IRVING, Texas – Dan Bailey usually knows the moment he kicks a football whether it's going to go through the uprights. Sunday was an exception.
The Cowboys kicker said he thought his 51-yard attempt that sailed wide left in the waning seconds against the Ravens would be good when it went off his foot, but he can't dwell on the miss and let it affect his psyche on future kicks in similar situations.
"I have all the confidence in the world I can go out there and make it happen," Bailey said. "That's just the reality of the position. You're going to miss kicks, and sometimes they're going to be game-deciding kicks."
Some kickers say it feels like an eternity between the time a ball is snapped and the football begins its course through the air. Bailey said it only feels that way on a miss. On kicks like the one Sunday, he said time slows down as the ball starts tailing, and he just wants a redo.
The missed kick marked the first failed field goal attempt by Bailey this season, hitting all eight of his previous attempts. He said everything before the kick went smoothly. He just couldn't put it through.
"I thought I had a pretty good line, but the wind started pushing it and it just couldn't hold on long enough," Bailey said.
Kicking outside will always be tougher than kicking in Cowboys stadium or any indoor environment, but he felt comfortable with the distance of the kick. Bailey said most kickers would say they're comfortable kicking 65-yard field goals, but realistically, his comfort level is more within the 55-yard range.
"If you really had to kick a 59-yarder, then yeah, sure, give it a shot," Bailey said. "But if you try to throw in consistency and being comfortable and stuff like that, the guys that say 65, I think that's a stretch. I think if you really want to be consistent and give yourself a good shot, I think 55 and in is a good number."
