With Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey being the only kicker left on the roster, what is he doing to ensure it stays that way?
The Cowboys’ front office and coaching staff seemingly agree on allowing Aubrey to showcase his skills but are still open to adding a veteran kicker if needed later on.
“We’re comfortable. We’re excited about what we’ve seen, excited about how he got here, and he’s having a real solid camp, and so we’re very comfortable going into the season with him,” said owner Jerry Jones, according to Calvin Watkins.
Dallas Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey Is Last Kicker Standing
Aubrey had his first perfect day of practice since training camp started on Saturday, as he went 11 of 11.
It was noted that wind has been pushing toward the kicker during practice, and although Aubrey says it can be challenging, he says it’s “nothing they can’t deal with.”
Despite Aubrey being the only kicker on the roster now, he says it doesn’t add any extra pressure than he already had, and his sole focus is on making kicks, not on potential roster cuts that could happen.
“I try not to focus on that; just focus on what I’m doing and make sure I go out there and do my job,” said Aubrey.
As for his mental process right now, he says he is “resetting the rep and flushing the last one” to focus on the kick in front of him.
This is a smart approach for Aubrey heading into Saturday’s preseason game against Jacksonville.
“As a rookie, it’s good to get these game-like reps under my belt just so I’m more prepared for when the game does eventually come,” said Aubrey.
Aubrey Dives Into His Soccer Background
The kicker has a background in football and soccer, which could play to his advantage when handling game-time pressure.
Aubrey talked about using visualization of where to put the ball more in football than when he played soccer in the MLS and in college at Notre Dame.
When he was asked about the ties between kicking penalty kicks in soccer and field goals in football, he said they are both similar to him.
“It’s just you and the ball, and you pick out your target, and you put it there. Obviously, in soccer, there’s a goalkeeper. But in penalties, you don’t try and think about the goalkeeper; you just kind of pick your spot, put it there, and if he makes the save, he makes the save,” said Aubrey.