The man Peyton Manning labeled the "idiot kicker" has never been as good as he's made out to be. Yes, it's true, he has the highest field-goal percentage in NFL history. But there's a little more to it than just that. First, Vanderjagt makes his field goals at a high rate in large part because he hardly ever attempts long field goals -- in his last two years in Indianapolis he was 0-for-1 beyond 50 yards. Second, Vanderjagt kicked in the friendly confines of a dome, while superior kickers like Adam Vinatieri and David Akers dealt with the elements in New England and Philadelphia. Third, Vanderjagt is lousy at kicking off -- so lousy that the Colts carried a kickoff specialist on the roster the last two years.Despite those three facts, Dallas gave Vanderjagt a three-year, $5.4 million contract with a $2.5 million signing bonus this off-season. Why? Because of that accuracy on field goals. As long as he makes all his field goals, those other facts are irrelevant, at least in the eyes of the Cowboys' front office. So how did Vanderjagt do yesterday? He missed a 26-yard field goal. It might seem unfair to label Vanderjagt overpaid just because he missed one field goal, but that's the whole point: If he's anything short of perfect on his field goals, he's simply not worth the money. And he's already missed a chip shot. A whole lot of kickers could have done what Vanderjagt did yesterday for the league minimum.
