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Wilkins' status unclear for NFC title game
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS -- Nick Lowery, who last kicked in 1996, could be
the St. Louis Rams' field goal specialist in the NFC championship
game.
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Lowery, 43, is among the possible replacements being considered
for Jeff Wilkins. Wilkins has been hampered by patellar tendinitis
in his left knee, his plant leg, since midseason. He missed a
42-yard field goal attempt in Sunday's 49-37 victory over the
Minnesota Vikings.
"I do not know his status," coach Dick Vermeil said Monday.
"He kicked off well, but it's a different movement. Field goal
kicking bothers him; there's a lot of pain."
Vermeil said Wilkins' first kickoff aggravated the injury. He
had an MRI Monday.
Other potential replacements being brought in are Scott Bentley
and Marshall Young.
A player the Rams would have liked to have brought in was former
Tennessee kicker Jeff Hall. The Rams already have signed Hall as a
street free agent for next season, so under league rules they
cannot use him now.
Lowery was fourth on the career scoring list when the season
began with 1,711 points in 18 seasons, but the New York Jets let
him go in 1996 because he had no leg strength. Vermeil had Lowery
in for a tryout in 1998, however, and remains impressed by what he saw.
"Nick Lowery's numbers were among the best ever," Vermeil
said. "The day we worked him out he hadn't lost a bit. He popped
50-yarders through like most guys pop through 40-yarders."
Lowery would give the Rams an aged set of specialists. Mike
Horan, 40, signed after a midseason injury to Rick Tuten, is the
oldest punter in NFL history.
Lowery holds the Kansas City Chiefs' record with 329 career
field goals, and made 80.2 percent during his tenure from 1980-93.
He also holds team records for extra points attempted and made.
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