Cundiff calm after the Parcells storm
Former Cowboys kicker is favorite to replace Longwell
By Dylan B. Tomlinson
PackersNews.com
In 2002, during his rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys, Billy Cundiff thought every missed kick would cost him his job.
Cundiff had signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of Drake University, and he knew how quickly kickers, especially struggling ones, can be shown the door in the NFL.
Cundiff struggled as a rookie, but the Cowboys finished 5-11. Since kicker was the least of their worries, Cundiff kept his job.
The pressure increased dramatically that offseason, however, when the Cowboys hired Bill Parcells as coach. Parcells is notorious for being impatient with his kickers.
That was just the kind of pressure Cundiff said he needed.
“After I got used to some of the mind games, it wasn’t as difficult as some people make it out to be,” Cundiff said. “He would yell at you during a game if you screwed up. He would really try to get after you to test you to see how you’re going to respond. He might stand 3 feet away from you at practice after you missed a kick and make some comments. I definitely think it helped me.”
After making just 12 of 19 field goals as a rookie, Cundiff scored a team-high 99 points while making 23 of 29 field-goal attempts in 2003. Only one of his misses came from inside of 40 yards, and he made 3 of 5 from beyond 50, as he began to focus less on job security and more on kicking.
“If you think like that, it’s pretty destructive,” Cundiff said. “When you start out as a rookie, a lot of people can get to you because, especially as a kicker, you’re under a lot more scrutiny than other positions. I had to grow up, regardless of the coach.”
Cundiff had another solid season with the Cowboys in 2004, when he led the team with 91 points and connected on 20 of 26 field-goal attempts. He was well on his way to keeping his job for 2005 before he tore a quadriceps during training camp. He reached an injury settlement with the Cowboys, but after Jose Cortez and Shaun Suisham failed to satisfy Parcells, Cundiff found himself back with Dallas in November.
“It was a tough injury, but I’m glad I came back last season,” Cundiff said. “I had to jump in and see if I could get to midseason form. I’m glad I did it then, because now I’m way past my injury.”
In his first game back, Cundiff nailed a 56-yard field goal, the longest of his career, in a victory over Detroit. From that high came the low of his next performance, a nationally televised Thanksgiving game against Denver. He missed a 34-yard attempt in the fourth quarter that would have given the Cowboys the lead, and the Broncos won in overtime.
“It was a lot of fun when we were winning, but it was a pretty big challenge when we were losing,” Cundiff said. “That game was not fun.”
When Cundiff became a free agent, the Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed interest. The Buccaneers looked like the better option because it didn’t appear they would be able to afford incumbent Matt Bryant.
“I actually signed with Tampa for two weeks,” Cundiff said.
But a new collective bargaining agreement was signed, giving teams extra room under the salary cap. The Buccaneers used some of it to bring back Bryant.
As Cundiff was getting his release from the Buccaneers, the Packers had a desperate need for a kicker. Ryan Longwell had signed with the Minnesota Vikings, and Green Bay lost out to Indianapolis for former Patriot Adam Vinatieri.
“I never thought Ryan Longwell would leave Green Bay. I thought he had it made up here,” said Cundiff, who has made 73.2 percent of his career field-goal attempts. “After that all happened, Green Bay jumped on me. I was thrilled they were still interested.”
Kicker will be one of the most scrutinized positions when the Packers open training camp in July. Neither Cundiff nor his challenger, Dave Rayner, who kicked off for Indianapolis as a rookie last season, have the resume of Longwell, the Packers’ career scoring leader. Cundiff is considered the favorite, but the season doesn’t start for more than 3 months.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he’s been pleased with the competition since offseason workouts began in March.
“They’ve been solid. It’s been competitive,” McCarthy said. “It’s going to be a process that’s going to take some time, and we’ll let it run its course and let the best man win the job.”
During the two minicamps and the first three of the organized team activities, the kickers have gotten little work during practices. It’s been a different story behind the scenes.
“Just because we’re not kicking in front of the team doesn’t mean we’re not kicking,” Cundiff said. “Since I got up here on March 26, we’ve charted a lot of kicks. We’ve been working a lot.”
Cundiff says he’s confident he’ll win the job.
“If I kick the way I know I can kick, then I’ll be the guy in September,” Cundiff said. “I’m very confident that will happen.”
By Dylan B. Tomlinson
PackersNews.com
In 2002, during his rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys, Billy Cundiff thought every missed kick would cost him his job.
Cundiff had signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of Drake University, and he knew how quickly kickers, especially struggling ones, can be shown the door in the NFL.
Cundiff struggled as a rookie, but the Cowboys finished 5-11. Since kicker was the least of their worries, Cundiff kept his job.
The pressure increased dramatically that offseason, however, when the Cowboys hired Bill Parcells as coach. Parcells is notorious for being impatient with his kickers.
That was just the kind of pressure Cundiff said he needed.
“After I got used to some of the mind games, it wasn’t as difficult as some people make it out to be,” Cundiff said. “He would yell at you during a game if you screwed up. He would really try to get after you to test you to see how you’re going to respond. He might stand 3 feet away from you at practice after you missed a kick and make some comments. I definitely think it helped me.”
After making just 12 of 19 field goals as a rookie, Cundiff scored a team-high 99 points while making 23 of 29 field-goal attempts in 2003. Only one of his misses came from inside of 40 yards, and he made 3 of 5 from beyond 50, as he began to focus less on job security and more on kicking.
“If you think like that, it’s pretty destructive,” Cundiff said. “When you start out as a rookie, a lot of people can get to you because, especially as a kicker, you’re under a lot more scrutiny than other positions. I had to grow up, regardless of the coach.”
Cundiff had another solid season with the Cowboys in 2004, when he led the team with 91 points and connected on 20 of 26 field-goal attempts. He was well on his way to keeping his job for 2005 before he tore a quadriceps during training camp. He reached an injury settlement with the Cowboys, but after Jose Cortez and Shaun Suisham failed to satisfy Parcells, Cundiff found himself back with Dallas in November.
“It was a tough injury, but I’m glad I came back last season,” Cundiff said. “I had to jump in and see if I could get to midseason form. I’m glad I did it then, because now I’m way past my injury.”
In his first game back, Cundiff nailed a 56-yard field goal, the longest of his career, in a victory over Detroit. From that high came the low of his next performance, a nationally televised Thanksgiving game against Denver. He missed a 34-yard attempt in the fourth quarter that would have given the Cowboys the lead, and the Broncos won in overtime.
“It was a lot of fun when we were winning, but it was a pretty big challenge when we were losing,” Cundiff said. “That game was not fun.”
When Cundiff became a free agent, the Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed interest. The Buccaneers looked like the better option because it didn’t appear they would be able to afford incumbent Matt Bryant.
“I actually signed with Tampa for two weeks,” Cundiff said.
But a new collective bargaining agreement was signed, giving teams extra room under the salary cap. The Buccaneers used some of it to bring back Bryant.
As Cundiff was getting his release from the Buccaneers, the Packers had a desperate need for a kicker. Ryan Longwell had signed with the Minnesota Vikings, and Green Bay lost out to Indianapolis for former Patriot Adam Vinatieri.
“I never thought Ryan Longwell would leave Green Bay. I thought he had it made up here,” said Cundiff, who has made 73.2 percent of his career field-goal attempts. “After that all happened, Green Bay jumped on me. I was thrilled they were still interested.”
Kicker will be one of the most scrutinized positions when the Packers open training camp in July. Neither Cundiff nor his challenger, Dave Rayner, who kicked off for Indianapolis as a rookie last season, have the resume of Longwell, the Packers’ career scoring leader. Cundiff is considered the favorite, but the season doesn’t start for more than 3 months.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he’s been pleased with the competition since offseason workouts began in March.
“They’ve been solid. It’s been competitive,” McCarthy said. “It’s going to be a process that’s going to take some time, and we’ll let it run its course and let the best man win the job.”
During the two minicamps and the first three of the organized team activities, the kickers have gotten little work during practices. It’s been a different story behind the scenes.
“Just because we’re not kicking in front of the team doesn’t mean we’re not kicking,” Cundiff said. “Since I got up here on March 26, we’ve charted a lot of kicks. We’ve been working a lot.”
Cundiff says he’s confident he’ll win the job.
“If I kick the way I know I can kick, then I’ll be the guy in September,” Cundiff said. “I’m very confident that will happen.”
posted by The Gryphon at 1:01 PM
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