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Taylor: Jerry Jones ready to bet on kicker David Buehler in dual role
11:51 PM CDT on Monday, August 2, 2010
Column by JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News | jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
Jean-Jacques Taylor
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SAN ANTONIO – David Buehler will have every opportunity to be the Cowboys' field goal kicker because Jerry Jones has no desire to spend big money on the position.
Not after Mike Vanderjagt , the most accurate kicker in NFL history when Jerry signed him to deal that included a $2.5 million signing bonus, flopped in 2006. And certainly not after Nick Folk , a sixth-round pick, suddenly came down with a case of the yips last season just two years after kicking in the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
After the Folk debacle, Jerry decided to go old school, which is why he hired former Cowboys kicker Chris Boniol as a kicking coach. Boniol's first project: teaching Buehler to harness one of the NFL's strongest legs.
Don't forget, the Cowboys used to regularly sign undrafted free-agent kickers, develop them and let them go via free agency when their salaries began escalating.
The Cowboys won three Super Bowls with that approach. Now do you understand why Buehler will have every chance to succeed?
"We would like to have that roster spot," Jerry said of not having to carry two kickers. "Underline that and mark it down twice. We'd like to dress out another player.
"If he didn't have the potential to excel at both jobs, we'd be dreaming. We're not dreaming."
Still, Buehler should scare you to death.
Buehler played a huge role on the Cowboys with his league-leading 29 touchbacks last season. No way Wade Phillips' defense leads the NFC in fewest points allowed without the field position advantage created from Buehler's kickoffs.
But just because Buehler can hit long, high, deep kickoffs, it doesn't mean he can make field goals.
The games in the NFL are too tight. The teams are too close. And this team is too good to go into the season hoping – not knowing – Buehler can do the job.
These Cowboys are good enough that getting to the playoffs isn't their primary goal. While the Cowboys understand they must navigate the rigors of a 16-game schedule that includes difficult road games at Minnesota, Green Bay and Indianapolis, in addition to their traditional NFC East rivals, they also know the importance of earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Losing a game or two because of poor kicking could have huge ramifications.
Versatility is the key to today's NFL.
Former coach Bill Parcells used to spend hours figuring out how many plays each player would participate in during a game to determine which 45 guys would be on the active roster each week.
Jerry has made it clear he doesn't want four specialists – kicker, kickoff specialist, punter and long snapper – on the roster each week because it limits Phillips' choices.
Instead of a second kicker, Phillips would prefer a fifth receiver. Or an eighth linebacker. Or a ninth defensive back.
Last season, the Cowboys usually activated Cory Procter on game day, even though Montrae Holland was the better player, because Procter could play guard and center, while Holland was strictly a guard.
A player such as Tashard Choice might even be inactive on a given week because he doesn't play on many special teams, and the third running back usually doesn't touch the ball more than a few times.
Plus, we saw last season just how much an inconsistent kicker affects Jason Garrett's play selection and Phillips' game-day decisions.
Frankly, nothing is worse than a good team with an inconsistent kicker. For the record, Buehler's performance in practice doesn't mean that much. Neither will his preseason performance unless he's absolutely awful, which no one should expect.
That's because there's absolutely no way to manufacture the pressure Buehler will face in the fourth quarter on the road in a nationally televised game that counts until he does it.
For now, it's a risk Jerry seems determined to take.
11:51 PM CDT on Monday, August 2, 2010
Column by JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News | jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
Jean-Jacques Taylor
Archive | Bio | E-mail
SAN ANTONIO – David Buehler will have every opportunity to be the Cowboys' field goal kicker because Jerry Jones has no desire to spend big money on the position.
Not after Mike Vanderjagt , the most accurate kicker in NFL history when Jerry signed him to deal that included a $2.5 million signing bonus, flopped in 2006. And certainly not after Nick Folk , a sixth-round pick, suddenly came down with a case of the yips last season just two years after kicking in the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
After the Folk debacle, Jerry decided to go old school, which is why he hired former Cowboys kicker Chris Boniol as a kicking coach. Boniol's first project: teaching Buehler to harness one of the NFL's strongest legs.
Don't forget, the Cowboys used to regularly sign undrafted free-agent kickers, develop them and let them go via free agency when their salaries began escalating.
The Cowboys won three Super Bowls with that approach. Now do you understand why Buehler will have every chance to succeed?
"We would like to have that roster spot," Jerry said of not having to carry two kickers. "Underline that and mark it down twice. We'd like to dress out another player.
"If he didn't have the potential to excel at both jobs, we'd be dreaming. We're not dreaming."
Still, Buehler should scare you to death.
Buehler played a huge role on the Cowboys with his league-leading 29 touchbacks last season. No way Wade Phillips' defense leads the NFC in fewest points allowed without the field position advantage created from Buehler's kickoffs.
But just because Buehler can hit long, high, deep kickoffs, it doesn't mean he can make field goals.
The games in the NFL are too tight. The teams are too close. And this team is too good to go into the season hoping – not knowing – Buehler can do the job.
These Cowboys are good enough that getting to the playoffs isn't their primary goal. While the Cowboys understand they must navigate the rigors of a 16-game schedule that includes difficult road games at Minnesota, Green Bay and Indianapolis, in addition to their traditional NFC East rivals, they also know the importance of earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Losing a game or two because of poor kicking could have huge ramifications.
Versatility is the key to today's NFL.
Former coach Bill Parcells used to spend hours figuring out how many plays each player would participate in during a game to determine which 45 guys would be on the active roster each week.
Jerry has made it clear he doesn't want four specialists – kicker, kickoff specialist, punter and long snapper – on the roster each week because it limits Phillips' choices.
Instead of a second kicker, Phillips would prefer a fifth receiver. Or an eighth linebacker. Or a ninth defensive back.
Last season, the Cowboys usually activated Cory Procter on game day, even though Montrae Holland was the better player, because Procter could play guard and center, while Holland was strictly a guard.
A player such as Tashard Choice might even be inactive on a given week because he doesn't play on many special teams, and the third running back usually doesn't touch the ball more than a few times.
Plus, we saw last season just how much an inconsistent kicker affects Jason Garrett's play selection and Phillips' game-day decisions.
Frankly, nothing is worse than a good team with an inconsistent kicker. For the record, Buehler's performance in practice doesn't mean that much. Neither will his preseason performance unless he's absolutely awful, which no one should expect.
That's because there's absolutely no way to manufacture the pressure Buehler will face in the fourth quarter on the road in a nationally televised game that counts until he does it.
For now, it's a risk Jerry seems determined to take.