Scott Linehan probably thought he knew exactly what he was getting when Detroit signed Dane Looker on Aug. 17. After all, the Lions' new offensive coordinator had coached his newest wide receiver with the Rams and at the University of Washington.But in adding Looker as a sturdy set of hands for an injury-depleted receiving corps, the Lions unwittingly stumbled upon a sturdy foot for their equally wounded kicking game.
And if you don't know, now you know, Scott.
With starter Jason Hanson nursing a knee injury, and backup Swayze Waters experiencing tightness in his hamstring, the Lions needed a No. 3 kicker for Tuesday's practice. That set the stage for Looker to do his best impression of wide-receiver-turned-kicking-phenom Chad OchoCinco.
After hitting all four of his field-goal attempts -- including one from 43 yards out -- the former placeholder was left to explain his kicking success.
"I was a backup kicker in high school," Looker said. "I was focused on receiver. I played soccer when I was young and just sort of messed around with (field goal kicking) years ago after practice and just learned how to do it."Back at it Wednesday, Looker connected on 4-of-4 tries from shorter distance, and had enough leg on a 53-yarder that sailed left.
Last year as a member of the St. Louis Rams, Looker said he hit a 56-yard field goal in pregame warmups against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Unfortunately, it seems Looker will have to get his kicks somewhere else, as the Lions signed former Cowboy Billy Cundiff after a group tryout on Wednesday. Then again, given the track record of these two gentleman -- namely, that Cundiff has been out of the league since 2006 -- Looker could be lining up for extra points by the second quarter Saturday against the Colts.
