IRVING, Texas – On the list of concerns entering the 2013 season for the Cowboys, Dan Bailey would rank at the bottom.
In two seasons he has made 61 of 68 field goal attempts with a number of clutch kicks to either win or tie games late in the fourth quarter or overtime.
In the offseason work open to the media, Bailey missed one kick against narrow goal posts that would have been good with the normal width between the posts.
As Bailey gets ready for his third season, he continues to search for the perfect swing, the way a golfer would. The core of his technique remains the same, but he is looking at different ways to attack the ball.
“You’re just trying to fine tune or tweak this or that,” Bailey said. “Just a half step here or there, a little different angle into the ball. But at the same time, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
At one point in Bailey’s rookie training camp, the Cowboys had four kickers on the active roster - David Buehler, Dave Rayner, Shayne Graham and Bailey – and one hurt (Kai Forbath).
Now Bailey is the only kicker on the roster.
“What helped me mentally in that area was my first year here and it was like every man for himself, so you just had to go,” Bailey said. “It was, ‘Here’s your opportunity and this is what you need to do.’ I think that helped me a lot now where I just try to focus on myself.”