Buehler’s misses may change momentum.  They may take points off the board.  They may even contribute to global warming.  They are not the reason this Cowboys team continues to struggle.  Good teams do not need great kickers.  Good teams score touchdowns and play solid defense along with solid coverage on special teams.

As a side note, the former Cowboys kickers Nick Folk and Billy Cundiff are a combined 17 for 21 or 81%.  Would those additional 14 percentage points really make a difference in a dreadful 2010 season?  Would the additional 9 points gained from the missed kicks really vault the Cowboys to 3-1 or 4-0?

Buehler will undoubtedly take some heat for the Cowboys woes, but these are team losses through and through.  Take Jeff Reed for instance; he is 8 for 12 on a 3-1 team.  His job is not in jeopardy because the Steelers are winning.  Winning will absolve the sins the Cowboys have and remove the demons that haunt them.  We need a young priest and an old priest just to have a prayer of a chance.

The Raiders plan to make Janikowski the highest-paid field goal kicker in the NFL, according to ESPN.

Janikowski is the top kicker who could have been available. ESPN notes other notable free agents are Cincinnati’s Shayne Graham and the New York Jets’ Jay Feely.

It would be a mistake to try to make David Buehler into a field goal kicker. Buehler was great as a kick off specialist for the Cowboys this past season in his rookie year. He often booted the ball into the end zone and really strangled opposing teams’ chances at returning kick offs. That’s valuable.

But so is a good field goal kicker, which is someone the Cowboys haven’t had consistently in more than a decade. Nick Folk showed incredible promise in his rookie year, and made the Pro Bowl. He was a different player this year. It wouldn’t be a bad idea if the Cowboys tried him out in the offseason to see if he has recovered from his hip surgery because the kid had a promising career.

However, the best option is for the Cowboys to quickly sign whomever the best field goal kicker is on the free agent market. Bypassing the position for mediocrity would be a costly mistake.

When Folk was a rookie and kicked that 53-yard winning field goal against the Buffalo Bills (twice actually) I was elated that it appeared the Cowboys finally had a kicker who will win games.

Not many people know that Folk had hip surgery in the offseason and no one really asked him if that was bothering him when trying to make the kicks. It doesn’t matter, I guess. He’s no longer a Cowboy.

So, it’s no secret that the Cowboys need a field goal kicker and Janikowski has one of the strongest legs in the NFL. He mad 26 of 29 attempts this year, including a 61-yarder. Hell yeah! That’s a nice weapon to have. But we also know Janikowski can choke under pressure and he has had some off field problems. Lately though, he’s just quietly kicking bombs.

Janikowski had his best year this season, making almost 90 percent of his field goal attempts.

There is so much on the line for the Cowboys in 2010-11. Every player, every coach ever fan has something to lose.

The Super Bowl will be played in Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys have the opportunity to make history.

Someone making a 61-yard field goal could be how it’s all won.