Zendejas Is Given Boot by Green Bay

The Green Bay Packers waived erratic kicker Max Zendejas and brought in four other kickers for tryouts Tuesday.

Zendejas made only 9 of 16 field-goal attempts this season and missed a 24-yarder Sunday with 11 seconds left in a 20-17 loss to the Washington Redskins.

Zendejas, who said Monday he would respect any move the Packers had to make, declined to discuss the situation Tuesday as he cleaned out his locker at Lambeau Field.

Coach Lindy Infante had little to say Tuesday as he emerged from a 90-minute tryout session with the other four kickers on a cold, blustery day in Green Bay.

He said the Packers might not sign another kicker until today after evaluating performances during the tryouts. The kickers tried about 30 field goals and 5 kickoffs.

He said the release of Zendejas was made “in the best interest of the club.

“I wish Max all the best. Kicker is a crazy position. I expect before the year is out, Max will go with somebody else.”

Infante said Monday he didn’t blame Zendejas for Sunday’s loss, but it wasn’t the first time Zendejas’ inability to make field goals had cost the Packers this season.

Zendejas, who tied a club record with four field goals in a victory over Minnesota Oct. 16, had missed from 32 and 43 yards in a 3-point loss at Tampa Bay 2 weeks earlier.

Zendejas, who comes from a family of kickers, signed with the Packers last season during the players strike and made his first 10 field-goal attempts.

The former University of Arizona kicker was with the Redskins in 1986 but was released after missing 5 field goals and 5 extra points that season.

Dean Dorsey, Tim Vesling, Dale Dawson and Pat Broussard were the four kickers given tryouts Tuesday.

Dorsey was cut by Philadelphia after three games this year; he made 4 of 7 field goals in those games. Vesling was drafted in the 12th round this year by Indianapolis and was cut in the preseason without kicking in a game.

Dawson kicked for Minnesota in the strike replacement games last year and spent one game with Philadelphia this year. Broussard lost a preseason battle to win the kicker’s job in Atlanta this year. He made all three of his field goals in the preseason.

“Nobody was a lot better than anybody else,” Broussard said about Tuesday’s tryout. “It’s close.”