and the panthers just signed...

Panthers sign kicker to practice squad to replace Kasay|
CHARLOTTE (AP) - The Carolina Panthers on Thursday added free agent kicker Jon Hilbert to replace the injured John Kasay.
Hilbert was signed to the practice squad, but will be activated to the 53-man roster later this week once the Panthers make room for him on the roster. The team is considering placing Kasay on injured reserve, meaning he would be out for the season.
‘‘There’s a possibility of that,’’ Panthers head coach John Fox said. ‘‘I can’t speculate right now. I’m not a doctor. We’ll take that information as we get it.’’
The Panthers are awaiting a second opinion on Kasay’s groin problem, but the team believes he has a sports hernia, a weakness in the abdominal muscles and is not as severe as a regular hernia.
If that’s the case, Kasay would likely miss up to two months.
‘‘We’ve been battling this thing for seven or eight weeks now,’’ Fox said. ‘‘Some of the symptoms have led us to believe it’s a sports hernia. This isn’t something that shows up on the MRI. But that’s what most of the experts think it is.’’
Hilbert won the job after beating out Jaret Holmes, Tim Seder and Michael Husted in an open audition Thursday morning at Ericsson Stadium.
Hilbert, 27, spent part of last season with the Dallas Cowboys, converting 11 of 15 field goals and all 12 extra points. He attended training camp with the Chicago Bears this summer, but was displaced by incumbent Paul Edinger.
‘‘He was a lot stronger than most of the guys that worked out and almost as accurate as anybody else,’’ holder Todd Sauerbrun said. ‘‘So why not take the (strong) leg? He was the best choice.’’
A 12-year NFL veteran, Kasay had been bothered by the groin problem throughout preseason and into the regular season. He’d converted only 2 of 5 field goals season and was 0-for-3 from beyond 30 yards.
‘‘He just wasn’t himself — his confidence didn’t seem like it was there all the way,’’ Sauerbrun said. ‘‘I don’t know what it was, but I guess he was hurting the whole way through and just wasn’t right from the start.’’
Last Sunday, Kasay had a 46-yard attempt blocked, while a 40-yarder sailed wide right. He missed a 50-yard attempt the first week.
Kasay missed the final three games of the 1999 season with a torn knee ligament in his kicking leg. While attempting to make a comeback the following summer he cracked his kneecap at training camp and spent all of 2000 on injured reserve.
Kasay returned last season and converted 23 of 28 field goals, including a perfect 14-for-14 from inside 40 yards.
Entering this season, Kasay hit 80.2 percent on field goals in his career. He’s one of the team’s more popular players and the only one left from the original Panthers expansion team in 1995.

 

it's almost a given that if you're a young kicker, you're going to be going through Dallas or Chicago.

Never heard of him. Whatever.

 

Last Year at Louisville:

FIELD GOALS FGM-FGA Pct 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-99 Lg Blk
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HILBERT, Jon 11-18 61.1 0-0 3-3 6-9 1-4 1-2 51 2

I'd like to see more from 40-49 than 1-4. Seems that was the range Kasay missed last week.