From the Manhattan KS Mercury

[JoeF]

Five sign free agent deals

 

Five Kansas State football players spent Monday signing free agent contracts with teams in the National Football League.

 

Center Mike Johnson signed with the Kansas City Chiefs; Cedrick Williams with the Houston Texans; Tony Madison with the Miami Dolphins; Joe Rheem with the Buffalo Bills; and, Jon Doty with the Carolina Panthers.

 

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Joe Rheem --- looks like Camp Fodder -- any Big 12 fans with insight???

 

From Scouts, Inc...

 

Overall: Rheem saw time as a place kicker in his true freshman season in 2001 as was the team's fulltime place kicker from 2002-'04. He split duties on kickoffs but is not a kickoff specialist prospect for the NFL level. Rheem connected on 9-of-12 field goal attempts in 2002, 12-of-17 in 2003 and 13-of-15 in 2004.

 

Rheem isn't pretty, doesn't have great trajectory and doesn't have nearly the leg strength of Nugent or Rayner, but he has very good accuracy, consistency and mechanics. Rheem will never be able to kickoff in the NFL and his range on FGA's is limited, but he could be worth bringing in to training camp as an undrafted rookie free agent because of his efficiency as a place kicker.

[Cotton Fitzsimmons]

Rheem isn't pretty, doesn't have great trajectory and doesn't have nearly the leg strength of Nugent or Rayner, but he has very good accuracy, consistency and mechanics. Rheem will never be able to kickoff in the NFL and his range on FGA's is limited, but he could be worth bringing in to training camp as an undrafted rookie free agent because of his efficiency as a place kicker.

320204[/snapback]

 

Honestly, he sounds better than what we have. Lindell is DECENT on kickoffs, but hell at this point I'd take a guy who was consistent from 40 yds and in.

[Happy Days Lois & Clark]

At least the Bills brought in someone to challenge Lindell who is possibly good enough to win the job

[Albany,n.y.]

Here's his profile from SportsXchange's NFL Draft Scout, seems to be getting better each year 2/2 50+ this year, data disputes some of the things in negatives, but then again, Lindell looks good on paper too:

 

Joe Rheem, K, Kansas State

 

 

Name: Joe Rheem

College: Kansas State Number: 15

Height: 6-0 Weight: 217

Position: K Pos2:

Class/Draft Year: Sr/2005

40 Time:

Projected Round: http://www.nfldraftscout.com/members/ratin...order=ASCStock:

Rated number 6 out of 32 K's 489 / 1479 TOTAL

 

Combine Results Pro Day Results

Combine Invite: yes

Height: 6002

Weight: 217

40 Yrd Dash:

20 Yrd Dash:

10 Yrd Dash:

Wonderlic: 14

225 Lb. Bench Reps:

Vertical Jump:

Broad Jump:

20 Yrd Shuttle:

3-Cone Drill:

 

Dates: 03/14/2005

Height: 6002

Weight: 217

40 Yrd Dash:

20 Yrd Dash:

10 Yrd Dash:

225 Lb. Bench Reps:

Vertical Jump:

Broad Jump:

20 Yrd Shuttle:

3-Cone Drill:

 

 

 

DRAFT BIOGRAPHY

 

 

 

OVERVIEW

One of the most prolific scorers in Kansas State history, Rheem carried on the family tradition of kicking for the Wildcats. The team's primary placekicker for four seasons, his brother, Jamie, was a two-time All-American kicker at KSU.

At Wichita Collegiate High School, Joe earned All-American honors from Parade. He was a member of Prep Star's "Dream Team" and selected to Wichita Eagle's Top 33 squad. Rheem was a three-time first team Class 3A All-State kicker and a unanimous selection as the All-MCAA kicker for three seasons.

A three-time all-league punter, Rheem also played quarterback and led the Spartans to the Class 3A state championship as a senior, earning All-league and honorable mention 3A All-State accolades as QB. He made 11-of-13 field goals, including season-long 55-yarder and converted 76 of 78 extra-point kicks. Rheem threw for more than 1,700 yards and had a 48-yard average as a punter his junior year. He also lettered twice for the state-champion golf team.

Rheem joined tailback Darren Sproles as the only true freshmen to contribute at Kansas State in 2001. Rheem scored 32 points on 4-of-6 field goals and 20-of-22 extra points. He added 80 points in 2002, as he was successful on 9-of-12 field goal attempts. Rheem picked up All-Big Twelve Conference third-team honors in 2003, when he totaled a career-high 103 points on 67-of-68 extra point conversions and 12-of-17 field-goal attempts.

Rheem was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award (nation's top kicker) in 2004, as he converted 13-of-15 field goals and 37-of-38 PATs for 76 points. He finished his career with 291 points, the third-best overall total in school history behind Darren Sproles (294, 2001-04) and Martin Gramatica (349, 1994-95, 97-98). He connected on 38 of 50 field goals, ranking behind Gramatica (54) and Joe's brother, Jamie (39, 1996-97, 99-2000) on the KSU career-record list. He also made 177-of-187 extra points, ten short of Gramatica's Wildcat record.

ANALYSIS

Positives...Very accurate field goal specialist inside the 45-yard line...Has an average snap-to-toe time of 1.34 seconds...Gets a good rise out of his kicks, hitting the ball quickly (2 ½-step kicker)... Shows good leg control in placing his kickoffs...Capable of making pressure kicks and handling the ball in poor weather conditions...Has good balance on his plant foot, showing proper leg extension.

Negatives...Lacks the leg strength to kick long, especially on kickoffs (averaged 55.8 yards per attempt with seven of his 61 kicks sailing out of bounds in 2004)...Gets little height behind his kickoff attempts and his average hang-time of 3.85 seconds prevents the coverage unit from getting downfield quick enough to prevent the long return...Very inconsistent on long-range field goal attempts and rarely do his kickoffs sail into the end zone...Takes a "cheater's step" half step on his delivery towards the ball, covering more than three yards before connecting with the pigskin.

CAREER NOTES

2004 SEASON

All-Big Twelve Conference honorable mention by the league's coaches and the Associated Press...Semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award...Handled placements and kickoffs in all eleven games...Connected on 13-of-15 field goals (86 percent) and 37-of-38 PATs (97 percent) for 76 points...One of just five kickers in the country with at least 15 attempts and two or fewer misses on the season...Was good on 5-of-7 attempts of 40 yards or more, including both 50+ yard attempts...Owned one of the country's longest consecutive PAT streaks with 75 straight makes before having his last attempt of 2004 blocked...In fact, all three misses (2 FGs and 1 PAT) in 2004 resulted from blocks on protection break-downs... Averaged 1.2 field goals made per game to rank 36th in the NCAA in field goals despite having fewer attempts than all but one of the top 45-ranked place-kickers in the nation... Gained 3042 yards on 61 kickoffs (55.8 avg) with twenty kicks resulting in touchbacks and seven more going out of bounds.

2004 GAME ANALYSIS

Western Kentucky...Booted 22 & 19-yarders in the season opener.

Louisiana-Lafayette...Connected on four PATs and field goals of 41, 34, 33 & 33 yards.

Kansas...Had 49 & 37-yard field goals with a pair of extra points.

Nebraska...Kicked a 40-yarder through the uprights.

Colorado...Added a career-long 52-yard field goal.

Iowa...Followed with a 51-yarder in the season finale.

2003 SEASON

Earned third-team All-Big Twelve Conference honors from the league's coaches...Handled field goal and placement duties for the Wildcats and shared kickoff chores with Jared Brite... Ranked nationally in two categories, including 61st in scoring (6.87 points/game) and 78th in field goals (.80/game)...Ranked second on the team in scoring with 103 points (67 extra points and 12 field goals)...Good on 12-of-17 field goals, including 7-of-9 on attempts of 40 yards or more...Entered the season 0-for-3 on kicks of 40 or more yards... Connected on 67-of-68 PATs...Ended the season by making his last 36 straight...His 67 PATs ranks second all time on K-State's single-season chart and were just two shy of tying the school record.

2003 SEASON

California...Opened the season with 22 & 37-yard field goals.

Texas...Connected on a 41 yarder.

Marshall...Kicked field goals of 43 & 42 yards.

McNeese State...Followed with 40 & 44-yard field goals.

Massachusetts and Iowa State...Delivered a 38-yard field goal in each game.

Missouri...Added a 40-yarder and three PATs.

Baylor...Kicked a 44-yard field goal.

Oklahoma (Big Twelve Championship)...Successful on five extra point tries.

Ohio State (Fiesta Bowl)...Made four conversion tries.

2002 SEASON

Played in 11 games, missing only the Colorado and Texas contests...Totaled 80 points on the year, going 9-for-12 on field goal attempts and 53-for-59 on PATs...Ranked 56th nationally and third on the team behind Darren Sproles and Ell Roberson in scoring... Ended the year ranked seventh in career field goals (13) and ninth in career field goal attempts (18)...Also ended 2002 ranked fifth in career extra-point kicks (73) and fourth in career extra-point attempts (81)...Successful on 7 of 8 field-goal attempts inside of 40 yards

2002 GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Kicked a season-long 39-yarder at Baylor (10/26)...Went perfect on PATs in six games, including an 8-for-8 performance at Kansas (11/2)...Made 17 consecutive PAT attempts dating back to the second quarter of the Iowa State game (11/9)... Scored 11 points in the season opener vs. Western Kentucky (8/31), one of seven players to tally at least one point, as he connected on 38-yard and 36-yard field goal attempts vs. the Hilltoppers and went a perfect 5-for-5 on extra-point attempts...Made 6-of-8 PAT attempts vs. Louisiana-Monroe (9/7)... Went 5-for-5 PAT attempts vs. Eastern Illinois (9/14)...Tallied a season-best 14 points in back-to-back road tilts at Baylor and Kansas...Was a perfect 13-of-13 on PAT attempts in the two wins...Connected on a season-best three field goals of 39, 26 and 37 yards vs. Baylor and hit on field goal attempts of 37 and 28 yards vs. Kansas...Went 6-of-7 on PAT attempts and added a 35-yard field goal vs. Iowa State... Was a perfect 7-of-7 on PAT attempts vs. Nebraska (11/16)... Connected on 1-of-2 field goals vs. Missouri, including a 32-yarder, to go with a 5-for-5 performance in PAT attempts...Went 4-for-5 in PAT kicks for four points in Wildcats' win over Arizona State in the 2002 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl.

2001 SEASON

One of two true freshmen on 2001 depth chart (RB Darren Sproles)...Saw action in six games at place-kicker...Tallied 32 points on the season, 20 on extra points and 12 on field goals...Connected on 4 of 6 field goal attempts, including four in a row dating back to Louisiana Tech (11/17)...Had a season-long 38-yard field goal in the season finale vs. Missouri (11/24) to cap a 3-for-3 afternoon, as he also made field goals of 22 and 32 yards vs. the Tigers... His longest attempt of the season was a 45-yarder vs. Louisiana Tech (11/17)...Made 20-of-22 extra-point attempts, including a streak of 17 in a row dating back to Kansas (10/27)...Went a perfect 6-for-6 on extra points at Iowa State (11/3)...Good on 1-of-2 field goals in the 2001 Insight.com Bowl.

INJURY REPORT

No injuries reported.

AGILITY TESTS

CAMPUS: 5.04 in the 40-yard dash...30 5/8-inch arm length...8 3/8-inch hands...14 Wonderlic score.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Wichita (Kan.) Collegiate High School, playing football for coach Mike Gehrer... Named to Parade magazine's All-American team...Was only kicker named to 57-player squad...Listed as the top kicking prospect in the nation by Rivals.com...Member of Prep Star magazine's "Dream Team"... Selected to Wichita Eagle's Top 33 squad...Three-time first team Class 3A all-state kicker...Unanimous selection as All-MCAA kicker for three seasons...Three-time all-league punter...Also played quarterback and led the Spartans to the Class 3A state championship as senior, earning all-league and honorable mention 3A all-state accolades as QB...Made 11-of-13 field goals, including season-long 55-yarder... Converted 76 of 78 extra-point kicks...Threw for more than 1,700 yards...Had 48-yard average as punter his junior year...Also lettered twice for state-champion golf team.

PERSONAL

Business major...Son of Jim and Liza Rheem...Brother, Jamie, was a two-time All-America kicker at Kansas State...Born 7/01/82 in Wichita, Kansas.

PLAYER STATISTICS

PLACEKICKING STATISTICS

STATS FGA FGM EPA EPM POINTS LONG 0-29 30-39 40-49 50+

2001 6 4 22 20 32 38 1/1 4/3 1/0 0/0

2002 12 9 59 53 80 39 2/2 8/7 2/0 0/0

2003 17 12 68 67 103 44 3/2 4/3 9/7 1/0

2004 15 13 38 37 76 52 3/3 4/4 5/3 2/2

TOTAL 50 38 187 177 291 52 9/8 20/17 17/10 3/2

 

 

MINI-PROFILE, DRAFT SCOUT NEWS

 

04/14/2005 - One of the most prolific scorers in Kansas State history, Joe carried on the family tradition of kicking for the Wildcats. The team's primary place-kicker for four seasons, his brother, Jamie, was a two-time All-American kicker at KSU.

 

At Wichita Collegiate High School, Joe earned All-American honors from Parade. He was a member of Prep Star's "Dream Team" and selected to Wichita Eagle's Top 33 squad.Joe was a three-time first team Class 3A All-State kicker and a unanimous selection as the All-MCAA kicker for three seasons.

 

A three-time all-league punter, Rheem also played quarterback and led the Spartans to the Class 3A state championship as a senior, earning All-league and honorable mention 3A All-State accolades as QB. He made 11-of-13 field goals, including season-long 55-yarder and converted 76 of 78 extra-point kicks. Joe threw for more than 1,700 yards and had a 48-yard average as a punter his junior year. He also lettered twice for the state-champion golf team.

 

Rheem joined tailback Darren Sproles as the only true freshmen to contribute at Kansas State in 2001. Joe scored 32 points on 4-of-6 field goals and 20-of-22 extra points. He added 80 points in 2002, as he was successful on 9-of-12 field goal tries. Rheem picked up All-Big Twelve Conference third-team honors in 2003, when he totaled a career-high 103 points on 67-of-68 conversions and 12-of-17 three-pointers.

 

Joe was a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award (nation's top kicker) in 2004, as he converted 13-of-15 field goals and 37-of-38 PATs for 76 points. He finished his career with 291 points, the third-best overall total in school history behind Darren Sproles (294, 2001-04) and Martin Gramatica (349, 1994-95, 97-98). He connected on 38 of 50 field goals, ranking behind Gramatica (54) and Joe's brother, Jamie (39, 1996-97, 99-2000) on the KSU career-record list. He also made 177-of-187 conversions, ten short of Gramatica's Wildcat record.

 

ANALYSIS

Positives…Very accurate field goal specialist inside the 45-yard line...Has an average snap-to-toe time of 1.34 seconds...Gets a good rise out of his kicks, hitting the ball quickly (2 ½-step kicker)... Shows good leg control in placing his kickoffs...Capable of making pressure kicks and handling the ball in poor weather conditions...Has good balance on his plant foot, showing proper leg extension.

 

Negatives…Lacks the leg strength to kick long, especially on kickoffs (averaged 55.8 yards per attempt with seven of his 61 kicks sailing out of bounds in 2004)...Gets little height behind his kickoff attempts and his average hang-time of 3.85 seconds prevents the coverage unit from getting downfield quick enough to prevent the long return...Very inconsistent on long-range field goal attempts and rarely do his kickoffs sail into the end zone...Takes a "cheater's step" half step on his delivery towards the ball, covering more than three yards before connecting with the pigskin.

 

02/26/2005 - (NFL Combine Note, Next Level Scouting, Inc) - Kansas State senior kicker JOE RHEEM converted 14 of 15 field goal attempts, but failed to impress on his kickoffs, as several came up short and with below average hang times.

 

11/16/2004 - PK Joe Rheem -- A semifinalist for the Groza Award, Rheem has made all but two of his 14 field goal attempts ... and both of those were blocked. He is 35-for-35 on PATs. A senior, Rheem finally has established the consistency Kansas State hoped for much earlier in his career.

[Sound_n_Fury]

Wonderlic: 14

 

320408[/snapback]

 

 

 

(I spend WAY too much time on TSW....)

[kasper13]

Nice job but that is way more information than anyone ever needed to know about Joe Rheem. The Bills may as well have brought me in to kick at camp, this guy is nothing more than a name on the 80 man roster and will be forgotten as quickly as, well, I can't remember who.

[Campy]

Nice job but that is way more information than anyone ever needed to know about Joe Rheem. The Bills may as well have brought me in to kick at camp, this guy is nothing more than a name on the 80 man roster and will be forgotten as quickly as, well, I can't remember who.

320479[/snapback]

Yup. Kinda' like the way they bring in extra QBs every year to be an extra arm in drills, Rheem's just an extra leg.

[MrLocke]

Does anyone know how Owen Pochman has been doing in NFLE? Do you think he might be able to push Lindell?

[Sound_n_Fury]

Yup.  Kinda' like the way they bring in extra QBs every year to be an extra arm in drills, Rheem's just an extra leg.

320492[/snapback]

 

Gee...I kinda thought he was gonna' be Ezekiel's speed bag!

[TigerJ]

Does anyone know how Owen Pochman has been doing in NFLE? Do you think he might be able to push Lindell?

320494[/snapback]

 

In a word, ugh! Right now he's backing up a kicker who is 2/4. He has one PAT attempt, which he made, and no field goal attempts. I could not find any stats relating to kickoffs. It's possible his role has been that of a kickoff specialist.

 

There are a couple other kickers who are intriguing. One guy is 11/13 with a long of 54.

 

http://www.nfleurope.com/stats/leaders

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

   

 

(I spend WAY too much time on TSW....)

320424[/snapback]

 

I've got it bad too. Was talking about Wonderlic scores with my dad last night.

[CoachChuckDickerson]

Honestly, he sounds better than what we have. Lindell is DECENT on kickoffs, but hell at this point I'd take a guy who was consistent from 40 yds and in.

320208[/snapback]

 

Then you must be happy with Lindell. The guy is money from 10-40. 40+ is where he struggles.

[nfreeman]

Yup.  Kinda' like the way they bring in extra QBs every year to be an extra arm in drills, Rheem's just an extra leg.

320492[/snapback]

 

 

I don't agree at all. Lindell stinks. MM has no confidence in him, which has a material effect on our offensive strategy -- ie we are not willing to attempt a FG unless we are well inside the 25. This guy was 5-7 from 40+. Why shouldn't he be viewed as a real competitor for the job?

 

I miss Steve Christie.

[UConn James]

The write-up reports that his only misses last year came on blocks that resulted from a protection breakdown. 2-2 on 50+. I wouldn't necessarily say he's camp fodder.

 

A lot of people thought that about Moorman after he showed up from NFLE against a couple of fresh guys, and he won the job even w/ a "dead leg."

[Arkady Renko]

The write-up reports that his only misses last year came on blocks that resulted from a protection breakdown. 2-2 on 50+. I wouldn't necessarily say he's camp fodder.

 

A lot of people thought that about Moorman after he showed up from NFLE against a couple of fresh guys, and he won the job even w/ a "dead leg."

320750[/snapback]

 

Didn't Moorman beat out Mohr or was Mohr out the door anyway?

[JDG]

Nice job but that is way more information than anyone ever needed to know about Joe Rheem. The Bills may as well have brought me in to kick at camp, this guy is nothing more than a name on the 80 man roster and will be forgotten as quickly as, well, I can't remember who.

320479[/snapback]

 

Carlos Huerta?

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

25 yard line of scrimmage + 10 yards for end zone + 7 yards behind line of scrimmage to point of spot = 42 yard kick. So Lindell kicking when LOS is 25 yard line = 42 yard attempt. And Lindell is fine from 25 yard line. It's past 30 where he strugles as does this guy.

 

They appear to be a wash.

 

 

I don't agree at all.  Lindell stinks.  MM has no confidence in him, which has a material effect on our offensive strategy -- ie we are not willing to attempt a FG unless we are well inside the 25.  This guy was 5-7 from 40+.  Why shouldn't he be viewed as a real competitor for the job?

 

I miss Steve Christie.

320738[/snapback]

[HopsGuy]

I'm not sure it's a good idea to have a guy named Rheem playing for the region that gave us Willis Haviland Carrier.

 

Maybe I'm reading too much into this?

 

[Germanbillsfan#1]

Does anyone know how Owen Pochman has been doing in NFLE? Do you think he might be able to push Lindell?

320494[/snapback]

 

Hi,

I live in Germany near Frankfurt. Owen Pochman was injured in practice after the first game of the season and is no longer with the team ...

[Arkady Renko]

Hi,

I live in Germany near Frankfurt. Owen Pochman was injured in practice after the first game of the season and is no longer with the team ...

321077[/snapback]

 

Are you one of the guys they keep showing in pictures when BB.com does articles about Kevin Thompson? How is KT doing, do you think?