Marvin Lewis: "We’ve got confidence in" Brad St. Louis

by Kirkendall on Oct 13, 2009 10:30 AM EDT in Analysis Comment 36 comments

Like most of you, I'm waiting for the hammer to fall on Brad St. Louis. Joe Reedy writes that bad snaps "runs the total to six which has resulted in 11 missed points." I certainly understand the thinking, but is it exactly fair that every point missed is attached to Brad St. Louis? Sure, you could say he's had his fair share of snaps in which a fighter pilot passing over Paul Brown Stadium has to break into evasive maneuvers. But there's been several snaps that Kevin Huber has been able to catch and place, which makes you wonder, does the snap have to be absolutely perfect for Graham to make the kick?

I had an argument a few days ago that several missed or blocked kicks that were the result of what was classified as a bad snap, were recovered enough by Huber and held in place as Graham approached the football. More than once, Graham stutter-steps, which obviously throws his timing off and, mostly likely, results in low nasty hooks that aren't even close.

My point is this. I agree. Since Brad St. Louis' struggles began on field goal and PAT attempts, I've become much more anxious than a critical fourth down play that would extend a game-winning touchdown drive. However, I'm just not sure every point missed by Graham should be exactly attributed to St. Louis.

Shayne Graham admitted as much.

“The ball got put on the spot,” Graham said. “I’ve just got to stay smooth with it and not react to anything else. The ball was on the spot. My job’s to make it.”

However, if you're expecting a change, then don't bank on it, if you read into Marvin Lewis' comments.

“I think it is a little bit mental, and I’m glad we were able to come through it in the end again today,” Lewis said of his snapper. “We’re working hard with him and just trying to help him to deal with it. We’ve got confidence in him. Yeah, last week we looked at some other guys, but that’s just what you do, you look at some other guys. You go with what you know and what you expect. He’s a great professional and pro, and we’re going to keep hopefully helping him with technique and some things, just the things we’re trying to do.”

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Brad St. Louis

Already cost us the playoffs once, how can they sit there and risk that happening again? Right now, he is clearly the worst long snapper with a job in the league. How many other teams have had this many missed opportunities? He is going to end up costing us a game this season, which cannot be justified when we are now first in the division. Get him the hell of the team.

It's still a good season if we go 2-14 and beat the Steelers twice.

by Bengals FTW on Oct 13, 2009 10:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

So what your saying is...

Blogger at CincyJungle.com -- SB Nation Cincinnati Bengals blog.

by Kirkendall on Oct 13, 2009 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You Gotta Be Shittin Me

It’s unfathomable that a guy that this guy is still on the roster. As a 10 year vet he’s getting paid at the very least $860,000 this year (NFL Minimum for 10 year players).

$860,000. To ONLY be a long snapper. …and to be a terrible one at that.

TWO THINGS:

— How does the coaching staff put up with this? How you can there even be any confidence whatsoever to attempt a field goal? They are completey ham strung by their long snapper!! Josh, you mention some of the kicks might be attributable to Graham. Well, if you were a kicker and every other snap flew over your head while you were making your approach, don’t you think you might be a head case too? Hence the stutter steps. Lets not forget that Graham has gotten clobbered on multiple attempts to recover miss fired snaps. I can’t believe Graham hasn’t fist-fought St. Louis by now.

— For a team that is historically cheap…I mean, fiscally responsible…(We’re winning by the way. When you win and spend little amounts of money, you are “fiscally responsible.” When you don’t spend money and you lose, you’re a cheap ass)

Anyways…for a team that has the spending history that the Bengals do, don’t you think that you’d go out and sign a rookie, or at the very least a 2nd or 3rd year player at a fracttion of the cost that you are paying St. Louis? ($310,000 – $475,000 vs. $860,000 seems like a no brainer).

You trying to tell me a long snapper could be worst than St. Louis? You could spend half the money with at the very worst, the same results.

What a fricken head scratcher.

by JohnCockToastin on Oct 13, 2009 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i think they would have to pay BSL and the new guy:(

by featherman on Oct 13, 2009 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah I think you may be right. BSL is almost certainly a vested veteran and I thought I heard from somewhere that means his salary is guaranteed as soon as he plays in a single game.

But still, he’s stank it up. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet anyway.

by FriarBob on Oct 13, 2009 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Took the words right out of my mouth. When you can’t get any worse….how much a risk is it to bring someone else in? Really…it’s borderline insane to think this isn’t going to cost us somewhere down the line. And Graham does have to be pissed. St. Louis is taking food off his table. Brother is playing on a one year contract. I liken him to a Reds pitcher with EE down at 3rd base. Major shot to the confidence when you have no clue what load of crap will be served up next.

by bodacio on Oct 13, 2009 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

brad st loser

theres no longer a thing called a bad snap in cincy, its now called a brad snap.

and what will it take for marvin to at least sign a snapper to the practice squad? its a matter of time until brad costs us a game. you can win every week in the last 60 seconds.

by palewook on Oct 13, 2009 10:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

In a superstitious and Glass half full

kind of way maybe we need BSL to give us the edge we have at the end of the game.
In all our games (even the Denver game) we were forced to go for the winning touchdown in the last minute of the game. We didn’t let up because we didn’t have the luxury of a game tying field goal.

by featherman on Oct 13, 2009 11:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

only the bengals would put up with this

by WhoDeyDerek on Oct 13, 2009 11:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The dreaded vote of confidence

I’m convinced he is gone now

First time I shot her, shot her in the side.
Hard to watch her suffer, but with the second shot she died...

by btcoop71 on Oct 13, 2009 11:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

DON'T BE BENGALIZED! BRAD ST. LOUIS HAS TO GO!!!

mikey boy made marvin say this because he doesn’t want to fork over two salaries for the same position. name any other team in the NFL that is talking about their long snapper… i’ll wait… still waiting………………………….

you can’t. the mere fact that we are even talking about replacing him means that we should replace him.

by GrooveLeg on Oct 13, 2009 11:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It could get ugly

If he screws up this weekend, at home. He has lost a lot of favor in the two weeks he’s been gone.

Bruce Bonser? Boone Bonser? Boot Bonser? BOOSE BONZER?

by Lakeman on Oct 13, 2009 11:41 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I've been watching the History Channel documentary on the Kennedy assasination

and it got me thinking about how crazy the BSL situation is. What if BSL took a bribe from Denver in 2006 and this year. Now he has to cover his tracks by blowing all these other snaps so people will think it’s just his issue. The problem with his diabolical plan is that the Bengals are not like any other team that would have let him go 3 games ago. He’s saying “you got to cut me” and the Bengals are saying “that’s ok we don’t realy want to change”.
I hope you realise I’m just kidding-Right?

by featherman on Oct 13, 2009 11:47 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I was thinking about the 2006 game as well...

…it seems like since then, our kicking game has been an adventure. Makes you wonder?
That’s one magic pigskin.

by goffchile on Oct 13, 2009 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Are you inferring the second gunman theory was really just an errant Brad St. Louis snap from the grassy knoll? This actually could carry some water . . .

by Cedric Benson Boat Party on Oct 13, 2009 11:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

lol yesssssss

by featherman on Oct 13, 2009 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

omg

lap has to use the ‘grassy knoll’ line the next time st loser launches a snap into orbit.

by palewook on Oct 13, 2009 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

unfortunately

he isn’t going to be cut until he causes another loss IMO. No matter how many snaps get botched.

by the-dude on Oct 13, 2009 1:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

FGs have never been so exciting!

"Ghiaciuc's play was a distraction"

by firstPick on Oct 13, 2009 1:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

other teams need to start blaring

yakety sax from their sound system anytime brad st louis hits the field

by palewook on Oct 13, 2009 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

or we should at PBS

by GrooveLeg on Oct 13, 2009 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

haha, +1 on yakety sax

by 80%OFTHETIMEIMRIGHTEVERYTIME on Oct 13, 2009 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree the Field goals are an adventure

CB85

by TennBengalfan on Oct 13, 2009 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Realize that there are over 100 division one schools and each obviously has a long snapper probably more than one.

I would invite ten of them. Line them up 7 yds from an orange cone and start snapping, you miss the cone youre out… Musical chairs. The last one standing hopefully a day later wins the job.

Sometimes when dealing with the slow of mind (mike brown) you have to lay it out like Jan does for Michael Scott on the office.

Duh…

by jrscheper on Oct 13, 2009 1:34 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs

lol that's hilarious.

can you imagine if that’s how we chose our long snapper? we’d be the laughing stock of the NFL. but i do agree—out of all the available ex-players with long-snapping ability, we can find at least one who is consistent.

by GrooveLeg on Oct 13, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs