Brett Maher had a terrible performance during the Super Wild Card round with four extra points missed. The Dallas Cowboys quickly hired a new kicker after this situation and Mike McCarthy, the team's head coach, has opened up on this dilemma ahead of their next game against the San Francisco 49ers.
A kicker could completely change a game, for bad or for good. In this case, Brett Maher was very lucky and the Cowboys won against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite his awful performance, but Dallas had to do something about it.
A few days after the game, Cowboys signed Tristan Vizcaino to their practice squad, which leads to the biggest question: who will be the kicker for Dallas against the 49ers?
Mike McCarthy addresses the Cowboys' kicker dilemma ahead of their game vs. 49ers
Brett Maher had one of the worst nights of his career last Monday at Raymond James Stadium. The 33-year-old missed four extra points against the Bucs, which of course didn't make the Cowboys very happy.
On Wednesday, Dallas addressed the problem and signed Tristan Vizcaino to their practice squad. This of course puts pressure on Maher and Mike McCarthy knows it.
"He [Brett Maher] needs to practice well this week," McCarthy said of Maher. "We all need to practice well this week. I better coach well this week. ... Both guys will have a chance to kick (Thursday). … We're in a real good spot."
McCarthy said he really trusts Maher, but having other options available is also very important for them. "I just think it's part of the responsibility. Player acquisition's a 365-day [thing], this is nothing out of the normal for us.
"I think the fact that we'll have a chance to watch Tristan, I'm looking forward to seeing him work today. I think he's a talented young kicker. I just think we want to make sure that we're always in position to always add depth to our football team."
