IRVING, Texas – After Dez Bryant's mesmerizing catches and Barry Church's ascension to starter, one other player dominated training camp. And he hasn't been seen much since.
Last week's offensive deficiency yielded just one touchdown. It also meant Dan Bailey never lined up to kick a field goal.
Bailey was automatic throughout training camp and the preseason, missing only sparingly on practice kicks of more than 50 yards.
The Cowboys rarely put themselves in position to use Bailey against the Seahawks or the Giants. He's 1-for-1 on field goals this season – good for 28th in the league in scoring. Dallas ranks just 29th in scoring offense with 15.5 points per game through two weeks.
One kick of 33 yards against New York is all Bailey could muster so far. He's one of just five kickers with one or no attempts this year.
Before the Seahawks game got out of hand, it was a six-point, tight matchup entering halftime. One attempt from Bailey could have tilted the momentum entirely, but he only touched the field to kickoff.
Apart from special teams mistakes, the problem through two weeks hasn't just been the offense stalling – it's been the offense stalling without moving the chains to begin with. Field position has something to do with it.
The Cowboys had three three-and-outs and reached Seattle territory just three times. The first time they couldn't get past the 24-yard line before Romo was intercepted. The second time they scored. The third time they couldn't complete a third down pass on the 40-yard line and, much to Romo's chagrin, punted away. The fourth time came as time expired and Dallas was already trailing by 20 points.
Unlike past years, all the Cowboys need to do now is get inside the 30-yard line and hold onto the ball to essentially know at least three points will be on the board. So far, they haven't been able to complete that task.
It's only been two weeks. A lot of time's left for things to change. But Bailey was brought in to tilt close matchups in the Cowboys' favor, and right now, three points are sitting on the bench every drive, just waiting to be used.
