It was no secret Olindo Mare struggled last season. He missed two game tying/winning fourth quarter field goals last season. Overall he was just 22 of 28 in field goals, which comes out to a dreadful 78.6%. This performance led the Panthers to sign Justin Medlock to a contract.
Mare kicked for Syracuse in the mid-90's and the New York Giants signed him as an undrafted free agent after his Orange days were over. His most successful years were with the Miami Dolphins where he played for 10 seasons. He is no stranger to training camp competition, as in 2008 when he had to win the Seattle Seahawks' kicking job in camp. In 2009 he made a franchise record 21 field goals for the Seahawks.
Justin Medlock had a superb college career at UCLA where he ended up an All-American. After graduating college Medlock has bounced around the UFL, NFL, and CFL. His last gig before signing with the Panthers was with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.
Tonight marked the first preseason battle between the two kickers. Mare drained his first kick which was a 33 yard field goal and later hit an extra point. Medlock countered that performance by hitting a 48-yard attempt. The Charlotte Observer reported that Mare had a great start to camp, but has struggled since. The battle continues next week as the Panthers face Miami Dolphins.
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