Why I'm watching Buehler

I know there has been much skepticism and commenting on whether we think Buehler can or cannot handle kicking duties this year. Now here's my two cents. I believe he's our kicker, and that he'll be good. Maybe not great, but I think he will be solid. And I'm going to give you my reasons

Reason 1:

A small one. He's got a huge leg. That has actually impeded his development as a kicker If you see his kicks back at USC, he's trying to kill the ball every time instead of focusing on technique. He's been focusing on technique here. And because he does have a huge leg, he shouldn't have to think about booting it hard. As long as he's focusing on his technique, he won't have problems with distance.

Reason 2:

He has never, throughout his entire career playing football, been allowed to focus solely on kicking. He's always been a Fullback (see USC) or bounced around the Special Teams units (see year one in Dallas). From the sounds of it, he's over his racing Wide Receiver days and he's spending all of his time on place-kicking. That's good. That's really good.

Reason 3: THE BIG ONE

The relationship between kickers and confidence is one of the most tenuous in sports. It isn't for the weak-of-heart. Buehler, is not a frail guy, and neither is his confidence. If you've listened to his interviews and read about him, he's got more self-confidence than just about any athlete I've ever seen. This bodes well. I believe he'll be able to bounce back from misses without any problems. And if so, he's going to be fine. Confidence after the injury is what killed Folk, but I do not think it will be an issue.

This is why I'll be watching his performances in Training Camp. He will miss kicks. All kickers do. You cannot jump on him for that. What is important is how he follows up each miss. If he follows up a miss with a technically sound and focussed kick, then the Cowboys will be fine. And I believe he will do just that.