FRISCO — Brandon Aubrey has had an unbelievable rookie season in the NFL.
So unbelievable, in fact, that Aubrey’s special teams coordinator John Fassel was beginning to wonder before Sunday’s game against Philadelphia if he can trust Aubrey to be honest with him about one particular question.
How are you feeling?
“He always says he’s good,” Fassel said, alluding to the stamina required to go from one professional season into the next. “I just don’t believe it. Brandon, if you’re listening, I’m on to you.”
Aubrey insisted that he was being honest with his coach. Their line of communication, Aubrey said, has been good.
Clearly whatever is happening is working.
Aubrey’s incredible rookie season became even more impressive on Sunday. The record holder for most field goals made without a miss to start a career is now just eight field goals away from the overall rookie record for a season — and he still hasn’t missed. He also set a new record on Sunday, becoming the first kicker in NFL history to make from at least 59 yards twice in the same game.
“He’s smooth, super smooth, and makes them all. He makes it as easy as butter,” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said about Aubrey, whom he nicknamed Butter. “He deserves it.”
Aubrey’s 60-yard field goal, a new career high, had plenty of leg. It begged the question in postgame: Could he make one from 70 yards?
“I can,” he said. “Absolutely.”
Reminder: The NFL record is 66 yards.
It’s been well documented how unlikely Aubrey’s story is up to this point: He went from college soccer star and former first-round MLS pick to quickly out of the league. He went from software engineer to ultimately pursuing a football kicking career. At 28, he’s now living it.
Aubrey’s swing — the path his leg takes on a kick — is just incredibly natural, Fassel said. The power he generates with each kick can be felt if you stand close, according to head coach Mike McCarthy. It’s been refined by kicking coach Brian Egan, a former teammate of Dak Prescott at Mississippi State who helped Aubrey in the transition from soccer to football.
There’s so much natural talent that Fassel — leaning into the microphone, speaking both softly and slowly — made an admission to reporters on Monday.
“I haven’t coached Brandon Aubrey,” Fassel said. “I say that respectfully, so I haven’t downloaded anything with his step, his swing, his approach. I haven’t done anything.”
There’s obvious humility to Fassel’s words. Aubrey will tell you that Fassel’s belief in him has generated a ton of confidence. McCarthy said on Monday that Fassel has created a subculture on the special teams unit that’s hard to find. Fassel will mention that his field goal battery’s time from snap to kick is now well below the 1.30-second threshold that he wanted.
Oh, there’s one more thing: Aubrey might not be in this position without the scouting work of Fassel and others in the front office.
The search for Aubrey started out of necessity. The Cowboys elected not to re-sign Brett Maher after he went 1-for-6 on PATs in two playoff games last season. The Cowboys did sign Tristan Vizcaino — who was eventually cut in training camp — but that didn’t end their search.
Fassel and other scouts scoured the country. They watched college kickers. They watch film from every kicker in the XFL and USFL, including Aubrey, who was kicking for the Birmingham Stallions. They traveled to kicker showcases in California and Arizona, hoping to find a needle in the haystack.
“I don’t have a number for you,” Fassel said regarding how many kickers they scouted this offseason, “but I’m sure it was close to 100 with all the resources we could get our hands on.”
There was increased interest in Aubrey over time. Fassel said he started texting Aubrey a few times per week during the USFL season, which ran during the NFL’s off-season. He’d tell him to keep up the good work and that he’d be watching.
Eventually, Fassel went to a game to watch Aubrey in person. He snuck onto the field during pregame, dressed without Cowboys gear in an effort to remain incognito, and introduced himself to Aubrey in person.
“I texted (Cowboys special teams ace) C.J. Goodwin a picture of the field and Brandon,” Fassel recalled. “I said, ‘Here I am looking for a kicker.’”
And he had found one.
The search to find a kicker this off-season was of the utmost importance for the Cowboys. It’s a vital position, especially in the postseason. There should’ve been a lot of pressure to find one.
Fassel didn’t look at it that way.
“It was cool because we got to just take a clean slate and just try to figure out who’s the best available guy in our opinion,” Fassel said.
“And that was kind of a fun process. Not stressful. Challenging, but pretty fun.”
Especially considering the results we’re seeing from that process now.