Phil Dawson Showing His Age Would be a Worst-Case Scenario for Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals need their special teams to be much better in 2017 than they were last year

Special teams is an area of a football team that often goes under-appreciated by many fans. They’re not on the field as much as the offense and defense, and aren’t generally flashy. However, when special teams units struggle, it can have a huge impact.

The 2016 Arizona Cardinals know all about special teams difficulties. Last season, they had problems in every phase.

One of the biggest issues was with the kicking game. Chandler Catanzaro was a promising young kicker, but he had a tough season. More than once, games were directly impacted by missed kicks, and this contributed to the sub-.500 record.

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In 2016, of every kicker who attempted at least 20 field goals, Catanzaro ranked 29th with a 75% accuracy rate. He was also just 21st in extra point percentage.

The first big miss came against Seattle in week seven. In a tie game, with just three minutes to go, Catanzaro missed a 24-yard field goal that would have likely been the game winner. That would have pushed their record to 4-3 at the time. Late in the season, in a three point loss to Miami, he missed a field goal and two extra points. Those two games, in changed to wins, would have given them a 9-7 record. It would have been a tie with the Detroit Lions, who made the playoffs.

Catanzaro was let go this offseason, and replaced with veteran Phil Dawson. Even at 41 years old, he made 86% of his field goals and all but one extra point a year ago.

Dawson is now 42, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a bad year is imminent. Gary Anderson kicked until he was 45, and Morten Andersen played until he was 47. Both were still playing well at their respective ages.

If Dawson does decline, though, it’s going to be much more difficult for the Cardinals to rebound. Not only can bad kicks directly cause losses, but missed extra points can change entire game strategies, forcing offenses to make up for the lost point. Confidence in the kicker makes life much easier for the head coach and the offense.

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The Cardinals did not have confidence in Catanzaro in 2016. He has been replaced, and Dawson has a terrific track record. However, if he struggles like his predecessor, fans will be very nervous, and for good reason. A few missed kicks at inopportune times, and the 2017 season will look much too similar to 2016.