What was going on in Brett Maher’s head after missing 4 straight PATs?

Dallas was dominant last night.

The only thing they didn't do well was kick extra points. And it didn't come back to bite him and good for Brett Maher. We're going to talk, Jay Williams is going to join us in about 15 minutes from ESPN. He's going to do this every Tuesday. We're going to talk to Jay Will every Tuesday about a variety of things.

Who knows what's going to come up today, but I'm looking forward to talking with Jay Will. But last night at about, oh, I don't know, third, second quarter, I get a text from the one and only Victoria who says, do we know anybody who was a kicker? Because I would like to know what kickers are thinking right now. And at that point I did not. But by the time we got here today, I did. Thanks to our friend, Steve Logan, put us in touch with Kevin Miller, who for four years was the kicker at East Carolina.

And I need to know from a kicker standpoint. All right. You missed the first one. That's just a miss.

Then you missed the second one and it gets progressively worse from there. Take me through what you're feeling as even a former kicker and maybe what Brett was going through. Well, it's funny, Adam, last night I was getting a lot of texts from friends as well. So it's unfortunately a kicker world when things are going bad. That's when we start getting attention a lot of times.

It's been a long time since anybody care to talk to me. But yeah, I think the first kick obviously is a little bit of a shock. I mean, most of these kickers in the NFL, maybe you miss one or two a year and you could kind of see after he missed the first one, he sort of whipped it a little bit to the right. And then the second one was a mirror image where it's almost like you're trying to wish it him. And, you know, Troy Aikman even said on the broadcast, it was similar to golf, which is true.

And so, you know, all of a sudden it's at that point, clearly it's a mental thing. And I mean, there's a few things that you can see that that went wrong just from, you know, sort of if you want to nerd out on the kicking mechanics. But, you know, with each one, you're just hoping to look up and see it go through the uprights.

And unfortunately for Brett, that wasn't happening. And the third one was pulled left, right? The first two were wide right.

The third one was pulled left. And I thought the third one was the ugliest of all of them because it almost looked like he was just trying to steer it in. And we have just another golf analogy. If you try to steer the ball into the fairway off the tee, it's not going to go. And the golf ball doesn't want to be steered. It wants to be hit. And looked like the football was feeling the same way.

Yeah, that's exactly right. I mean, the first two, if you really look at it, I mean, he went again, if you get into some of the kicker mechanics that most people out there don't really care about, but he, you can tell he overstrides a little bit. He, his left foot's in front of the ball. And so he just kind of is out in front of it to keep the golf analogy going it and misses just to the right.

They weren't two of the worst balls he ever hit, but they just missed. And then it was pretty clear either as kicking coach told him, Hey, you're overstriding, or he was just trying to, you know, kind of figure out how he could steer one through in the left. Anytime a right footer kicker misses left, that is death. You hate to miss left.

Missing right is not as bad because mechanically you didn't go as wrong. So I guarantee you of all those misses, that one that he missed left, he hates the feeling of that right now. Kevin Miller is joining us, former East Carolina kicker. I know he said after the game that it wasn't in his head.

I mean, how can it not be? I mean, he's missed six in his whole career in the, in the NFL's regular season. He's got four NFL seasons with Dallas. He's missed four extra points.

How is it, or six extra points total. He's missed four yesterday. How is it not in his head? Well, of course it's in his head. I mean, he, the problem is he can't say after the game that it's in his head because if he did, uh, you know, guys like you would talk about this for the next six weeks instead of just today. So, um, but you know, he, he has to convince himself from a confidence standpoint that this was just one bad night. The thing that didn't go his way. Um, you know, he said the few things that I saw, he said all the right things. I mean, fortunately for him, Dallas dominated the game in the end, it didn't really have an effect on the game other than being a talking point for what was kind of a boring game.

So, you know, he's very lucky. I mean, had they lost the game because of him and his career might be over. And so, you know, he has to get back to, I think what if I were coaching him or if I were the special teams coach today, I'd be talking about, you got to make sure that you're back into your routine, treating every kick like it's a new opportunity. If you had kicked a 60 yarder before it doesn't help you make the next kick.

And if you missed an extra point previously, it doesn't help you make the next one. So, um, so mentally he's got to get back into, you know, sort of his stride. And then I think it'll be key to see how Mike McCarthy handles him because, uh, you know, a couple of years ago, the double doink with the bears, they had a great season. They lost to the Eagles. And I remember in particular, I think it was Cody Parkey that missed it. You know, Matt, he, the head coach at the bears, he handled it so poorly afterwards. And then they chased after looking for kickers for awhile. So, um, Mike McCarthy is going to need to kind of fake that he still has confidence in, in Brett Maher or else it's going to, it's going to go in the wrong direction quickly. The thing is he had a great year. I mean, he's, he's legitimately a very good kicker and it has to help.

He made the last one. Um, and even if it was in his head, which I agree it has to be because it is for the, uh, for an extra point or anything inside of 40 yards, seems like a chip shot field goal these days. Um, it's these guys, it's, it's all, they're all incredibly what, like 90% more than that from, from those range. So it's all mental at that point. It's like free throw shooting or putting, uh, to keep the golf thing going, um, that once he makes the last one, do you think he's fixed? Yeah.

Well, I think you're right. I mean, the NFL kickers are so talented. They've become incredible over the last 10 or 15 years. And I think we'll find out a lot about him this week. Um, you know, he had a solid year, he's a very good kicker. And I mean, you look at Trevor Lawrence the other night, he throws four interceptions in the first half.

They bounced back and win the game. Nobody is talking about his four interceptions. So, you know, now he's going to go in next week and, uh, I'm a 49er Sam, so I'm kind of hoping he has a rough game. I don't, I don't ever want any kicker to miss a consequential kick because I know what that feels like, but, um, you know, I think that his first kick, all eyes are going to be on him and he's got to go back to what is my routine.

And if you stick to routine, routine, routine, you can block out all the other stuff. And, uh, it'll be interesting to watch because, um, these guys are professionals. It's not like the Ohio state kicker who missed the kick at the end of the game, uh, you know, in the semifinal game, the holders and the, and the snappers in college are a little bit more inconsistent in the pros.

You get perfect operations and it's really on the kicker. So, um, I suspect that he'll bounce back. He'll probably have a, you know, a heavy focus this week of practice. And, um, I'd be surprised if he doesn't have a good game this week. Seriously.

Yeah, it's good. He's got a long way to go to catch Robbie gold though. He does.

I mean, that's, that'll be the other talking point. I mean, Robbie, the goal is another perfect example. I mean, he was a great kicker with the bears for a number of years and they got sideways on some money and some other things and that he surfaces out in San Francisco, but Robbie gold has never missed an extra point or a field goal in the post-season, which is incredibly impressive. And, um, you watch him, I mean, he's got a nice smooth style. He's the kind of guy that if he's got a 35 yarder, he kind of kicks it a little bit different than when he's got a 50 yarder versus a Justin Tucker who kicks every kick the exact same. So they all have their differences that they, that they sort of go to the game with, but, um, there will be a lot of talk about the kickers as weekend. And, uh, as, as part of the, uh, you know, the, the kicker crew, we'll, we'll take it.

If that's what gets us some attention, then, you know, we'll take it. How good is Justin? I mean, when you watch Justin Tucker, is it, is it like watching a Superman?

Yeah. I mean, it's, it's to me, it's like watching tiger woods. Um, I, I have been in awe of Justin Tucker and what he's done, uh, for a number of years. Friends always say, who's your favorite? Who do you think is the best kicker?

And it's just been the easiest answer. Um, the guy is incredible. He's, uh, um, you know, number one, he's powerful and he's the most accurate kicker of all time. And he's clutch. I mean, he's, he's got it all. And, um, just when you think some, something's going to pop up or, or maybe he'll miss an important kick. The guy is just so dialed in.

It's not even funny. Kevin Miller. You didn't miss a lot of kicks. You certainly didn't miss a lot of extra points. One 31 for one 36 at East Carolina, uh, on P A T's 52 of 71 over. I didn't kick a lot of field goals.

They, you, you guys scored a lot of touchdowns, uh, playing for Steve Logan. I appreciate your, I appreciate your time, Kevin. Thank you so much. And, uh, we'll check in down the road. All right. Thanks, Adam. Have a great week. Kevin Miller, former East Carolina kicker.