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The Philadelphia Eagles have added a new kicker via undrafted free agent to compete with Alex Henery. His name is Carey Spear and he's from Vanderbilt. Not only can he kick, but he can hit the crap out of people. Look at these GIFs!
That's... AWESOME. And his nickname is "Murderleg"!
Check out this scouting report from SB Nation's Vanderbilt sister site Anchor of Gold.
Carey Spear made Vanderbilt kickoffs a must-watch exchange. While the NCAA's new kickoff rules made touchbacks more common in 2013, Spear was an absolute animal as a junior, launching himself like a missile at opposing ballcarriers. No one at Dudley Field would have batted an eye if James Franklin had found a way to sneak him in for a few plays at safety against Austin Peay last fall.
On top of Spear's potentially sociopathic tendencies to destroy opposing kick returners, the Vandy senior was also one of the 'Dores most consistent weapons in his final two years in Nashville. After struggling to make longer kicks early in his career, he went 2-2 from 50+ yards last fall, peaking with a 54-yarder against South Carolina. He also has a 61-yarder on record from his high school days, so his leg should have enough juice in it to succeed in the pros.
"Murderleg" also developed a reputation for big kicks as his tenure at Vandy wore on. His 2011 miss from 27 yards out against Arkansas may have cost the 'Dores an upset win, but it served as a turning point in his career. He made 12 of his 14 FG attempts in games that were decided by seven points or fewer as an upperclassman and that composure lifted Vandy to a key win over Wake Forest as a senior. His only misses in that span came from 45 and 51 yards.
His kickoff prowess improved in 2013 as well. 46 of his 66 kicks went for touchbacks last season, an improvement compared to his 22-63 mark from 2012. Obviously much of that change came from the NCAA's new rule that moved kickoffs up five yards, but Spear appeared to have an extra charge behind his boots last fall.
BGN is tracking all of the Eagles undrafted free agent signings here (click).