Reason for Concern With New Kicker
It was obvious all spring and summer long that the Bills would likely be turning over their placekicking duties to Bass. You don’t spend a draft pick on a kicker unless you plan on using him. But doing so does come with some uncertainty. Were the Bills certain that Bass would be an upgrade on Stephen Hauschka, who was dependable during his three seasons in Buffalo, despite a noticeable drop in leg power during the 2019 season? Also, is it a smart decision to have an unknown at the kicking position on a team that reasonably expects to compete for a division title and a Super Bowl berth? Having a rookie kicker out there in pressure-packed situations may come back to bite you.
If Bass proves worthy, none of these questions are concerns anymore. But that certainly was not the case in his debut on Sunday. Yes, Bass made all three of his extra points, converted on two chip-shot field goals in the fourth quarter, and did an admirable job kicking off, but all anyone will remember about him and this game were his two misses in the third quarter. These were Bass’ first two field goal attempts in the NFL and were important kicks for expanding Buffalo’s lead. But they both went awry as Bass pushed them right.
In fairness to Bass, he may have actually made his first field goal attempt from 38 yards as it sailed by the right upright. But the official directly below the goalpost signaled no good and the call was not reviewable. Television replays did not conclusively show that the kick had been made anyway. Bass should be able to nail that kick with no doubt.
Bass seemed to be pushing his kicks to the right all day. The two he missed were to the right and the two he made were just inside the right upright. One of his made extra points was also tailing to the right.
It’s clear Bass will have to correct whatever issue he has. You also wonder if his confidence was shaken after the two third quarter misses. Building up his confidence had to be a reason why McDermott elected to try two short field goals down near the goal line in the fourth quarter instead of trying for the end zone.
With this Bills’ team, their margin for error is too thin to rely on a shaky field goal kicker. They have a deep, talented roster, but they still have trouble pulling away from teams and too often leave points off the board. Questionable field goal kicking will only exacerbate those problems. If these misses continue, the Bills will have no other choice but to see what else is out there in the kicking market.
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