JACKSON, Miss. -- Martin Gramatica never flinched.

No, the kicker has been through this before – catch on with a team, make some kicks, then watch the team either draft another kicker or sign one through free agency.

So when New Orleans took Wisconsin place kicker Taylor Mehlhaff in the sixth round of April's NFL Draft, the nine-year pro went about his days the same as always.

Bradley Handwerger

Drafted kicker, Tyler Mehlhaff

Despite becoming a trusted and accurate option for the Saints towards the end of the 2007 season- Gramatica went 5-for-5, including 3-for-3 from beyond 40 yards in the Saints final three games - seeing New Orleans take Mehlhaff didn't put anymore pressure on him, he said.

"This is the third year in a row that it's happened to me," said Gramatica, who played six seasons with Tampa Bay before splitting the 2006 season at Indianapolis and Dallas.

"I don't put any extra pressure on myself. I've put enough on myself to do the best that I can, it doesn't matter who they bring in."

And that sets the tone for a fierce battle to be New Orleans' main kicker.

Both Mehlhaff and Gramatica want kickoff, field goal and extra point duties to themselves.

But Gramatica isn't going to give in easily.

"I've been fortunate enough to get shots," he said. "I've been out of football a couple of times and got opportunities. That's pretty much it, getting second chances."

Mehlhaff isn't looking for any tips from his competition. You get the sense that, unlike at other positions where players will help rookies out with hints about what to expect, the kicker battle is more personal.

"It's a competition," Mehlhaff said. "I'm just trying to go out and worry about myself."

Both have their strengths.

Gramatica is a career 77 percent field-goal kicker and is 16-of-25 from 50-plus yards. He has missed only three field goals inside 30 yards in his career. He has missed only one postseason field ever.

Bradley Handwerger

Seasoned veteran, Martin Gramtica

For Mehlhaff, the Saints' fifth-round selection, it's his leg strength that stands out. He was a first-team All-American as a senior and was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, given annually to the best kicker in college football.

While he was 21 of 25 in field goals his senior season, his kickoffs are what stand out. Twenty-seven of his 77 kickoffs went for touchbacks and teams averaged only 20.7 yards per return when he kicked.

Wisconsin ranked in the top 25 out of 119 Football Bowl Subdivision schools in kickoff return defense, and only three kickers had more touchbacks than did Mehlhaff.

"You line me up against anyone on kickoffs and I can outperform them," Mehlhaff said. "I have so much confidence in my kickoffs, whether it's hang time or distance. I've got a big leg."
Both kickers have been consistent during training camp, matching each other kick for kick from 30, 34, 40 and 45 yards.

It's clear, however, that Mehlhaff knows what he's up against, that he knows the Gramatica family. When asked about Gramatica's signature post-kick celebration – he usually pumps his fist, sometimes adding a jump to the dance – the youngster knew right away which Gramatica injured himself doing a celebration.

That's not to say most other people realize it was Bill and not Martin who blew his knee out celebrating a made kick.

"I get it all the time," Martin said. "In Tampa, everybody knows. But everywhere else in the world, they thing it's me. That's the first thing I clarify. It was  me and I'm going to celebrate if it's a big kick. I don't even think about it."

So, will there at least be celebration lessons for Mehlhaff?

"There's no teaching here," Gramatica said. "It's all natural. I don't even know what I do."
By September, only one will be celebrating.