SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Ricky Schmitt began the week kicking field goals with his fiancee. Now he’ll be doing it on Sunday for the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers signed Schmitt to a one-year contract Wednesday to replace regular kicker Joe Nedney, who has a strained hamstring and will miss this week’s game against the Detroit Lions at Candlestick Park.

Schmitt was with the 49ers in 2008 until the end of the preseason. San Francisco will be the 10th NFL team he has either played for or worked out with this year.
Sunday will be the first time he has ever played in a regular-season NFL game.
“This is the best Christmas present ever,” Schmitt said. “I’m glad to be back. I’ve been waiting three years for this. I just kept working at it, keeping the faith, and now I’m here.”
Schmitt entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Arizona Cardinals in 2007. He spent time on the practice squads of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders in 2008. He was released by the Raiders in September.
Schmitt got the call from the 49ers after Nedney was hurt on a kickoff late in the third quarter of last week’s 27-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Schmitt had been working out at his old high school in his hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia, with his fiancee Jennifer Gentile holding and retrieving balls for him. He had tryouts earlier this year with San Diego, Baltimore, Minnesota, Miami, Tampa Bay, Washington, Tennessee and the New York Jets.
He’s a good fit for the 49ers despite his inexperience because, like Nedney, Schmitt kicks left-footed. Schmitt said he emulated Nedney when he was growing up while Nedney was playing for the Tennessee Titans.
“I like the ball exactly the way Joe does, so Andy (Lee) doesn’t have to worry about changing anything with the holding,” Schmitt said. “There’s a real familiarity here, and that helps a lot. It’s just a really comfortable situation for me.”
Nedney, a 14th-year veteran, will miss his first game in five seasons with the 49ers. Nedney became the 42nd player in NFL history to score 1,000 career points earlier this season.