Cowboys sign another Kicker: Dave Rayner

[Bonecrusher#31]

Establish Dave Rayner as the favorite to win the Cowboys kicking job
By
David Moore / Reporter

dmoore@dallasnews.com | Bio

4:08 PM on Mon., Aug. 29, 2011 | Permalink

The competition to determine the Cowboys field goal kicker has received plenty of attention this training camp.

The person most likely to win the job will take the practice field for the first time Tuesday.

Dave Rayner should now be considered the favorite. The Cowboys jumped on him the moment he was released by Detroit and are flying him to Dallas on Jerry Jones' private jet.

Rayner entered the NFL in 2005 and has converted 73.3 percent of his kicks. He filled in for half a season with Detroit in 2010 and was 13-of-16 on his field goal attempts. Rayner kicked a 55-yard field goal against Minnesota to end the regular season. He was good on all three attempts in a win over Tampa Bay on Dec. 19, including a field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime and then the game-winning kick.

The Cowboys currently have four kickers on their roster. Bringing Rayner in shows their level of interest in him and the questions they have involving the current cast.

Incumbent David Buehler has missed the last two pre-season games with a hip pointer and struggled with a lack of consistency that plagued him last season. Shayne Graham was brought in last week as a high-priced insurance policy. Rookie Dan Bailey has had his moments but lacks experience and leg strength. Kai Forbath was signed injured and hasn't been a factor.

Rayner is a factor. If he's the kicker the Cowboys believe he is, odds are he will be the kicker on opening night when the team opens the season on the road against the New York Jets.

 

[Sheik]

I hate kickers.

 

[Midswat]

I don't know anything about Raynor... but why is a guy with a 73% success rate considered a favorite?

 

[Cr122]

Probably, because he's a clutch kicker. :confused

 

[Midswat]

Based on what?

 

[Cr122]

Based on what?

A few good games, I guess. I was being sarcastic. I'm in the dark about it as much as you are.

 

[NoShame]

See whats gonna happen is one of these kickers are gonna bulk up and play the DLine, another is gonna be our swing tackle, and the other will backup safety... Leaving the other 6 to battle it out for the kicker position.

 

[Midswat]

I just don't get why this guy is considered the favorite over Graham.

Graham has a better history. He was just cut because of one bad game at the Skins.

Not to sound like Spagnola, but if Raynor was so good, why was he cut already?

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I just don't get why this guy is considered the favorite over Graham.
Graham has a better history. He was just cut because of one bad game at the Skins.

Not to sound like Spagnola, but if Raynor was so good, why was he cut already?

The fact that he's been better lately? And every, other year or so it seems that a team is loaded with 2 very good kickers that they have to make a tough decision on.

 

[dbair1967]

I just don't get why this guy is considered the favorite over Graham.

Graham has a better history. He was just cut because of one bad game at the Skins.

Not to sound like Spagnola, but if Raynor was so good, why was he cut already?

He was cut because Jason Hanson is finally healthy enough to resume kicking fulltime. Hanson said after Rayner was released that he was a little worried Rayner had done enough to beat him out there, and that the Lions might move on w/o him. By all accouns Raynor had an excellent preseason/training camp with them, and he was 13/16 last yr. Rayner made both of his preseason game attempts, from 44 and 48 yds.