Post by ironmaiden on Dec 24, 2009 6:56:44 GMT -7
Ledesma: Cowboys should dig deeper for new kicker
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Ledesma: Cowboys should dig deeper for new kicker
By Matt Ledesma
It’s sad to see anyone lose their job, especially around the holidays.
Yet, there probably weren’t many tears shed throughout the Dallas Cowboys’ fan base after kicker Nick Folk was released on Monday.
This move — one that probably should have been made a couple of weeks earlier — was certain from the moment the misses started outnumbering the makes. Kickers are fragile creatures, and once they lose their confidence, they almost never recover.
That’s not to say Folk still can’t revive his young career with another team. After all, not so long ago he was a Pro Bowl-caliber kicker with some clutch moments on his resume’.
Just think back to that memorable Monday night in 2007 when he kicked a 53-yard game-winner as time expired to cap off an improbable Dallas victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Even as a rookie, Folk had ice water running through his veins.
Now, he’s more apt to have water running down his pants leg every time he lines up a kick.
So Folk’s career in Dallas is over. Now enter Shaun Suisham, in his third appearance with the Cowboys after stints with the team back in 2005 and 2006.
To complete a story so bizarre it could have only come out of Valley Ranch, Suisham was cut from the Washington Redskins two weeks ago for the very same reason Folk met his end. Both missed chip-shot field goals that would have put the game away against the then-undefeated New Orleans Saints.
But a kicker is only as good as his last kick, and Folk’s choke job last Saturday is still freshly engraved in all our minds. So on Sunday night, Suisham gets a fresh slate to try and help the Cowboys defeat their arch nemesis and his former employer.
Adding even more drama to the situation, a win could also potentially clinch a postseason berth for Dallas and set up a battle for the NFC East title next week at home versus Philadelphia.
But how has it gotten to the point that the Cowboys’ season might now hang in the balance of Suisham’s recently unproven foot? With a population of more than 300 million people in this country, are we really to believe this guy was the next best option?
ESPN’S Bill Simmons hit the nail right on the head in his podcast this week when he suggested that Dallas’ search for a replacement take place outside the box.
More specifically outside the sport entirely. Why not put out some feelers in the world of professional soccer?
Let’s face it, most NFL field goal attempts are little more than glorified penalty kicks. Soccer players can boot a ball the length of the field, and the best of the bunch could likely split a pair of uprights as easily as they do goalposts from 30-plus yards out.
Soccer clubs put players on loan to other teams all the time, so the scenario wouldn’t be that far of a stretch. Just wait until some shankapotomous starts costing his team games down the stretch and sign a prorated deal for the remainder of the season. At the very least it’s a good way to pick up some extra Christmas cash.
Can you imagine if David Beckham strapped on a helmet and pads and was bending it like...well...like himself for Dallas? Still not sold? How about if his wife Victoria promised to become a Cowboys cheerleader as well?
But before we start getting all hot and bothered at the thought of that prospect, let’s see how the Suisham era turns out this time around.
__________________
Whats wrong with having Beuler being our field goal kicker next year? ironamiden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ledesma: Cowboys should dig deeper for new kicker
By Matt Ledesma
It’s sad to see anyone lose their job, especially around the holidays.
Yet, there probably weren’t many tears shed throughout the Dallas Cowboys’ fan base after kicker Nick Folk was released on Monday.
This move — one that probably should have been made a couple of weeks earlier — was certain from the moment the misses started outnumbering the makes. Kickers are fragile creatures, and once they lose their confidence, they almost never recover.
That’s not to say Folk still can’t revive his young career with another team. After all, not so long ago he was a Pro Bowl-caliber kicker with some clutch moments on his resume’.
Just think back to that memorable Monday night in 2007 when he kicked a 53-yard game-winner as time expired to cap off an improbable Dallas victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Even as a rookie, Folk had ice water running through his veins.
Now, he’s more apt to have water running down his pants leg every time he lines up a kick.
So Folk’s career in Dallas is over. Now enter Shaun Suisham, in his third appearance with the Cowboys after stints with the team back in 2005 and 2006.
To complete a story so bizarre it could have only come out of Valley Ranch, Suisham was cut from the Washington Redskins two weeks ago for the very same reason Folk met his end. Both missed chip-shot field goals that would have put the game away against the then-undefeated New Orleans Saints.
But a kicker is only as good as his last kick, and Folk’s choke job last Saturday is still freshly engraved in all our minds. So on Sunday night, Suisham gets a fresh slate to try and help the Cowboys defeat their arch nemesis and his former employer.
Adding even more drama to the situation, a win could also potentially clinch a postseason berth for Dallas and set up a battle for the NFC East title next week at home versus Philadelphia.
But how has it gotten to the point that the Cowboys’ season might now hang in the balance of Suisham’s recently unproven foot? With a population of more than 300 million people in this country, are we really to believe this guy was the next best option?
ESPN’S Bill Simmons hit the nail right on the head in his podcast this week when he suggested that Dallas’ search for a replacement take place outside the box.
More specifically outside the sport entirely. Why not put out some feelers in the world of professional soccer?
Let’s face it, most NFL field goal attempts are little more than glorified penalty kicks. Soccer players can boot a ball the length of the field, and the best of the bunch could likely split a pair of uprights as easily as they do goalposts from 30-plus yards out.
Soccer clubs put players on loan to other teams all the time, so the scenario wouldn’t be that far of a stretch. Just wait until some shankapotomous starts costing his team games down the stretch and sign a prorated deal for the remainder of the season. At the very least it’s a good way to pick up some extra Christmas cash.
Can you imagine if David Beckham strapped on a helmet and pads and was bending it like...well...like himself for Dallas? Still not sold? How about if his wife Victoria promised to become a Cowboys cheerleader as well?
But before we start getting all hot and bothered at the thought of that prospect, let’s see how the Suisham era turns out this time around.
__________________
Whats wrong with having Beuler being our field goal kicker next year? ironamiden