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Football journey: Dan Bailey
November, 8, 2014
By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com
LONDON - Dan Bailey is only in his fourth NFL season, but he’s already the most accurate kicker in NFL history.
He has made 105 of 116 field-goal attempts, a 90.5-percent success rate.
Bailey has made 16 of 18 field goals -- he’s had one kick blocked -- this season, and he does his best work when the pressure is at its highest.
Bailey has made nine game-winning field goals, including an 49-yarder in overtime against Houston this season.
He had made 30 consecutive field goals until missing a 53-yard attempt on the final play of regulation against Houston.
Bailey has missed just four field goal attempts in the last 30 games.
He’s so consistent that it’s easy to take him for granted. As Jason Garrett has often said, there aren’t many NFL players that are better at their job than Bailey is at his job.
It’s the primary reason he signed a seven-year, $22.5 million contract, including $7.5 million guaranteed and a $4 million signing bonus.
Here’s what Dan Bailey has to say about his football journey:
What was the name of your first team:Southwest Covenant (Oklahoma) middle school team
What position did you play: I played linebacker and running back. For the group that we had, I was pretty good. I was decently athletic.
What position did you play in high school: I played linebacker and running back in high school. Up until my sophomore or junior year, then I started to focus [more] on kicking than the other stuff.
You played eight-man football in high school. What’s that like: It’s pretty much seven-on-seven, but you have a pass rush. The main difference is there’s a lot more space because there’s not that many people out there. The scores are usually in the 50s.
What’s your favorite high school memory: My sophomore year, I made a 50-yarder. Half the teams didn’t even kick, so it was a big deal.
Why Oklahoma State: I visited Ohio University, Arkansas and some smaller schools in Oklahoma. Oklahoma State was somewhat close.
What’s your favorite college memory: We had a Thursday night game against Texas A&M my senior year, and I kicked a 40-yard game-winner. That was pretty cool. It was Thursday night, all the students were there and it was a cool atmosphere.
When did you start thinking you had an NFL future: My senior year. I had a pretty decent year and it kind of went from there. After my junior year I started thinking that if I could put together a pretty good senior year, then I might get a shot somewhere.
Why did you sign with the Cowboys: Honestly, no offense to anyone who was here, I just felt like my best opportunity was here to actually compete and get a real shot to make the team.
When did you know you could succeed in NFL: In training camp, you’re going up against other guys who have been doing it for a while. Really, though, you can either put it through the goal posts or you can’t. There wasn’t a specific time when I said, 'OK, I can do this.'
What’s it like hitting game-winner in NFL: I try to always keep my preparation the same on every kick. But in college, you might be scoring 40 points a game. In NFL, it might be 13-10, so the kicks matter more because it’s harder to win on a consistent basis. On a team level, everyone is fighting their butt off the whole game and you want to come through for your team.
How would you describe your NFL journey: In high school, I just wanted to see if I could get an opportunity to play, whether it was a directional school or somewhere else. From there, there’s no way 8-10 years ago I would’ve thought I’d be where I am now. It hasn’t happened the way I envisioned it, but it has been a fun ride.
November, 8, 2014
By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com
LONDON - Dan Bailey is only in his fourth NFL season, but he’s already the most accurate kicker in NFL history.
He has made 105 of 116 field-goal attempts, a 90.5-percent success rate.
Bailey has made 16 of 18 field goals -- he’s had one kick blocked -- this season, and he does his best work when the pressure is at its highest.
Bailey has made nine game-winning field goals, including an 49-yarder in overtime against Houston this season.
He had made 30 consecutive field goals until missing a 53-yard attempt on the final play of regulation against Houston.
Bailey has missed just four field goal attempts in the last 30 games.
He’s so consistent that it’s easy to take him for granted. As Jason Garrett has often said, there aren’t many NFL players that are better at their job than Bailey is at his job.
It’s the primary reason he signed a seven-year, $22.5 million contract, including $7.5 million guaranteed and a $4 million signing bonus.
Here’s what Dan Bailey has to say about his football journey:
What was the name of your first team:Southwest Covenant (Oklahoma) middle school team
What position did you play: I played linebacker and running back. For the group that we had, I was pretty good. I was decently athletic.
What position did you play in high school: I played linebacker and running back in high school. Up until my sophomore or junior year, then I started to focus [more] on kicking than the other stuff.
You played eight-man football in high school. What’s that like: It’s pretty much seven-on-seven, but you have a pass rush. The main difference is there’s a lot more space because there’s not that many people out there. The scores are usually in the 50s.
What’s your favorite high school memory: My sophomore year, I made a 50-yarder. Half the teams didn’t even kick, so it was a big deal.
Why Oklahoma State: I visited Ohio University, Arkansas and some smaller schools in Oklahoma. Oklahoma State was somewhat close.
What’s your favorite college memory: We had a Thursday night game against Texas A&M my senior year, and I kicked a 40-yard game-winner. That was pretty cool. It was Thursday night, all the students were there and it was a cool atmosphere.
When did you start thinking you had an NFL future: My senior year. I had a pretty decent year and it kind of went from there. After my junior year I started thinking that if I could put together a pretty good senior year, then I might get a shot somewhere.
Why did you sign with the Cowboys: Honestly, no offense to anyone who was here, I just felt like my best opportunity was here to actually compete and get a real shot to make the team.
When did you know you could succeed in NFL: In training camp, you’re going up against other guys who have been doing it for a while. Really, though, you can either put it through the goal posts or you can’t. There wasn’t a specific time when I said, 'OK, I can do this.'
What’s it like hitting game-winner in NFL: I try to always keep my preparation the same on every kick. But in college, you might be scoring 40 points a game. In NFL, it might be 13-10, so the kicks matter more because it’s harder to win on a consistent basis. On a team level, everyone is fighting their butt off the whole game and you want to come through for your team.
How would you describe your NFL journey: In high school, I just wanted to see if I could get an opportunity to play, whether it was a directional school or somewhere else. From there, there’s no way 8-10 years ago I would’ve thought I’d be where I am now. It hasn’t happened the way I envisioned it, but it has been a fun ride.
