the kickers thread…Hajrullahu cut

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from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2020/05/29/la-rams-kicker-lirim-hajrullahu-77-yards/

The Rams currently have three kickers on the roster, two of which hailed from other football leagues, and another who was a seventh-round pick. Lirim Hajrullahu was signed by the Rams out of the CFL, and he’ll be competing against former XFL kicker Austin MacGinnis and rookie Sam Sloman out of Miami (Ohio).

Hajrullahu was a prolific kicker in the CFL and this week, he showed off his leg strength by drilling field goals from 75 and 77 yards out.

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View this post on Instagram

Loading.. 🎯 77 yards and 75 yards.. @coachkick_ was telling me that 77 is the furthest kick he’s ever seen live so I accepted that challenge yesterday with only a 5mph wind.

A post shared by Lirim Hajrullahu (@lirim_70) on May 28, 2020 at 11:57am PDT

[JackPMiller]

I hear Lirim Hajrullahu is also real good in bad weather. I look at him as the favorite to win the job over the other two.

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from This stat shows just how clutch Rams K Sam Sloman was in college
This stat shows just how clutch Rams K Sam Sloman was in college

Part of what caught their eye about Sloman was his clutch factor. This stat was shared by Rams senior personnel executive Brian Xanders, which is certainly encouraging as Sloman enters the kicking battle.

“In the second half or overtime during the last two years, he went 27 out of 29. So when the score is tight or it’s getting close to the end of the game, he’s been clutch,” Xanders said.

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from https://www.therams.com/news/lirim-hajrullahu-at-last-gets-nfl-chance-rams

Hajrullah said the Seahawks brought him in for a tryout after kicker Sebastian Janikowski suffered a hamstring injury on a missed 57-yard field goal try in their 2019 Wild Card playoff game, but nothing came out of it. He also had a couple NFL opportunities pop up last December, but his CFL team would not give him permission to try out, so he asked for his release to pursue his NFL dream uninhibited.

The gamble seemed to pay off. He felt he performed well at kicking coach Gary Zauner’s NFL free agent combine, and that confidence was justified when the Rams “and a few other teams” expressed interest in him.

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oldnotdead

The Ram season IMO turned basically on 2 missed FGs. If not for those, no one would be asking “what happened to the Rams?” Well, the Rams will have a new kicker this year. I think it will be Lirim Hajrullahu.

Lirim has a better leg than Greg ever had. He’s been far and away more consistent than Greg ever was. He’s been a professional for years, kicking FGs outside in the Canadian winters. He’s proven himself under professional pressure. He would have to get sick or injured not to be the Ram’s PK this year. I think they will try to sneak Sloman onto the PS but I don’t think he will get there too many teams need a kicker like the Giants. So that probably puts MacGinnis on the PS.

Lirim could be the last piece of the puzzle. His range and accuracy could be the deciding factor in crucial games in the same way Greg was in the NFC Championship game in 2018. The only downside is his age at 30. But being a PK minimizes that issue. Talk about under the radar weapons I think Lirim could very well be exactly that. I watched some of his Canadian kicks and I’m shocked he has lasted that long in the CFL without being signed in the NFL.

But the reason I think he’s a lock to make the team is that he can punt. He’s not a great punter but he’s not bad either (44-45 yd aver last year) in the same way Hekker isn’t a great PK but he’s serviceable. Having both kickers being able to fill in for each other is a huge roster advantage especially this year. If Hekker shows up with a slight temp he won’t be allowed to play so having someone who can be a gameday replacement would be huge.

Last year during the season in different games Lirim made a 62 yd FG and a 70 yd FG with the last one being in heavy November air. Imagine needing a game-winning FG in January in Chicago, Greenbay, or Philly and I think you get the value of having proven weather and pressure-proof pk.

Yeah, he’s my pick for under the radar impact signing.

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Lirim Hajrullahu explains why he picked Rams over 5 other teams https://t.co/UYQJqE7kwm

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) August 2, 2020

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