Bass is also injured. So is he a bad kicker or a good kicker who's injured?
Kickers, like hockey goalies, are mostly voodoo anyway. You ride the hot hand. Nothing is forcing the Bills to activate Bass in 4 weeks. ("Man, that groin is taking a long time to get better. Tsk, tsk.") The one thing with Prater is the experience. How valuable is that in clutch situations? I was watching Prater during warmups yesterday and everything was right down the middle, but he didn't try anything longer than 52 yards and that only cleared the bar by a few feet. So you give up on some leg strength but get a savvy kicker with ice in his veins.