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Texas NFL Capsules: Cowboys need different booming kicks from Buehler
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — David Buehler has the booming kickoffs and the macho yet fun-loving persona. None of that erases the big question surrounding the kicker.
And Buehler understands the uncertainty others have about him now that he has to be more than a kickoff specialist for the Dallas Cowboys, his only role as a rookie last season. He is expected to kick the ball through the uprights, too.
"I'm not proven," said Buehler, whose only field goal attempt for Dallas was a 39-yarder he made in a preseason game last year. "I can see why there's doubt ... I haven't been out there in a game situation. I haven't had the opportunity yet really."
The Cowboys are giving Buehler every chance now.
Buehler is the only kicker in training camp and made 4 of 6 attempts during team drills Monday, when his long was 50 yards and the misses were from 44 and 53 yards. He is 20 of 24 overall.
His nearly constant companion is Chris Boniol, the kicker for the Cowboys in their last Super Bowl nearly 15 years ago who was brought in this offseason as Buehler's instructor.
Former Pro Bowl kicker Nick Folk was released after missing 10 field goals in 14 games last season. Shaun Suisham finished the year but wasn't re-signed.
Even in this uncapped season, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones preferred to expand Buehler's role instead of spending big money on another kicker. He tried that four years ago with Mike Vanderjagt, then the NFL's most accurate kicker. Vanderjagt got hurt in camp, made only 13 of 18 field goals and was cut by then-coach Bill Parcells only 10 games into a three-year, $5.4 million contract.
"I've seen (field goals) missed real good by guys that have made kicks in the league before," Jones said. "I'm being cute, but Buehler is capable. Unlike the $2 million kicker I paid that came in and didn't hit anything but squib kicks for field goals, but we still went with him. We're going to go with how it looks and how (Buehler) is feeling."
With five preseason games and no other kickers, the Cowboys have an unfettered opportunity to evaluate Buehler as a field goal kicker. They will look at other options only if necessary later in camp, Jones said.
Buehler excelled at what he was supposed to do last season, when he led the NFL with 29 touchbacks. Dallas had none the previous year.
He last kicked field goals in college, making 26 of 33 in 37 games for Southern Cal from 2006-08. He made all but one of his 118 extra points.
"I know a lot of people think, 'He hasn't really kicked, he hasn't really done too much kicking.' But I have," Buehler said. "I have kicked under coach (Pete) Carroll. I've kicked in Rose Bowls. I've kicked in big games where it matters. I've been there and done that."
Boniol is now providing the kind of instruction Buehler has never had.
"He took a massive leap this offseason," said punter Mat McBriar, also his holder. "Bringing Chris in here was one of the smartest things that the team did."
Buehler doesn't have the typical background — or persona — for a kicker. He likes to hit and tackle. He was a goal-line tailback, safety and special teams guy who also happened to kick off while playing in junior college before getting a scholarship from USC.
At the pre-draft scouting combine in 2009, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Buehler bench pressed 225 pounds 25 times, more than some offensive linemen drafted in the first round. The Cowboys picked him in the fifth round and then during training camp last year, Buehler beat rookie defensive back DeAngelo Smith in a 50-yard dash.
When the Cowboys signed a standout college sprinter to a contract last week, coach Wade Phillips quipped that they weren't going to let Buehler race him.
While there is that "unique personality," Boniol said Buehler has the right mindset.
"He's one of the most coachable and teachable kids I've ever been around. ... He wants to learn, he wants to get better," Boniol said. "His personality is very energetic, but he more than any kicker I've ever seen knows how to flip it on and off."
Cowboys hurt rookie Bryant still catches balls
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Dez Bryant is still catching a few balls despite that bulky protective boot on his right foot.
Bryant caught a few light tosses from receivers coach Ray Sherman while standing on the sideline as the Dallas Cowboys' practice got started Monday. Once team drills got under way, the first-round pick was an observer watching with Sherman or another coach while the offense went through its plays.
Coach Wade Phillips said it's still too early to determine how quickly Bryant could be back after sustaining a high right ankle sprain Friday. The initial prognosis was four to six weeks, which means the rookie receiver could miss the entire five-game preseason schedule.
"I think the first week is really the big determining factor on how quickly it's going to heal. After that first week I think they can tell you a lot more about it," Phillips said. "Stabilization is the important thing and that's the first week."
Phillips said the other of the Cowboys' injured top three draft picks could practice as early as Wednesday.
Linebacker Sean Lee, the second-round pick, has missed the past week with a strained quadriceps. Cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, the fourth-round pick, didn't take part in offseason workouts because of shoulder surgery before the draft and hasn't practiced at camp because of a hamstring injury.
Bryant appears to be moving with ease while wearing the boot that covers much of his lower leg below the knee. The only practice Bryant missed was Saturday morning, the first session after he got hurt, before returning that afternoon.
Phillips said there is no problem with the receiver moving around like he is.
"As long as he's in that boot, there's no problem there. It's stabilized what they want to stabilize and that's why he's out there," Phillips said. "He's out there to see the plays and mentally get reps."
If Lee returns to practice this week, he could possibly play in the preseason opener Sunday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Cowboys then play again the following Thursday at home against Oakland. Owusu-Ansah is less certain.
"Lee is a little different case than Akwasi in that he's been participating in everything. He went part of the first week here and he went to all of the OTAs," Phillips said. "Akwasi hadn't been in any of that. I would say that Akwasi would be later, maybe after the first two games."
-- Stephen Hawkins
Overachieving Casey tries to make cut with Texans
HOUSTON (AP) — The way James Casey sees it, the more positions he shows he can play, the more likely he will be to make the Houston Texans' roster.
Casey, entering his second season, is competing for time at tight end at training camp, and he's also working with the fullbacks and deep snappers, trying to catch coach Gary Kubiak's eye with his versatility.
"Basically, my whole goal is to work to get onto the field," Casey said. "Whatever I can do to be a starter, whether it's special teams, deep snapper, tight end, I'm just trying to get to that position."
Casey is working with the second team as a tight end, behind Joel Dreessen. Pro Bowler Owen Daniels is still out with a knee injury, and that creates more opportunities for Casey to impress the coaches.
And he has.
"When you're starting to put a roster together of people you count on, he's the poster child of that," Kubiak said. "He's got a situation where he's got a chance to prove that he could start in this league. There is a lot to expect from James, from a lot of people around here. And I know he realizes that, too."
Even if football doesn't pan out, Casey has a pretty solid backup plan. He's 13 hours shy of earning three degrees from nearby Rice — in economics, managerial studies and sports management with a minor in business.
The 6-foot-3, 238-pound Casey caught six passes as a rookie last season. The Texans nabbed him in the fifth round of the 2009 draft, a perfect scenario for Casey, who lived less than two miles from Reliant Stadium last summer.
He's got the playbook down now and feels much more at ease in his second training camp.
"I feel miles ahead of where I was last year at this time," he said. "I'm a lot more confident with the offense, and when you're confident, you play faster, you know what's going on and you can work on the little things."
Casey is getting a rare second chance at a professional career after falling short as a minor-league baseball player.
After three disappointing seasons in the rookie league, Casey turned to football — and college — sending packages of self-promoting material to several schools in Texas. Dustin Hufsey, one of Casey's former high school teammates, walked on at Rice and delivered Casey's package to the coaches.
Rice offered Casey a scholarship to play linebacker or safety — not exactly what Casey wanted, but enough to get his foot in the door.
"I decided to go to Rice with the mindset that I was going to prove to them that I could play on the offensive side of the ball," he said.
Less than a week after he arrived, coach Todd Graham bolted for Tulsa. Casey feared that he would lose his scholarship, but Rice hired David Bailiff and Casey stuck around.
He started spring practice at defensive end, while trying to convince the coaches every day that he was an offensive player at heart.
"At the end of every practice, he would play catch with somebody until he wore them out," Bailiff said. "And he would stand out there and throw the ball like he was a little kid. He was so talented that we had to find a role for him, and he had an amazing arm."
Bailiff eventually moved Casey to quarterback, then to receiver when the depth chart was thinned by injuries. Casey saw action at seven positions in a 31-29 victory over Southern Miss, running for a touchdown, catching two passes and making two tackles.
He emerged as one of the nation's top receivers in 2008, ranking second nationally in receptions (104) and fifth in receiving yards (1,217). He also maintained a 3.84 grade point average that year with a full class load.
"He was always challenging himself to do more," Bailiff said.
Casey hopes to run a business in the future, or maybe go to law school, but those aspirations and decisions can wait. For now, he's concentrating on his run-blocking and deep-snapping techniques, trying to prolong his dream career for as long as he can.
"I've got a lot of stuff going through my mind every day, as far as what I'm going to do after football," he said. "Right now, I've got things right in front of me, like finishing up school and this season. I'm just going to keep brainstorming, keep thinking about my options and just see what might happen down the road."
-- Chris Duncan
