IRVING, Texas (AP) -David Buehler is on the Dallas Cowboys for one reason: to boom kickoffs deep enough not to be returned.
Funny thing is, Buehler likes it when his kicks are returned because it means he gets to run around and hit people.
Buehler is the rare kicker who seeks contact, making him more of a “special teams guy” than a “kickoff specialist.” If you need proof, ask the defensive back he beat in a 50-yard dash during training camp or the beefy first-round draft picks he outlifted at the scouting combine.
Or just look for No. 18 barreling down the field on other coverage units. He’s been working on them all and already has three tackles this preseason, one on a kickoff and two on punts.
“He’s made more tackles than anybody we’ve had so far,” coach Wade Phillips said Tuesday.
That versatility and athleticism earned him a scholarship to Southern Cal.
One look at his booming kickoffs and Trojans coaches turned him into a specialist.
He dabbled with covering kicks as a sophomore, then strictly kicked off and kicked field goals as a junior and senior. It wasn’t until the pre-draft scouting combine that he really got to show off.
Lumped in with other kickers, punters and deep snappers, he entered the weight room as the tight ends were finishing up. About 80 of the 100 scouts in the room walked out.
Those who remained could hardly believe what they saw.
This kicker bench pressed 225 pounds 25 times, more than some offensive linemen that were taken in the first round and more than USC teammate Rey Maualuga, a linebacker. Buehler got more bragging rights when his time in the 40-yard dash was faster than USC linebackers Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews.
The Cowboys were among those watching and loved every bit of it.
Dallas was in dire need of a kickoff guy after going all of 2008 without a touchback. It was only the 10th time that’s happened in the NFL since 1991, which is as far back as such records go, according to STATS LLC.
Only the 2001 Colts and 1995 Oilers were worse than the Cowboys’ 0-for-75 mark. And the short kicks helped opponents have an average starting field position of the 29.3 yard line.
88 kickoffs last season. Add in the strength and speed he showed at the combine and it’s no wonder the Cowboys made him the first kicker taken in the draft. The surprise is that they waited until their third pick of the fifth round, 172nd overall.
Dallas took Buehler strictly for kickoffs, with reliable Nick Folk still handling field goals. Buehler hopes to eventually have both jobs, but for now he’s comfortable with a different kind of double duty, kicking off and working with other coverage units.
“I’m just coming in and going with the groove, whatever they want me to do,” said Buehler, who may also be the long-distance kicker, especially early in the season while Folk is coming back from hip surgery. “My main job is to be a kickoff specialist. That’s what got me here – but I can do other things.”
The Cowboys would prefer to pack their coverage squads with guys who make a living hitting and tackling and leave their specialist on the sideline, except for his own kickoffs. But it’s not that simple.
Several rookies who were expected to contribute primarily on special teams are already hurt. One is out for the year and two more are going to miss the first month. So the luxury of having a kicker who can tackle is suddenly close to being a necessity. It also makes it easier to justify Buehler’s spot on the 53-man roster.
Besides, they still have Folk to kick off should Buehler get banged up.
“You have to really weigh those things,” special teams coach Joe DeCamillis said. “There’s a risk-reward for everything. Putting Terence (Newman, a starting cornerback) back as a punt returner, putting a starting safety like Darren Woodson for all those years on kickoff coverage – there’s all those risks every time.”
Becoming an all-around player again has been fun for Buehler. Painful, too.
“Not playing it for two years and then trying to get back into it, I’m trying to knock off the rust,” he said. “My body’s not used to hitting. After the (preseason opener), my neck was a little sore. It felt like high school again, the first day in pads.”
But it went a long way with his teammates.
“Various guys gave me high-fives after making the tackles,” he said. “That’s what it’s about. It’s a league of respect. You want to be respected by your opponents and by your teammates. The more I can show to help the team, that will gain respect.”
Add A Comment