No worries? Dallas has a huge one
Web Posted: 11/19/2006 11:25 PM CST
San Antonio Express-News
IRVING — He was booed on the day everyone else was cheered. He apologized afterward, when, in so many words, he also said there wasn't much to apologize for.
Then he told everyone not to worry.
Again.
But nothing Mike Vanderjagt says — and nothing anyone says to him — will change this. No matter how promising the Cowboys looked Sunday, they will eventually line up as the Colts did last winter, needing one kick.
Then?
At least the Cowboys should be playing in mid-January. The rest of the NFC looks as sound as Donovan McNabb's knee. Given the Cowboys' home schedule, shouldn't they actually be favored to make the playoffs?
As Bill Parcells said, Sunday showed the possibilities. His Cowboys gave the Colts their first loss. Peyton Manning scored one more touchdown against the Dallas defense than the Dallas defense scored against him. And Drew Bledsoe appears to be watching Tony Romo the same way he once watched Tom Brady.
"I can also point to wins in the '90s," said Jerry Jones, "that showed those teams they could do it."
But those teams could also point to critical moments when things went right. Sometimes it was a non-call, the kind Roy Williams got when he pushed the Indianapolis tight end and came up with an interception. Sometimes, as it was for Indy last season, it's a kick.
The Patriots know all about this. They won three titles with the best clutch kicker in the league, Adam Vinatieri. Had Vinatieri kicked in the snow as Vanderjagt did on turf in perfect weather Sunday, the Patriots would have won fewer championships.
Vanderjagt missed as badly last season against Pittsburgh, and so the Colts decided to fix this. They signed Vinatieri, freeing Vanderjagt to sign with Dallas.
Vanderjagt may still find himself. Manning created the infamous "liquored-up" line to describe Vanderjagt, but Manning backed Vanderjagt last week.
"I describe him as, as clutch a kicker as there was," Manning told reporters in Indianapolis. "Players on this team and players that played against him know how consistent a guy he was and how big of kicks he made."
Facts support that, too. Vanderjagt has made 11 game-winning kicks in the final 15 seconds over his NFL career. Once, in a 2002 game at Denver, he drilled a 54-yarder with three seconds left to send the game into overtime, then knocked down a 51-yarder to win it.
Jones saw the same, which is why he gave Vanderjagt more money than he's ever given a kicker.
But Vanderjagt has shown little of this for the Cowboys. Vanderjagt started off training camp with several shanks, then a slight groin injury set him back. Since then, even his makes have been shaky. He's hit so many uprights, the NFL may see its first 7-10 split.
So when he missed two field goals Sunday? When the Texas Stadium video scoreboard showed an advertisement featuring Vanderjagt, the crowd booed.
Afterward, Parcells said Vanderjagt keeps telling him not to worry. "Well, I am worried about him now," Parcells said.
Vanderjagt insists Parcells doesn't have a reason to be. "It was just a bad day," he said. "I basically cost us six points. I dropped a touchdown pass. Anyone can have a bad day. I'll get over it and be ready Thursday."
It's the attitude he has to have. But, inside, does even he believe? Did his last kick with the Colts shake his confidence?
Vanderjagt, not Terrell Owens, has become the team question mark. And a decision with just over two minutes left signaled that. Then, facing third down, Romo threw for the first down.
Parcells said later that Vanderjagt's misses didn't factor into it; he said he just wanted to keep the ball away from Manning. Still, given a trusty kicker, other coaches would have opted for a run, then kicked the field goal for a 10-point lead.
Parcells' strategy worked this time. But eventually, the Cowboys will have no choice.
They will have to rely on the unreliable.
San Antonio Express-News
IRVING — He was booed on the day everyone else was cheered. He apologized afterward, when, in so many words, he also said there wasn't much to apologize for.
Then he told everyone not to worry.
Again.
But nothing Mike Vanderjagt says — and nothing anyone says to him — will change this. No matter how promising the Cowboys looked Sunday, they will eventually line up as the Colts did last winter, needing one kick.
Then?
At least the Cowboys should be playing in mid-January. The rest of the NFC looks as sound as Donovan McNabb's knee. Given the Cowboys' home schedule, shouldn't they actually be favored to make the playoffs?
As Bill Parcells said, Sunday showed the possibilities. His Cowboys gave the Colts their first loss. Peyton Manning scored one more touchdown against the Dallas defense than the Dallas defense scored against him. And Drew Bledsoe appears to be watching Tony Romo the same way he once watched Tom Brady.
"I can also point to wins in the '90s," said Jerry Jones, "that showed those teams they could do it."
But those teams could also point to critical moments when things went right. Sometimes it was a non-call, the kind Roy Williams got when he pushed the Indianapolis tight end and came up with an interception. Sometimes, as it was for Indy last season, it's a kick.
The Patriots know all about this. They won three titles with the best clutch kicker in the league, Adam Vinatieri. Had Vinatieri kicked in the snow as Vanderjagt did on turf in perfect weather Sunday, the Patriots would have won fewer championships.
Vanderjagt missed as badly last season against Pittsburgh, and so the Colts decided to fix this. They signed Vinatieri, freeing Vanderjagt to sign with Dallas.
Vanderjagt may still find himself. Manning created the infamous "liquored-up" line to describe Vanderjagt, but Manning backed Vanderjagt last week.
"I describe him as, as clutch a kicker as there was," Manning told reporters in Indianapolis. "Players on this team and players that played against him know how consistent a guy he was and how big of kicks he made."
Facts support that, too. Vanderjagt has made 11 game-winning kicks in the final 15 seconds over his NFL career. Once, in a 2002 game at Denver, he drilled a 54-yarder with three seconds left to send the game into overtime, then knocked down a 51-yarder to win it.
Jones saw the same, which is why he gave Vanderjagt more money than he's ever given a kicker.
But Vanderjagt has shown little of this for the Cowboys. Vanderjagt started off training camp with several shanks, then a slight groin injury set him back. Since then, even his makes have been shaky. He's hit so many uprights, the NFL may see its first 7-10 split.
So when he missed two field goals Sunday? When the Texas Stadium video scoreboard showed an advertisement featuring Vanderjagt, the crowd booed.
Afterward, Parcells said Vanderjagt keeps telling him not to worry. "Well, I am worried about him now," Parcells said.
Vanderjagt insists Parcells doesn't have a reason to be. "It was just a bad day," he said. "I basically cost us six points. I dropped a touchdown pass. Anyone can have a bad day. I'll get over it and be ready Thursday."
It's the attitude he has to have. But, inside, does even he believe? Did his last kick with the Colts shake his confidence?
Vanderjagt, not Terrell Owens, has become the team question mark. And a decision with just over two minutes left signaled that. Then, facing third down, Romo threw for the first down.
Parcells said later that Vanderjagt's misses didn't factor into it; he said he just wanted to keep the ball away from Manning. Still, given a trusty kicker, other coaches would have opted for a run, then kicked the field goal for a 10-point lead.
Parcells' strategy worked this time. But eventually, the Cowboys will have no choice.
They will have to rely on the unreliable.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:06 PM
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