I know that NFL kickers have a low threshold for error, much like closers in baseball, and when one loses confidence, their careers can end in a second. I really hope that is not the case for Dallas Cowboys' kicker Dan Bailey, because he was one of the bright spots in the 2011 NFL season.
Heading into training camp in 2011, the Cowboys didn't seem that interested in Bailey and just kept him around because they were concerned about David Buehler's leg. That turned out to be a great choice as Bailey won the field goal kicker's job. After Buehler went down to injury again, despite doing nothing but kickoffs, Bailey took over those duties as well.
There is no reason to continue wasting a roster spot on Buehler because Bailey proved to be all Dallas needs.
In Week 2, Dallas was losing to the San Francisco 49ers by three. Tony Romo drove the Cowboys down the field, with a newly broken rib, and set them up in range for a long field goal. Bailey, in only his second NFL game, hit the 48-yard field goal to send the game into overtime. Then he hit the game winner in overtime on a 19-yarder.
In Week 3, Romo drove his team down again two times in the fourth quarter of the game and Bailey hit both field goals to give Dallas the 18-16 win over the Washington Redskins. In that game, Bailey scored the only Dallas' points, hitting six field goals without a miss.
In the Cowboys' next meeting with Washington, it was Bailey again, this time with a 39-yard game winning field goal in overtime. The next week, on Thanksgiving Day, Bailey hit another game winner at the end of the fourth quarter. That means that Bailey won four games this season for Dallas with his foot.
Bailey hit 26 consecutive field goals without a miss when his own head coach knocked him off the tracks. Jason Garrett called a timeout as Bailey set up to kick the game winning field goal against the Arizona Cardinals. It iced Bailey and he missed the next attempt and that shook his confidence. The next week, Tom Coughlin called a time out at the end of the game when Bailey attempted to tie it up, icing him for another miss.
Two losses, thanks to the foot of Bailey. However, I still believe that the odds are still in Bailey's favor. He lost two games by missing kicks but he won four others. He finished the season with 32 field goals in 37 attempts (86-percent) and only two players in the NFL kicked more successful field goals.
2012 will be a new year for the young kicker, and with his rookie season behind him, I think he can have a great career in Dallas as their new kicker. Just don't let Garrett call anymore unnecessary timeouts.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys' fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys' related news, good or bad
