Do we have a kicker problem?

[BurpleBull]

This is the one thing I've never really been able to stand on the board. We all watch the same game, but it isn't until it seems were in dire straits that people will begin acknowledging what's kind of obvious.

 

I feel uneasy before every meaningful Bass kick and have felt that way for some time. 

 

 

[Doc Brown]

9 hours ago, aristocrat said:

I got flames years ago saying kicker was the second most important position. Bass was a monster before this year. Games are so close you can’t miss kicks 

If it was the second most important position they'd be paid the second most amount of money.  You should get flamed.

[BucketList]

I totally trust him. He doesn’t do well from the right hash marks. Never has.  The Bills are usually very good at making sure he’s kicking from the left hash marks. For whatever reason, they ran to the right side on third down yesterday.  Maybe it was an audible based on how Pittsburgh was lined up.  In Bass we trust from the left. 

[aristocrat]

2 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

If it was the second most important position they'd be paid the second most amount of money.  You should get flamed.

Kelce was never the highest paid pass catcher in the league. That’s not how it works 

[GunnerBill]

3 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

I’ll worry about Bass if he misses a game winner at the end. I don’t think I’ve ever blamed a kicker. Stop attempting FGs. I think of a missed FG as punishment for not scoring a TD.

 

Like yesterday’s block. I blame McDermott for the decision. In that moment you go or punt. A FG does nothing.

 

But this is how I think. I only care about kickers when it’s make it you win or miss it you lose.

 

I blame McDermott for that decision too. I often defend him when fans shout about being aggressive. This isn't Madden, sometimes the right decision is the conservative one. The right decision yesterday was to punt. Kickers were struggling going that way, Bass hasn't made one from 49 or longer in literally months, and you are 21-0 up with 2 minutes of the half to play against Mason Rudolph. Pooch punt, try and pin them. Do not give them a chance at a momentum changing play. 

 

I wouldn't have hated going on 4th down.... but if that was in their minds they had to run on 2nd or 3rd down and try and make it 4th and 4 or 5. The FG was the worst of the three options. 

 

Overall though, Bass is a concern. I don't think he has been fully healthy all year, I think it is now in his head and his confidence is low. Wouldn't want to rely on him. 

[CaptnCoke11]

Losing confidence as a kicker is the beginning of the end.  I don’t have faith he’ll be the same again 

[DC Greg]

Obviously it's a problem. Dude needs to figure it out, quick. I think he's earned the right to get a shot at redemption. If he has any more kicks like this week though, they really ought to consider bringing someone in. Too much on the line.

[Charles Romes]

3 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

I’ll worry about Bass if he misses a game winner at the end. I don’t think I’ve ever blamed a kicker. Stop attempting FGs. I think of a missed FG as punishment for not scoring a TD.

 

Like yesterday’s block. I blame McDermott for the decision. In that moment you go or punt. A FG does nothing.

 

But this is how I think. I only care about kickers when it’s make it you win or miss it you lose.

 
 

if you are considering pooch punting at the opponent’s for safety purposes in today’s game you have a major kicker problem. 

[Chuck Schick]

His shank at the end was bad, but the blocked FG may have been worse.  I don’t even know how it’s physically possible for a ball to end up THAT far down the field. I’m assuming it hit someone squarely in the helmet. 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I blame McDermott for that decision too. I often defend him when fans shout about being aggressive. This isn't Madden, sometimes the right decision is the conservative one. The right decision yesterday was to punt. Kickers were struggling going that way, Bass hasn't made one from 49 or longer in literally months, and you are 21-0 up with 2 minutes of the half to play against Mason Rudolph. Pooch punt, try and pin them. Do not give them a chance at a momentum changing play. 

 

I wouldn't have hated going on 4th down.... but if that was in their minds they had to run on 2nd or 3rd down and try and make it 4th and 4 or 5. The FG was the worst of the three options. 

 

Overall though, Bass is a concern. I don't think he has been fully healthy all year, I think it is now in his head and his confidence is low. Wouldn't want to rely on him. 

Agree. I actually think he kicked it to give Bass some work. It was a bad decision. I was literally saying just pin them deep! 

[Man with No Name]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I blame McDermott for that decision too. I often defend him when fans shout about being aggressive. This isn't Madden, sometimes the right decision is the conservative one. The right decision yesterday was to punt. Kickers were struggling going that way, Bass hasn't made one from 49 or longer in literally months, and you are 21-0 up with 2 minutes of the half to play against Mason Rudolph. Pooch punt, try and pin them. Do not give them a chance at a momentum changing play. 

 

I wouldn't have hated going on 4th down.... but if that was in their minds they had to run on 2nd or 3rd down and try and make it 4th and 4 or 5. The FG was the worst of the three options. 

 

Overall though, Bass is a concern. I don't think he has been fully healthy all year, I think it is now in his head and his confidence is low. Wouldn't want to rely on him. 

yes. the bills should have been playing 4 down football when they got to the 32. The deep pass on 3rd and 7 was a huge mistake. and bass should have never been trotted out there under any circumstance. I would have been okay with a punt or going for it there. 

 

I didn't assume the disaster that did occur, but i was definitely thinking we were handing the ball to the steelers on the 40. 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I blame McDermott for that decision too. I often defend him when fans shout about being aggressive. This isn't Madden, sometimes the right decision is the conservative one. The right decision yesterday was to punt. Kickers were struggling going that way, Bass hasn't made one from 49 or longer in literally months, and you are 21-0 up with 2 minutes of the half to play against Mason Rudolph. Pooch punt, try and pin them. Do not give them a chance at a momentum changing play. 

 

I wouldn't have hated going on 4th down.... but if that was in their minds they had to run on 2nd or 3rd down and try and make it 4th and 4 or 5. The FG was the worst of the three options. 

 

Overall though, Bass is a concern. I don't think he has been fully healthy all year, I think it is now in his head and his confidence is low. Wouldn't want to rely on him. 

 

We were on the 31 yard line - why would we punt there?  Just go for it.  

1 hour ago, Chuck Schick said:

His shank at the end was bad, but the blocked FG may have been worse.  I don’t even know how it’s physically possible for a ball to end up THAT far down the field. I’m assuming it hit someone squarely in the helmet. 

 

Considering he spent the halftime break practicing punting, i am not shocked that he was having some mental issues.  

 

Do we know what happened on the shank?  Did he slip?  

[Aussie Joe]

 Bass is struggling… hoping it’s an injury …Unfortunately his contract ain’t looking real good now … has a big number next year …

[BaaadThingsMan]

I'm a Bass Man but dudes been shaky all year it seems. 

 

He can make any kick with ease. So easy he looks like he kicks a fade or draw just for fun on extra points sometimes. 

 

[GunnerBill]

6 minutes ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

We were on the 31 yard line - why would we punt there?  Just go for it.  

 

 

Because pinning the Steelers back with Rudolph might well have meant a 21-0 half time lead. I wouldn't have hated going for it but if they were going to do that they should have run on 2nd or 3rd down for a couple. 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

1 hour ago, Chuck Schick said:

His shank at the end was bad, but the blocked FG may have been worse.  I don’t even know how it’s physically possible for a ball to end up THAT far down the field. I’m assuming it hit someone squarely in the helmet. 

 

I wasn't paying a TON of attention during warm ups (Like what hashes and distances etc), but both kickers were struggling from about the 30.  Wasn't windy so maybe it was just the balls being cold.  

 

Boswell hit his clean and it was probably good from 50.  But in warmups he had quite a few knucklers flying all over the place.  

[Putin]

15 hours ago, Einstein said:

Bass is now 78% for the year (5th worst in NFL) and we haven’t let him attempt a field goal over 50 yards in 3 months. 

 

He also just missed a 20-some yard field goal.

 

Can we trust him to make a game winning Playoff/Super Bowl kick at this point?

The only problem we have is injuries 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Just now, GunnerBill said:

 

Because pinning the Steelers back with Rudolph might well have meant a 21-0 half time lead. I wouldn't have hated going for it but if they were going to do that they should have run on 2nd or 3rd down for a couple. 

 

If it was 4th and 15 maybe.  Its the 31 yard line and we need 7 yards.  I just cant fathom punting from the 31 though.  It's FG range.  

 

I think he tried a low trajectory kick for some reason and it was just.. too low.  

[Einstein]

3 minutes ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

If it was 4th and 15 maybe.  Its the 31 yard line and we need 7 yards.  I just cant fathom punting from the 31 though.  It's FG range.  

 

I think he tried a low trajectory kick for some reason and it was just.. too low.  

 

Love Gunner but I have no idea where he is coming from with this punt stuff.

 

Punting from the 31 yard line, with very little wind, would have been universally panned. The only reason it’s even second guessed is because it was blocked.

 

Imagine if the punt went into the endzone and we gained a whole 11 yards on the punt!

 

And a few drives later the Steelers drove from their own 8 yard line and scored a TD. Yet we are to believe that punting there would have stopped them? I’m skeptical.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

3 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

Love Gunner but I have no idea where he is coming from with this punt stuff.

 

Punting from the 31 yard line, with very little wind, would have been universally panned. The only reason it’s even second guessed is because it was blocked.

 

Imagine if the punt went into the endzone and we gained a whole 11 yards on the punt!

 

And a few drives later the Steelers drove from their own 8 yard line and scored a TD. Yet we are to believe that punting there would have stopped them? I’m skeptical.

 

Only thing i don't love about kicking is its cold, and that tends to lead to worse kicking performance.  If you don't want to kick and potentially throw even more field position their way (block was obviously the worst case), you just go for it.  7 yards and we can run the clock off for a shorter FG or potentially a TD with little to no time on the clock.