Tag: Maher

Jan 16, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Dallas Cowboys place kicker Brett Maher (19) in the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the wild card game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Just for kicks: Sportsbook offering Brett Maher PAT props

Posted on | by Field Level Media

It’s not often a kicker is one of the main storylines ahead of the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

Then again, no one had ever missed four extra points in an NFL game since at least 1932, much less in a postseason game. That was, until Dallas’ Brett Maher accomplished the ignominious feat in Monday night’s 31-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It was one more missed extra point than Maher had during the 17-game regular season. However, one did come on his final attempt in Week 18, which began what would become a streak of five consecutive missed extra points.

Oddsmakers believe he will rebound against San Francisco on Sunday, with SportsBetting.ag offering a prop bet with Maher at -500 to not miss an extra point vs. +300 that he will add to the total.

However, the sportsbook didn’t stop there. Should Maher fail to convert on an extra point, you can wager on how it will happen.

Where Brett Maher Will Miss Extra Point Odds:
–Wide right -140
–Wide left +120
–Right post +700
–Left post +800
–Crossbar +3300

For reference, Maher sailed his first two attempts wide right on Monday before shanking the third one left. The final attempt clanged off the right upright.

The Cowboys signed journeyman kicker Tristan Vizcaino as an insurance policy this week, but Maher is expected to handle the kicking duties against the 49ers.

According to reporters in clear view of the kicking display at the Cowboys’ practice in Frisco, Texas, on Thursday, Maher went 6-for-6 on field goals and Vizcaino went 3-for-5, including missing his very first kick.

“(Maher) needs to practice well this week,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said, adding, “We all need to practice well this week. I better coach well this week.”

Whether Maher’s struggles Monday night play a factor in McCarthy’s decision making this weekend remains to be seen. Will McCarthy be more tempted to go for it on short fourth-down situations in 49ers territory? And will a potential lack of faith in his kicking game lead him to consider more two-point conversations?

“Whoever lines up here on the 48, I’ll have great confidence,” McCarthy insisted Thursday.

That didn’t stop SportsBetting.com to provide odds on whether Dallas will attempt a two-point conversion, be it due to more struggles in the kicking game or the game situation simply dictating it.

Will Cowboys Attempt a two-point Conversion Odds:
–Yes +135
–No -175

Maher did convert his fifth and final extra-point attempt on Monday night, and McCarthy tried to advise against reading too much into the Vizcaino signing.

“It doesn’t take anything away from our trust in Brett,” McCarthy said. “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.”

It’s unclear if the Cowboys would consider carrying two kickers on the active roster for Sunday’s divisional round game at the San Francisco 49ers.

–Field Level Media

Jan 16, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Dallas Cowboys place kicker Brett Maher (19) misses a point after touchdown kick in the first half during the wild card game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Mike McCarthy: Cowboys K Brett Maher ‘he needs to practice well’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Tristan Vizcaino was on the field with the Dallas Cowboys at Thursday’s practice, but coach Mike McCarthy said that the kicking insurance policy doesn’t mean the team does not believe in Brett Maher.

Maher missed four straight extra-point attempts in Monday’s 31-14 wild-card win over the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He converted his fifth and final try of the game.

Dallas added Vizcaino to the practice squad on Tuesday. Vizcaino had previous stints with the 49ers, Chargers, Cardinals and Patriots and was briefly on the Cowboys’ offseason roster in 2020.

“It doesn’t take anything away from our trust in Brett,” McCarthy told reporters on Thursday. “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.”

It’s unclear if the Cowboys would consider carrying two kickers on the active roster for Sunday’s divisional round game at the San Francisco 49ers.

“He (Maher) needs to practice well this week,” McCarthy said, adding, “We all need to practice well this week. I better coach well this week.”

Maher might have received the message. According to reporters in clear view of the kicking display at the Cowboys’ practice in Frisco, Texas, Maher went 6-for-6 on field goals and Vizcaino went 3-for-5, including missing his very first kick.

“Whoever lines up here on the 48, I’ll have great confidence,” McCarthy said.

The Cowboys will head west hoping to be the first team to hand San Francisco a loss since Oct. 23. The Niners have won 11 straight games, including seven behind rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who’s impressed the league after taking over for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo.

McCarthy said there’s no point in crunching tape of Purdy’s days at Iowa State.

“He’s got plenty of film now and he’s played at a very high level. … He’s not a rookie anymore in our eyes,” McCarthy said.

“The three things that jumped out to me … is his instincts, his awareness and his confidence. For a young player he definitely looks very confident and comfortable in the system.”

–Field Level Media

Aug 19, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots place kicker Tristan Vizcaino (2) kicks a field goal during the second half of a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Cowboys signing K Tristan Vizcaino

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Dallas Cowboys are signing kicker Tristan Vizcaino to their practice squad, multiple outlets reported Wednesday, an insurance policy in the event of another meltdown by Brett Maher.

Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones hinted at such a move on Tuesday.

Maher made NFL history in the NFC Wild Card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night, with four missed extra-point attempts. According to Elias, Maher became the first player since 1932 to miss four PATs in a regular season or playoff game, a span of 16,207 games.

Vizcaino, 26, played in three games in the regular season – two for New England and one for Arizona. He made two field goals and three extra points in Week 10 for Arizona, while merely used for kickoffs by the Patriots.

For his career, Vizcaino has made 75 percent of his PATs and 11 of 12 field-goal attempts, including a long of 47.

Maher, 33, made 50 of his 53 PATs in the regular season and 29 of 32 field-goal attempts. His previous playoff experience came in 2018 with the Cowboys. In two games, he was 5-for-5 on PATs and 1 of 2 on field-goal attempts.

In the victory over Tampa Bay, Maher made his final extra-point try.

Jones said Tuesday he won’t rely on a strong history with Maher and fears going into an elimination game with doubts at the position.

Meanwhile, Cowboys special teams coach John Fassel said Maher had a case of the “yips.”

“I believe in the hot hand, and I believe in the yips, absolutely,” Fassel said Tuesday, per ESPN. “Let’s face it, he only missed (six) kicks all season. The yips happen, so I expect a hot hand coming up.”

–Field Level Media

Jan 16, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Dallas Cowboys place kicker Brett Maher (19) kicks a point after touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second half during the wild card game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Jerry Jones: Brett Maher’s issues has Cowboys considering 2 kickers

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Cowboys kicker Brett Maher might have competition, or friendly company, when Dallas visits the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in the NFC Divisional playoffs.

Maher made NFL history in the NFC Wild Card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night with four missed extra-point attempts. Maher finally connected on a PAT in the fourth quarter.

“I’m Money Maher’s biggest fan,” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said. “I talked to him individually. ‘I just said, let that go. We’re going to need you. I just played like —- a week ago.’ So, I mean, that happens. … Personally, no doubt that he’ll come back next week and be perfect and help us win.”

Maher, 33, made 50 of his 53 PATs in the regular season and 29 of 32 field-goal attempts.

His previous playoff experience came in 2018 with the Cowboys. In two games, he was 5-for-5 on PATs and 1 of 2 on field-goal attempts.

But Jones said Tuesday he won’t rely on a strong history with Maher and fears going into an elimination game with doubts at the position.

“This is a classic case of looking at what he has done for this team on the field all year, not just last night,” Jones said Tuesday on 105.3FM in Dallas. “But kicking is a technical thing. It has everything to do with, frankly, mentally having it all together as you step up there.

“We’ll read this thing as the week goes along. I thought when he came out at halftime, watched him warm up and he’s making all of the kicks. I figured that was behind him. But we will take a look at it. We can’t … go into the rest of this tournament with shakiness at kicker.”

Jones said he will consider carrying two kickers on the game-day roster at San Francisco.

“We did it last year, we had one that was good on shorter kicks and good on extra points,” Jones said, adding that he expects coach Mike McCarthy to be more willing to go for two points. “It’s an imposition to have to use up that extra roster spot, but it’s doable.”

Maher’s misses in the Cowboys’ 31-14 win were significant in betting results, with a 45.5 point total at most books. The “over” hit on each of the other five playoff games during wild card weekend.

Hall of Fame kicker Morten Anderson chimed in on Twitter, asking, “Are the Cowboys hiring?”

Andersen, 62, played in 2,544 career games for five different teams from 1982-2007 and made 849 of 859 career extra-point tries.

–Field Level Media

Sep 11, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end Tarell Basham (93) reacts against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys place DE Tarell Basham (thigh) on IR

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Dallas Cowboys placed defensive end Tarell Basham on short-term injured reserve Saturday among a series of roster moves.

The team officially signed new starting quarterback Cooper Rush and kicker Brett Maher to the active roster and elevated backup quarterback Will Grier and center Alec Lindstrom from the practice squad. The Cowboys released defensive tackle John Ridgeway.

Basham sustained a thigh injury in the fourth quarter of the season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He will be sidelined for a minimum of four games.

Basham, 28, played 25 snaps against the Bucs.

Rush gets the nod Sunday against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals with Dak Prescott recovering from thumb surgery. Rush relieved Prescott against Tampa Bay and completed 7 of 13 passes for 64 yards.

Rush, 28, will be making just his second NFL start since joining the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He threw for 325 yards on 24-of-40 passing with two touchdowns and one interception in a 20-16 win at Minnesota in Week 8 last season.

Maher, 32, accounted for the only Dallas points in Week 1 with a 51-yard field goal.

–Field Level Media

Nov 18, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher (2) celebrates after a game-winning field goal against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys sign K Brett Maher

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Dallas Cowboys signed Brett Maher and released fellow kicker Jonathan Garibay on Tuesday.

Maher, who played for Dallas from 2018-19, will now compete with Lirim Hajrullahu for the starting job.

Maher, 32, was one of four kickers who worked out for the Cowboys at training camp on Tuesday morning.

He has made 77.4 percent of his field-goal attempts (65-of-84) and 96.3 percent of his PATs (78-of-81) in 37 games with the Cowboys and New Orleans Saints (2021).

Maher set the Dallas franchise record with a 63-yard field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 20, 2019.

In March, the Cowboys released veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein, who made 29-of-35 field goals and 42-of-48 extra-points last season. Zuerlein signed with the New York Jets.

–Field Level Media