sport news Dallas Cowboys 'bring in backup kicker Tristan Vizcaino' after Brett Maher's ... trends now
The Dallas Cowboys have signed kicker Tristan Vizcaino to its practice squad though head coach Mike McCarthy's still planning to stick with the struggling Brett Maher in the playoffs despite the 33-year-old missing four extra points on Monday.
Vizcaino, 26, will be joining his third team of the season after making appearances for the New England Patriots and the Arizona Cardinals ahead of Sunday's Divisional Round duel with the San Francisco 49ers, according to the NFL Network.
His inclusion is pending a physical and is merely insurance in case Maher gets the 'yips' again, like he did two days ago against Tampa Bay.
Tristan Vizcaino (pictured playing for Washington) is on the verge of signing with the Cowboys
Vizcaino's will act as backup to struggling kicker Brett Maher after missed 4-of-5 FGs Monday
Maher caught the yips against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, costing his side four extra points
The Cowboys beat the Bucs 31-14 though it took Maher five attempts to kick the football through the uprights, giving Dallas a 31-14 lead in the fourth quarter.
'I think the biggest thing is just to make sure you got a good plan with Brett moving forward,' Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said. 'Just make sure he's ready.'
Maher, an NFL journeyman whose played for 10 different teams around the league, is in his third stint with the Cowboys and entered Monday's game against Tom Brady and Co. with a 90.6 percent completion rate. He was 29-of-32 this season, including 9-of-11 from 50 yards or more, with a long of 60.
'Definitely didn't do my part tonight,' the 33-year-old said on Monday. 'This team is too good moving forward for me to have to do that. Just get back at it this week.'
The NFL said Maher was the first kicker to miss four extra points in a game since the statistic was first tracked for individual players in 1932. In a playoff game, no kicker had missed as many as three.
Maher, 33, is the only kicker in NFL history to miss four consecutive point-after attempts
Contrary to the
