Bojo to Rams (update - traded to Packers)

[boater]

BOJO in SOCAL. The wicked cost of living witch is his new bogeyman. He would have been better off playing kissyface with the Bills.

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

6 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/what-does-the-corey-bojorquez-signing-mean-for-johnny-hekker/ar-BB1fRQY3

 

Quote

Johnny Hekker has been the Rams’ punter since 2012, earning four Pro Bowl selections and being named a four-time All-Pro in that nine-year span. He’s been as steady as any punter in the NFL since coming into the league out of Oregon State, leading all players in punting yards twice, as well as yards per punt once.

He hasn’t had so much as an ounce of competition with the Rams, playing all 16 games each season since 2012. That could change this offseason, though.

Quote

Hekker has three years left on his contract still, but if the Rams truly are going to make a change at punter, he could be cut and actually save Los Angeles some salary cap space. According to Over The Cap, if Hekker is released after June 1, the Rams will save $3.75 million in cap space, taking on only $1.2 million in dead money.

 

Quote

It’s worth pointing out that Hekker didn’t have a great season in 2020, either. He averaged a career-low 45.6 yards per punt and had a long of just 63 yards. He did down 28 of his 68 punts inside the 20-yard line, but five of his punts went for touchbacks – the second straight year he’s had five touchbacks after kicking only seven total touchbacks from 2016-2018.
 

Bojorquez is far from a top-tier punter. If he were, the Bills would’ve re-signed him, or another team would’ve scooped him up before the Rams. He led the NFL with an average of 50.8 yards per punt, which was tied for fourth-most in a single season in league history. But he also kicked seven touchbacks, tied for most in the league last season, and only downed 18 of his 41 punts inside the 20. He has a big leg, but distance control is an area where he must improve.

 

6 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I'm interested in seeing the numbers on this Rams contract.

 

Me, too.  Unless it's big $, I don't think it's a "gimmee" he's got the job over Hekker.

 

Bojo is from Cali, though, and perhaps what Beane meant by "want guys who want to be here" when he came up, is that long term he wanted to go back there.

[BfloBillsFan]

This move should bump their projected win totals to 11 in Vegas

[Sherlock Holmes]

6 hours ago, uninja said:

Don't need to invest in your punter if you never punt 😉

 

That being said I'm going to miss Bojangles, that one punt he uncorked against MIA in week 17 last year may have been the most perfect punt I have ever seen.

How dare you insult Brian Moorman like that...

PUNTER SWAP!!!

[Thurman#1]

7 hours ago, Doc said:

 

https://www.buffalobills.com/news/bills-today-espn-s-dan-orlovsky-loves-this-free-agent-quarterback-signing-by-the

 

 

Looks to me like a simple contract disagreement.

 

I think they downgraded a bit at punter, but probably saved some money for use on other positions and players. Hope that works out. Hard to know when we don't know what Bojo was asking for.

[Chandler#81]

Haven’t read every post yet, but didn’t Bojo pin them at the 1 with the best punt in football last season?

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

8 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

Haven’t read every post yet, but didn’t Bojo pin them at the 1 with the best punt in football last season?

Agreed, but late breaking metrics have revealed that it was a fluke.  Due to the Coriolis Effect, left footed punters only thrive in the Southern Hemisphere.

*
🤔

[JMF2006]

16 hours ago, Doc said:

You know the Bills signed another punter a month ago, right?

 

He's a Haack

10 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

So we have to give the Pats OUR Comp pick?

 

J/K had to beat Ridgeway to the punch

[SoCal Deek]

We aren’t planning on punting the ball in 2021 anyway so what difference does it make? (Seriously though, I’d ALWAYS spend as little as possible on a punter.)

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

17 hours ago, 17islongenough said:

Isn't Hekker one of the best in the league?

 

If Bojo signs for less than 2.7 its cheaper to cut hekker.

17 hours ago, Process said:

Based on Beanes comments it seems like it was bojo that wanted out 

 

Cya!!

 

Its one of the worst places to punt in the NFL.  He probably thought he could do better numberswise elsewhere.  I know moorman had a nice career here, but he was clearly the outlier among buffalo punters in the last 30 years.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

4 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

Haven’t read every post yet, but didn’t Bojo pin them at the 1 with the best punt in football last season?

 

He did, but then there's also this assessment from the article linked above:

Quote

Bojorquez is far from a top-tier punter. If he were, the Bills would’ve re-signed him, or another team would’ve scooped him up before the Rams. He led the NFL with an average of 50.8 yards per punt, which was tied for fourth-most in a single season in league history. But he also kicked seven touchbacks, tied for most in the league last season, and only downed 18 of his 41 punts inside the 20. He has a big leg, but distance control is an area where he must improve.

 

The Rams appear to be bringing in competition thus firing a "shot across the bows" of Hekker, who had 7 total touchbacks in 3 SEASONS 2016-2018 - but has had 5 touchbacks per season the last 2 seasons.  He's also had a shorter average punt distance (career worst) last season and only downed about the same % as Bojo inside the 20 yd line, ~40%

 

I think Bojo is reasonable competition for last year's Hekker but I'm expecting a cheap "competition" contract for him.  I think he and his agents perhaps got a bit "full of themselves" after he led the league in punting and pulled some fantastic "coffin corner" punts, forgetting that he also had some squibs and a bunch of touchbacks.

[RyanC883]

if he didn't want to be here, then good ridding's.  Perhaps he didn't get to punt enough here! 

[BornAgainBillsFan]

This was the wrong year for a punter to play hard ball.

[Captain Caveman]

I assume this happened because we are making a conscious decision to never punt again, since punting is for losers.

[Alphadawg7]

22 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

Well this makes me happy actually because Rams are my second team...a very distant second team compared to my love of the Bills, but definitely my second team.  I would have much preferred to see Bojo stay here after the season he had last year though.  Then again, prior to last season, he had been wildly inconsistent, so who knows if he will be as good this year or not.  But his last season here was pretty great.  

[hondo in seattle]

The analytics guys say punting is rarely the right decision on 4th down.   

[billsfan89]

17 hours ago, Doc said:

The “the bills want players who want to be here” suggests that he took it personally.  I’ve never heard him say that about a departing player before. 

 

It is possible that it was more than business reasons, as you are correct that comment is odd.

[Orlando Buffalo]

9 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

The analytics guys say punting is rarely the right decision on 4th down.   

With our offense anything that is 4th and 2 or less and at the 50 should never be a punt. It does matter on who your QB is but we have the right one for it.

[The Jokeman]

14 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

 

It is possible that it was more than business reasons, as you are correct that comment is odd.

It could be Bojo didn't want to sign to a long term deal and the Bills wanted him to, so instead went elsewhere. I'm not too upset as Haack seems to be a better punter in terms of skill. 

[Doc Brown]

38 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

The analytics guys say punting is rarely the right decision on 4th down.   

Depends on field position, down, and distance.  Teams are becoming more aggressive though.  Wish McD would've trusted his analytics guys in the AFC Championship game.