Tuna should let Vanderjagt kick

By Andy Targovnik  |   Friday, September 15, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Dallas Cowboys
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When the Dallas Cowboys signed Mike Vanderjagt to a five-year, $12 million deal during the offseason, the team's fans all assumed that the days of Shaun Suisham attempting big kicks were over. But Suisham was exactly who did the kicking against the Jacksonville Jaguars this past Sunday; and he promptly missed a 36-yard chipshot. As Yogi Berra once said, "It was deja vu all over again."

"But Vanderjagt was injured," you say. Fair enough. But this week, Bill Parcells maintains that he is not hurt. Yet, he still might not suit up for this Sunday night's game against the Washington Redskins. According to Tuna, both kickers performed "about the same" during Thursday's practice.

So let me get this straight. Suisham, a 67% career kicker, may beat out the most accurate kicker in NFL history because he's just as effective? It's mind boggling.

And, if he wasn't already fuming enough over this debacle, Parcells is reluctantly considering dressing both kickers Sunday. In that scenario, Suisham would handle kickoffs and Vanderjagt would kick field goals. This is something Parcells would rather not do because he would have to inactivate a linebacker or running back.

"In both cases, that would take a pretty good special teams player out of the mix" the head coach said. "If you do (inactivate) one player (a linebacker), then it creates a problem for the nickel or goal line defense. If you take (inactivate) a running back, you're altering your kickoff return. We'll have to see. It's really not something I look forward in having to decide."

My advice: Let both kickers play. The special teams will make do for a week with one less player. If Aaron Glenn returns kickoffs instead of Tyson Thompson, is that the end of the world?

Have Suisham kick the ball off. And, assuming he's not hurt, let Vanderjagt kick the field goals. If the problem is in his head as many people think, maybe one made field goal can turn everything around for the veteran.

Why did the Dallas Cowboys pay Vanderjagt all this money? To kick field goals that win games. He certainly can't do that watching the game on television, and we know for sure Suisham can't do it.

So get Vanderjagt out there, let him do his thing and let the chips fall where they may, Parcells.

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