FRISCO -- Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan has an admission.

Dan Bailey is so good at his job that he doesn't even bother to watch him kick during games. He assumes the field goal try will be good.

Jason Witten marvels that Bailey rarely misses in practice. The Pro Bowl tight end calls Bailey a hard worker, one of the best athletes on the Cowboys and tops it off with the ultimate compliment.

"I mean it when I say it, I don't view him, and I don't think teammates view him, as a kicker," Witten declared. "He's a football player, and he's really good."

No one takes Bailey for granted. It would be foolish to do that with the most accurate kicker in NFL history.

But his sustained excellence does foster a sort of nonchalance regarding his performance and reliability. This is a fitting week to visit how fortunate the Cowboys are to have a kicker of his caliber given what has taken place in Minnesota.

Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds of the Vikings' 10-9 playoff loss to Seattle earlier this year. Walsh missed four field goal tries and four extra point attempts in key situations, leading to his release earlier this month.

Bailey has also missed four field goals attempts, but you have to go back into the 2014 season to find a fifth. He has made 90.6 percent of his attempts since he came into the league in 2011 and has never missed an extra point try, making 238 straight.

"It's so black and white in the sense of you either make it or you don't," Bailey said of his position. "You're opportunities are so limited, and suddenly they are so important that you don't know if you're going to get another chance.

"You have to be comfortable with that mentality, you have to be comfortable with the fact that you need to be ready no matter what the circumstance and the situation because you don't know how many you're going to get. You have to almost embrace that mentality that comes along with that."

Head coach Jason Garrett said a team "can't have more confidence" in a field goal kicker than the Cowboys have in Bailey.

"The reason is obvious," he said.

Points could be tougher to come by than usual for the Cowboys on Thursday. Minnesota ranks No. 2 in the league in scoring defense, allowing an average of 17.5 points. Some of the touchdown drives the Cowboys have enjoyed during this 10-game winning streak may be cut short, requiring Bailey to take over.

He's up to the task. Bailey has hit 75 percent of his field goal attempts from 50 yards on out. He's made 10 game-winning kicks during his Cowboys career, including a franchise record five in overtime.

The respect of his teammates extends beyond his success.

"The few misses he has had in his career he takes it and rebounds," Witten said. "He doesn't talk about where the hold was or any of that stuff, or protection. 'Just put it down. I'll get it next time.'"

Bailey is aware that no one wants to hear excuses.

"Everybody works so hard at their individual craft that to slight anyone in that way, I think would be, going back to the respect thing, disrespectful," Bailey said.

"The great thing about this sport is usually you get another opportunity. If you have a little adversity, the best thing you can do is forget about it and move on."

The way Linehan moves on to his next task whenever Bailey lines up to kick a field goal.

"I probably shouldn't say this, but I don't even watch the field goals," Linehan said. "I just figure it's going to be good.

"I mean seriously. It's not that it's not important, it's just that I feel like, 'Forget about it.'

"I just know that we have a great kicker here."

Witten will tell you Bailey is much more than just a kicker.

"I think at any position, respect amongst your peers, I don't know if I want to say it's everything, but it really kind of is," Bailey said.

"Given our position, that's an uphill battle, at least probably in my career lifetime. I don't know if it's going to change. I'd love to see it change, but for whatever reason it's kind of looked at that way and always has been.

"You just come to work every day and work hard and do the best you can, that's really all you can do."

Catch David Moore on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) with The Musers at 9:35 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and with The Hardline at 4:10 p.m. every Tuesday and Friday during the regular season.