How do you spell playoffs? V-a-n-d-e-r-j-a-g-t

By Andy Targovnik  |   Monday, May 15, 2006  |  Comments( 4 )

Dallas Cowboys
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Never has such a key signing been so ignored. Since the Dallas Cowboys signed Mike Vanderjagt to a 5 year, $12 million dollar deal, there hasn't been much said about it. It hasn't escaped the notice of one Bill Parcells, however. "I think we were a lot closer to being pretty good last year than anyone really knows," Parcells noted during last week's press conference. "We make a field goal here or there and we're going to have 12 wins."

Jerry Jones has never liked to pay kickers too much. Then again, on the Dallas Cowboys championship teams of the 90's, he never had to. The Cowboys were so dominant; their games never came down to field goals. In their three Super Bowl victories, their kickers were an olio of journeymen: Lin Eliot, Eddie Murray and Chris Boniol.

Today's NFL is different. The teams are so equal and there are so many close games that the difference in making the playoffs and not making the playoffs is ever so fine. That difference might very well come down to whether a field goal is made or missed.

Look at last year. The Cowboys ended up 9-7. There were at least four losses that were directly affected by poor field goal kicking. Jose Cortez missed relatively easy field goals in losses to Washington and Seattle. Then on Thanksgiving, Billy Cundiff missed a 34 yard chip shot that would have put the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the Denver Broncos in regulation time. Instead, the Broncos won in overtime. Finally, in the last game of the season, practice-squad kicker Sean Suisham missed a 41 yarder against St. Louis that contributed to the Cowboys defeat. Even if the Cowboys won just one of those games, they would have made the playoffs and then who knows what would have happened?

So once Vanderjagt wore out his welcome with the Indianapolis Colts due to a couple of missed kicks in the playoffs and an ill-advised appearance on The David Letterman Show, Parcells and Jones pounced. True, Vanderjagt missed a couple of huge kicks, but these were far from chip shots. They were from 49 and 46 yards under the most extreme pressure possible. And except for Adam Vinatieri, who doesn't miss a big kick now and then? In 1998, even Gary Anderson, who was perfect during the regular season, missed a field goal that cost the Minnesota Vikings a Super Bowl appearance.

The bottom line: Vanderjagt is an 87.5 % career kicker - the best in NFL history. In 2003, Vanderjagt made all of his 37 field goal attempts and last year he was 23 for 25. These numbers are mind-boggling. Compare that to the dismal 71% (20 for 28) kicking of Cortez, Cundiff, and Suisham.

Sure, Vanderjagt has a little too much to say. But from playoff proceeds, you can sure buy one heck of a pair of ear plugs.
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