Weakness Series: Dallas has Kicker problems

We’d all like to think our teams are perfect. Fans love to bring up the stats that make their teams sound great. Fans are quick to bring up their five Lombardi trophies, three Super Bowl wins with three different quarterbacks, defeating an undefeated team on the grandest stage of them all, or dominating the NFC for half a decade. However, we all know deep inside that our teams have big weaknesses going into the 2010 season. This series will bring to light the biggest concern for the teams of the Beast. Today, we start with;

Cowboys, Pre-Training Camp ranking: #1 in the East

Biggest Weakness: Kicker.

One can very well argue that the free safety position is the biggest weakness in Dallas. They plan on starting Alan Ball at that position now that Ken Hamlin has been released. But Cowboy fan, I challenge you this; tell me what 12 games Hamlin played last year and the four that Ball played. Now tell me what the difference was.

Can’t think of them can you?

Now that you’re done googling it, you see that there was no huge difference with Ball’s play. So lets stop poking at that guy. Cowboy fan, you and I both know that the kicker position is the huge red flag on this roster.

Last year’s NFC East laughing stocks were both Cowboys at one time or another, Nick Folk and Shaun Suisham, the latter being a former Redskin as well. The two were combined 20 for 31 with the Cowboys, both missing chip-shots during the regular season, and both are now off the roster.

Dallas turns to two unproven kickers to fill the vacancy and hopefully help Cowboys fans with their kicker sorrows that they were given last season. David Beuhler is the front runner for the position, a former USC Trojan that was drafted purely because of his kick off power, leading the league in touchbacks. I’m not sure why Wade Phillips and Jerry Jones believe in this guy though. This is the same kicker that Nick Folk beat in a field goal competition during last year’s bye week that led Folk to keeping his job…momentarily that is. Beuhler also hasn’t attempted a single kick in the NFL.

Connor Hughes, a Newport News native, was brought in during the offseason to compete with Beuhler. The former Philadelphia Soul kicker was undrafted in 2006 where he was signed and soon after released by both the Saints and Steelers. Hughes as well hasn’t attempted a NFL kick, and by the looks at the team’s first Organized Team Activity (OTA), he might not even make the roster by the time of training camp.

Dallas obviously needs help at this position, hence why they brought in Chris Boniol, a former Cowboys kicker from the 90s, as a consultant. It’ll be interesting to see if Boniol can somehow mold Beuhler into a true place kicker, but until then, Dallas better hope for touchdowns as field goals, and maybe even extra points, won’t come easy.