Placekicker Competition: Giants Should Keep Aldrick Rosas

The New York Giants have a really interesting decision to make at placekicker. On one hand, they have 22-year-old Aldrick Rosas, a promising, strong-legged youngster who has never kicked in a regular-season game. On the other hand, they have 35-year-old Mike Nugent, bidding for a 13th NFL season.

Who should they choose? Vote in the poll and let us know what you would do.

Neither kicker has given an inch in the competition since the Giants signed Nugent on Aug. 1. Nugent is 5-for-5 and made kicks of 50 and 54 yards Saturday against the New York Jets. Rosas is 4-for-4 and has a long of 52 yards. Rosas might have a slight edge in kickoffs, but both have been good enough in that category.

Who’s it gonna be?

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Do the Giants go with the young, untested kicker who shows potential? Or, the battle-tested veteran? It’s a gamble either way.

When the Giants signed Rosas to a futures contract, it was hard to look at the former NAIA kicker as more than a placeholder until the Giants found the guy they really wanted. He has, however, been impressive. He hasn’t faltered at all, even when the Giants brought in Nugent to put some in-your-face pressure on him.

When Josh Brown was the placekicker, the Giants twice missed opportunities to secure young, talented placekickers. They traded Brandon McManus to the Denver Broncos, and cut Chris Boswell, who landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both have been excellent. Could Rosas follow in their footsteps? If the Giants cut Rosas, they could be missing out on a player who might be their kicker for several years to come. If they keep him, how do they know he can handle the pressure of kicks that will win or lose games?

Then there’s Nugent. He has been rock solid since coming to the Giants, probably better than they thought he would be. My view is that they brought Nugent in to push Rosas, not necessarily take his job. He has, however, been good enough to give the Giants pause.

There are, however, a few things to weigh. Nugent would be a short-term solution, not the potential long-term one Rosas could be. The Giants also have to factor in whether Nugent is the guy they’ve seen in August, or the one who made only 23-of-29 on field goals and extra points last season, a not-nearly-good-enough 79.3 percent. You might also toss in whether he has the leg strength to deal with December and January conditions in East Rutherford.

So, it’s an interesting call. I’m taking Rosas. Who are you choosing?