Unequivocally.
The night & day difference that appeared after Hoffman left was evident. I questioned the move then, thought of it often as our kicking went downhill, and absolutely believe that he should be re-hired to help sculpt our phenom talent at kicker in David Buehler.
Jason Garrett was brought it to mentor Romo, to make him all he can be. It's not a swipe at Coach DeCamillis to say that an athlete like Buehler at kicker deserves some extra attention. We did, after all, spend a 5th round pick on the guy & he just demonstrated his monstrous leg by leading the league in touchbacks this season. Does anyone doubt he can improve on that?
One thing he's outright set to improve on is his field goal accuracy. In my opinion, an elite athlete like Buehler who is accustomed to tuning his body has a higher chance than most of accomplishing this feat. This guy is a beast, and was honestly one of the very best "athletes" at the combine; dude was outrunning defensive backs, out-muscling linebackers and demonstrated more agility than most running backs present.
Does that necessarily make him a good kicker?
No, but someone with that caliber of athleticism has a greater tool-set with which to achieve their goals. Buehler wants to get better, and more to the point, the Cowboys should do everything in their power to harness his gifts. Bringing in Hoffman, who accomplished great things with a rotating handful of free-agent nobodies, to help fine-tune Buehler's every step and making him the best he can be... would be the prudent thing to do, for sure.
Jerry, the business man, used to justify the cost of Hoffman's 'specialist' salary by the fact that he was able to save the 'boys money on kickers by producing with bargain basement rookies and/or undrafted Home Depot employees; cap-room shavings. It's time for Jerry to justify his price for a different reason now.
If you thought enough of the guy to spend a precious draft pick on him, it makes sense that you should think enough of him to put the right coaching in place around him. Hoffman has a proven track record of improving kickers with a lot less talent than Buehler.
I seriously doubt it happens. But oh yeah, I would...
:starspin
