Admit it, during Saturday afternoon’s preseason game between the Jaguars and Cowboys you held your beath after Dallas scored its first touchdown.
In came Brandon Aubrey, currently the only place kicker in camp in Oxnard, to attempt the point after. Visions of Brett Maher’s last six PAT attempts – all missed – danced in your head.
When Aubrey nailed the kick all of Cowboys’ fandom breathed a collective sigh of relief. We really got excited when he hit a 29-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Of course, he would miss his next point after try before redeeming himself by making his final attempt. But still, 2-of-3 with one field goal inside of 30 yards?
No one at The Star or in Oxnard should be breathing easy. Nor should anyone be betting that Aubrey will be the starting kicker next month.
Stark Contrast
Aubrey’s ups and downs were in stark contrast to the goings on in Baltimore later in the evening.
Trailing 13-7 late in the first half the Ravens didn’t have enough time left to get all the way downfield. They didn’t have to.
All they needed to do was get the ball in Eagles’ territory because they have Justin Tucker as their kicker. Tucker trotted out and smoothly nailed a 60-yard field goal.
No one, repeat, no one was shocked. Tucker would add a 43-yard field goal while making both of his point after attempts.
The Ravens won the game 20-19. Without Tucker’s long field goal, they don’t win that game.
Tucker Nearly Automatic
Since signing with Baltimore in 2012 – that means all 32 teams whiffed on drafting arguably the best kicker ever – Tucker has almost been automatic.
In 11 seasons, Tucker has made 90.5% of his field goals. He is 161-for-196 (82.1%) from beyond 40 yards. He is 57-of-80 (71.2%) from beyond 50 yards.
Tucker has attempted 418 extra points in 11 years and made 413 of them (98.8%). His touchback percentage is just under 63 percent.
In short, since 2012, the Ravens have never had to worry about their kicker as Tucker has played in all 178 games since he earned the job.
The Cowboys have not enjoyed that luxury is a very long time. Certainly not during the time Tucker has been in the league.
Cowboys Kicking Woes
In 2011, the Cowboys started the season with David Buehler but switched to Dan Bailey during the season. While Bailey wasn’t quite as automatic as Tucker, he got the job done.
Since Bailey was cut due to injury concerns, Dallas has deployed six kickers. This includes safety Jeff Heath, who filled in quite well in emergency relief.
But the other five kickers did not. Mike Nugent, Kai Forbath, and Lirim Hajrullahu played a total of eight games. Forbath had the better output, hitting all 10 of his field goals and all 10 extra points in 2019.
Nugent was 7-of-9 in field goals and hit all eight extra points while Hajrullahu hit five extra points and never attempted a field goal in his one game.
Greg Zuerlein spent two years as the kicker in Dallas and hit 82.9% of his field goals and only 89.3% of his extra point attempts.
His tenure was sandwiched by two stints in Dallas by Maher. Maher would only make 79.6% of his field goals but only missed four out of 122 extra point attempts in the regular season.
Unfortunately for Maher, his performance against Tampa Bay in January probably ended his NFL career.
After missing those five against the Bucs, he shanked his first extra point attempt against 49ers so badly it got blocked.
Missed Opportunity
Kickers like Tucker – and long-time Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski – don’t come along every year. Which is why Dallas bringing Maher back in 2022 was so frustrating.
The Nebraska alum made only 20 of his 30 field goal attempts for the Cowboys in 2019. He was out of football in 2020 and didn’t exactly set the world on fire for the Saints in 2021.
How the Cowboys didn’t look 200 miles to the south and see the kicker from the University of Texas and not draft him in 2022 still boggles the mind.
Cameron Dicker – dubbed “Dicker The Kicker” in Austin – is the second coming of Tucker. He even went to the same college as Tucker.
Instead of taking defensive tackle John Ridgeway – another Jerry Jones reach to get a player from Arkansas – the Cowboys should have taken Dicker. Instead they brought back Maher.
If they had, they wouldn’t have had the issues at the end of the year and they wouldn’t be hoping a USFL player will turn into the second coming of Bailey.
Dicker Can Kick
Dicker wound up being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Eagles. After hitting both field goals and point after attempts in one game, Dicker wound up going to the Chargers.
Once in Los Angeles Dicker would hit 19-of-20 field goals, missing his only attempt beyond 50 yards. He was a perfect 22-of-22 in extra points. Of his 55 kickoffs, 46 of them were touchbacks (83.6%)
Oh by the way, on Saturday, he hit a 50-yard- and a 25-yard field goal as well as both point after attempts. He will be the Chargers’ kicker for a long time to come.
Cowboys Undervalue A Valuable Position
Dallas needs to do a better job finding a kicker. The position can ultimately win or lose enough games to determine playoff positioning – or if making the playoffs will happen at all.
Dragging guys off the street — or off of minor league rosters that would struggle to beat the best college teams — and hoping for a miracle is not the best approach.
Barring a trade with the Chargers – who would be insane to let Dicker get away – the Cowboys are going to have to hope they can find the next Tucker/Dicker.
This time, they need to draft him before some other team can.
Jerry needs to purchase a book on intelligence. He keeps fumbling everytime with player contracts. He pays the wrong players and undervalues the ones who underperform once they have gotten paid.
Couldn’t agree with you more!!!!
There is an easy solution to this problem and I don’t know why people don’t see it. You bring up Dicker and compare him to Tucker but Dicker is actually in a kicking battle right now with Dustin Hopkins. One will get cut and Dicker is in the lead but it’s not guaranteed he even gets the job. All Dallas needs to do is sign the one that gets cut and they have a kicker. Both are good.
Patrick, that’s simple for anybody NOT NAMED JERRY AND STEPHEN JONES!!!! The two most incredible IDIOTS in football!!!!
Perfect solution. My biggest concerns for the Cowboys that they should acquire in the draft was NT, CB, LOG and K. They very well addressed the first two concerns as they finally got it that a NT is needed, especially against SF for which there is a strong possibility we will see them again in the playoffs. Gilmore and improvement by Bland in his second year provide us great starting corners with some promising depth, we will see there. Spending a #2 on a TE was idiocy as it appeared we had two promising prospects that showed well last year when we had that opportunity to move up a few picks and draft Schmitz, who has a nasty temperament and could center or guard. We also had McKeon for a #3 TE or the UDFA TE who is showing a lot of promise. TEs are easier to find later in the draft, but not interior lineman who are good and at a position of need. If Biadez can’t be signed after this year Schmitz could have transitioned to center. We will regret not making that pick. I heard rumors that Jacksonville was willing to trade their kicker who is promising and the Cowboys declined it and there was no attempt to draft one. While I liked the offseason moves overall the failure to address these last two positions astounds me. Tyron will be eventually injured and Tyler will move to LOT leaving a gaping hole at LOG. We know Dak is going to somewhat choke but to overcome that we need our punt returner, Turpin, to be cut because drops late in the season are inexcusable (not to mention his fumble in the first preseason game) and no one could have confidence in Maher late last year and he cost the team. A kicker is absolutely a must!!
I am praying the Chargers are dumb enough to cut Dicker. If they do, Dallas had better snap him up 0.0000000000001 seconds after he’s released.
But I do agree with you that taking whichever one they cut is a better option than Aubrey,
Give the kid time
David, the Cowboys window of opportunity is closing fast. They can’t afford this kid and his half-assed efforts. Mason Crosby or Robbie Gould WOULD BE HUGE UPGRADES!!!!
Richard you’re spot on as usual man! Jerry and Stephen Jones simply ARE NOT FOOTBALL GENERAL MANAGER MATERIAL. Thier constant bumbling errors is what’s keeping this team from getting to the Super Bowl. Until they ADMIT TO THEMSELVES THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING, The Cowboys are going to suffer. Not from a lack of talent, but a lack of leadership from the Owner and General Manager Levels. John Ridgeway is on another team right now and Cameron Dicker looks like a young Super Star in the making. Jerry and Stephen Jones strikes again!!!! Kelvin Joseph in the 2nd round, when you could’ve had him as an UDFA. SO VERY STUPID!!!
Give Aubrey a chance. He has been on a championship team the last two years.
Patrick’s idea to wait on the Chargers is the best option left beyond question.