TAMPA, Fla. -- Veteran kicker Garo Yepremian, shy only seven points of becoming the eighth leading scorer in NFL history, was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wednesday.
The Bucs signed free agent Bill Capece to replace Yepremian, and also signed free agent punter Larry Swider to replace Tom Blanchard, who went on injured reserve with a pulled hamstring.
Coach John McKay said Monday the changes were coming because Yepremian was not getting his kickoffs deep enough and had a field goal attempt blocked Sunday because it was too low, and because Blanchard was unable to get enough hang time on his punts.
Yepremian reacted sharply in comments Wednesday to sportcaster Carol Sadler of WTVT.
'I've never seen this kind of move,' he said. 'Usually when a team is losing the guy who is under fire is the head coach, not the kicker. I'm not the one who sent the calls in. I'm not the one who's supposed to make the tackles. I'm not the one who's supposed to throw the passes and catch the passes.
'I'm just the kicker who goes out and kicks. By missing one field goal or having one blocked, it doesn't make a whole season.
'It's not my fault that we lost the games we did. I did a good job on the kickoffs. Last year they welcomed me with open arms when I was hitting the ball and I told them I could kick to the 5 or 10-yard line and they said 'Boy, that's great.' This year I'm hitting it better than last year and it's not good enough.'
Yepremian also was critical of the local news coverage of the Bucs, saying they print whatever McKay wants them to use.
'The papers here -- one is the McKay Tribune and the other one is the McKay Times from St. Petersburg -- they'll write whatever the coach says,' he said. 'You know the press wouldn't be allowed into the locker room if they didn't write pro-management.'
Yepremian, in his 14th year, went into the second with the third best record in NFL history for percentage of field goals made with 67.3 percent -- 208 out of 309 attempts, and he was 2-for-4 this year, along with 6-for-6 on extra points.
Yepremian reacted sharply in comments Wednesday to sportcaster Carol Sadler of WTVT.
'I've never seen this kind of move,' he said. 'Usually when a team is losing the guy who is under fire is the head coach, not the kicker. I'm not the one who sent the calls in. I'm not the one who's supposed to make the tackles. I'm not the one who's supposed to throw the passes and catch the passes.
'I'm just the kicker who goes out and kicks,' he said. 'By missing one field goal or having one blocked, it doesn't mnake a whole season.
'It's not my fault that we lost the games we did,' Yepremian said. 'I did a good job on the kickoffs. Last year they welcomed me with open arms when I was hitting the ball and I told them I could kick to the 5 or 10-yard line and they said 'Boy, that's great.' This year I'm hitting it better than last year and it's not good enough.'
Yepremian also was critical of the local news coverage of the Bucs, saying they print whatever McKay wants them to use.
'The papers here -- one is the McKay Tribune and the other one is the McKay Times from St. Petersburg -- they'll write whatever the coach says,' he said. 'You know the press wouldn't be allowed into the locker room if they didn't write pro-management.'
In 1980, his first season with Tampa, he was 16-of-23 on field goals and 31-of-32 on extra points for a team record 79 points.
He holds the NFL record for consecutive field goals at 20, set in 1978-79 with the Miami Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints.
Capece set an NCAA record for most points scored by a kicker in a season when he had 104 at Florida State in 1980, making 38 of 38 extra points and 22 out of 30 field goal attempts.
He was a 12th round draft pick out of Houston this year but was cut after he failed to oust veteran Toni Fritsch.
Swider had a try out with the Bucs in 1978 but was cut after pre-season. He sat out that year and then when Dave Green was injured the Bucs tried to re-sign him. But the Detroit Lions claimed him on waivers and he punted for them in 1979.
He was picked up by the St. Louis Cardinals, who the Bucs play Sunday, and kicked last year for them before recently being released.
