, the final one was the mayday drill. The second kick, from the left hash mark, was the one Suisham missed in Friday’s game.

Rayner missed the first two, then made five straight to go 5 for 7. Suisham made his 52-yarder but missed another kick, finishing 6 for 7.

If the showdown made either nervous, it didn’t show. Asked about it afterward, Suisham acted as if he had just returned from a quiet stroll in the park.

“I don’t know why I’m a story,” he said.

“It’s kicking field goals. It’s nothing more than that,” Suisham said. “It’s practice. I’m trying to get ready for the season. I feel great. I feel like I’ve been hitting the ball well. I’m disappointed that I missed the kick in the game, obviously, but it hasn’t shaken me. I feel good.”

At least Rayner acknowledged that the kick-off was something out of the ordinary. He’s familiar with such drama, having bounced around among five teams in his four NFL seasons.

“It’s all based on individual kicks,” Rayner said. “And if you don’t get a lot of kicks in a game, which we haven’t, then obviously practice becomes more important.”

It would have been easy for the Redskins if one or the other had shanked all seven attempts on Tuesday. With decision day looming — the deadline is Saturday for the final roster to be set — the last chance to impress comes in the preseason finale against Jacksonville on Thursday.

Assuming, of course, the offense cooperates by having plenty of drives that stall somewhere in field goal range.

“We hope that they get some kicks in the game so that we can see more and more,” coach Jim Zorn said. “It’ll be a last-minute decision as we go along here, because it’s not clear.”

NOTES: DT Albert Haynesworth (stomach ailment) and RB Clinton Portis (bruised rib) missed practice for the second day in a row. Neither will play Thursday. … Also sidelined were CB Rogers (calf), S Kareem Moore (hamstring) and G Randy Thomas (calf).