Hauschka, 24, never had aspirations of kicking in the NFL during most of his college career. He kicked for three years at Middlebury College, a Division III school in Vermont, before playing one season at North Carolina State as a graduate student.
The Ravens signed Hauschka before the start of the 2008 regular season. The undrafted rookie had been cut by the Minnesota Vikings. He was the Ravens' kickoff specialist last season as well as their long-distance place-kicker (converting a 54-yard field goal and missing a 53-yard attempt).
This offseason, Hauschka has fine-tuned his technique, opening his right foot more before kicking the ball. Off the field, he has thought about the big picture.
"Sometimes you get time to digest and you realize that you got to show your teammates that you can do this day in and day out," he said. "I can be consistent and be responsible enough that everybody can put the game on my shoulders."
Gano, 22, has a different pedigree than Hauschka. The undrafted rookie won the Lou Groza Award last season, which is given to the nation's top place-kicker in college.
The Scottish-born Gano converted 24 of 26 field-goal tries last season for Florida State, missing from 52 and 50 yards. He showed a strong leg, making 10 field goals from beyond 40 yards.
During minicamps, Gano has been impressive, drilling two 60-yard field goals. But he understands where he needs to perform.
"I'm excited to show what I've got in games," he said. "I think about it every day."
If Hauschka and Gano fail to win the job, the Ravens haven't ruled out bringing back Stover. The 41-year-old kicker and the Ravens have both said they would be open to reuniting before the regular season.
Said Rosburg: "You can rest assured that all of the players remind our two current kickers of Matt's address and that his ZIP code is the same as this facility."
