Tue Feb 12 20:12:25 2008

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Saints welcome back Gramatica

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New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - The New Orleans Saints signed unrestricted free-agent kicker Martin Gramatica on Tuesday.

Gramatica spent just three games with the team last season after Olindo Mare was sidelined with a hip injury in early December, but was a perfect 5-for-5 in field-goal attempts and hit all eight of his extra-point tries.

The Argentine native is entering his ninth NFL season. He spent his first six years (1999-2004) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, then moved on to the Colts for four games at the end of the 2004 season.

Surgery to repair torn muscles in his stomach kept him out of the NFL in 2005, but he resurfaced in Dallas the next season, spending five games there and then three with Indianapolis after Adam Vinatieri was injured. A hamstring injury derailed Gramatica's attempt to stick with the Cowboys in their 2007 training camp.

The 32-year-old has connected on 149-of-193 field goals and 212-of-214 extra- point attempts over his eight-year career.