Each and every year for most NFL teams, especially on the Cowboys, there is a quandary over the kicking position. It is a position that technically isn't considered vital until usually the end of a game and its a 3 point attempt that is needed to win.

Going back into the game itself, if he misses XP's (let's not get into Maher now) or FG's and they lose, the finger is pointed at him and he has to shoulder that. Is that no different than a WR dropping a sure pass in the endzone? Yet that WR doesn't get near the ridicule. Plus the kicker is out there for roughly 4 to 5 attempts a game of either XP or FG. That receiver is out there for a round about 60ish snaps and that dropped pass gets absorbed into the game as it goes along.

A kicker has to be on the money 90%+ or he'll be looking for a new job. Whereas a receiver only catches around 67% of the balls thrown to him.

So, with this aspect that seemingly somehow the K is not a skilled position is a bit hypocritical. Sure he's not playing as much, but when he's called upon he's is absolutely expected to be 100% and if he misses, he is heralded as the reason for a loss.

It is rare a kicker is drafted and it begs to ask why? If this position is so important, why is it not considered more when drafting? In that same instance, kickers, for some unknown reason, don't always transfer that skill over to the NFL. As a matter of fact, it isn't done with any great consistency.

So, now to Maher...his stats were insanely good in '22. He was 90.6% FG (93.9% w/playoffs) and 94.3% XP (86.4% w/playoffs), total 137pts (144 w/playoffs). The thing is, he just happen to miss most his XP's in one clump (a complete oddity) vs one here, one there throughout the season...and none of those misses lost the team a game. As a matter of fact, the ones he made in the regular season won games. Compared to Justin Tucker, considered one of the leagues best... 86% FG and 96.9% XP, total 142 pts. Throwing in this quicky, Lamb had 54 pts in '22 and yet he's a skilled position and makes 6 pts per TD vs 1 and 3.

Now this isn't some rah rah post for Maher, I'm just making of comparison and questioning why a K isn't considered a skilled position and why is he so scorned when he misses if he's not so skilled. Then I would ask, who would you choose as your K if between Maher and Tucker?

Is the reason a K is not considered a skilled position an NFL thing? You have to look around a lot to find someone able to do this job consistently, next to a punter their position is the fewest, but yet the hardest to fill and most ridiculed.