FRISCO, Texas – Dan Bailey isn't blaming his three misses last week on his previous injury.
He's not blaming it on a bad hold or snap, because that wasn't the case.
He's not even blaming it on the wind, although he knows it played some kind of factor.
But as of Thursday, four days after last week's game in New York and just three days before taking on the Raiders in another must-win for the Cowboys, Dan Bailey knows what has to happen when he lines up for field goals and extra points Sunday night in Oakland.
"If I'm on the field my expectation is to make every kick," Bailey said. "That's always been that way. It's always going to be that way. As surprised as everybody else is, I guess I'm a little surprised as well but I'm just going to have to put this one behind me and move on."
And to Bailey's credit, he's used that same approach whether he's making game-winning 50-yard field goals in overtime, or like last week when he missed a pair of attempts over 50 yards and then an extra point.
"You're really only as good as your next kick," Bailey said. "That's what I've always focused on. You have to block out the good and the bad."
Now, Bailey admits it hasn't ever gotten that "bad" as he doesn't recall three missed field goals in any game, dating back to college or high school.
After Sunday's loss, Bailey used the line "it was a frustrating day," to answer several questions regarding the operation of the kicks, or the wind, or even his health since he missed four games with a groin injury.
On Thursday, he opened up a little more, especially about his health status.
"if I'm not able to go out there and perform to my standards, (the athletic trainers) are not going to put me out there," Bailey said. "I'm not going to be out there."
So if it's not a health thing, maybe it's technical. Bailey said he really wouldn't kick any of the balls differently if he had to do it over again.
"Going back the 53 (yard attempt), I actually hit pretty well and the 50 was a pretty good hit too," Bailey said. "It was just real gusty that way and we knew that going into it, so … I don't know that I'd really do anything different. The PAT, I really don't know on that one. That's just a miss. I mean they're all misses obviously but you try to go back and learn from it and see what you can do different and try not to do that again."
Heading into last week's game, Bailey had made all eight field goals and all 21 extra-point attempts.
