Long Suffering Fan Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 I stumbled upon this article by accident. https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/1/12/22226135/did-the-buffalo-bills-choose-wisely-with-kicker-tyler-bass I think most of us agree that Tyler Bass passes the eye test and his progress from early in the season is evident. Still, I always appreciate it when someone puts in some effort on analysis. The numbers on "Survivor" Rookies are an interesting comparison and not something that is readily available. No paywall on this article so others besides Hap can enjoy it too. ☺️ 5
1st Ammendment NoMas Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 Good analysis. He's come a long way since game 1.
RoyBatty is alive Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 What a difference, great and highly debated for a later draft pick, Thanks God they risked taking on a rookie versus and ageing house-money. 3
jwhit34 Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 Also on the 50+ kicks, he was 4-6 but one was the 61 yarder, so really he's 4-5 from 50+ which puts him just slightly higher than the survivor rookies' 77%. When you have a relatively small sample size, which is the case with the > 50 yarders (Bass had 6, average survivor kickers 3.84) 1 data point skews the percentages. Bottom line: Bass is good. One of the family favorite movies is Remember the Titans so of course we refer to the Bills kicker as Ronnie Bass (backup QB - Sunshine). 3
Jpsredemption Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 Also inexplicably had 2 kicks considered no good this year than were in fact good. 7 3 1 4
Doc Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 He's missed just 1 FG (a 61-yarder, hardly a gimmee) and 1 XP (which kicker hasn't?) in his last 11 games. Seems like the LS-holder issues that Jay Feely mentioned plaguing him earlier in the season have been worked-out.
billsfan89 Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 52 minutes ago, Doc said: He's missed just 1 FG (a 61-yarder, hardly a gimmee) and 1 XP (which kicker hasn't?) in his last 11 games. Seems like the LS-holder issues that Jay Feely mentioned plaguing him earlier in the season have been worked-out. Anything under 55 in decent weather I am pretty confident in Bass and I think 55 to 62 he has a decent shot at if the weather is decent. Hopefully his leg holds up in the snow. But I am happy to have him locked in as the kicker. He just needs to lower his angle on extra points in order to avoid good kicks that get called wrong. 1 1
Buffalo_Stampede Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 Both Bass and Bojo have been great. 5
TroutDog Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 (edited) And how about his tackle last week? He’s a great kicker and also wants to be a football player! Edited January 13, 2021 by TroutDog 2
msw2112 Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 (edited) 40 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said: Both Bass and Bojo have been great. And a credit to the front office and coaching staff for being patient while these young players developed. There were many calls to move on from Bojo and even a few for Bass earlier in the season, but the Bills have been rewarded with excellent kicking because they trusted the process. Perhaps similar trust will reward the team in the development of AJ Epenesa, another player who has shown flashes, but hasn't produced consistently at a high level. You could apply the same logic to veteran players too - think of AJ Klein. While most here (me included) were ready to dump him because he was terrible, the staff stuck with him and he was a beast for us in several big games down the stretch. We may really need him on Saturday. Edited January 13, 2021 by msw2112 3 1
Buffalo_Stampede Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 Does it freak anyone out that Bass in his helmet resembles Norwood? 1
junior Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 9 minutes ago, TroutDog said: And how about his tackle last week? He’s a great kicker and also wants to be a football player! Not sure if you have a subscription to The Athletic, but if you do, I highly recommend this article about Tyler Bass. It touches on the 'football player' part. 1
Steve O Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 1 minute ago, Buffalo_Stampede said: Does it freak anyone out that Bass in his helmet resembles Norwood? Better to resemble Norwood than the other Georgia kicker, Blankenship, who resembles Ernie from My Three Sons (google it if you're under 60) 1 1
Ed_Formerly_of_Roch Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 (edited) Thought the comment about most rookie kickers only playing 13 games was interesting. To me that indicates most weren't drafted, either were signed midway through season, or were undrafted rookies, went to camp, got cut, placed on PS, then were activated either due to injury or poor performance by the incumbent. Bass being drafted in 6th round likely wouldn't have made it through waivers so placed more pressure on both the Bills and him to perform out of the gate. Throw on top of that no preseason or training camp made it even tougher. It would have been much easier and less pressure on him if we had started the season with Hause after 4 to 5 games and a few misses, cut him him and went to Bass. At that point many would have felt, can't be much worse. Instead the Bills cut an established very good kicker, admittedly not so good the past two seasons for a rookie who many felt was a mistake even drafting. Admittedly it took a bit of guts too on the Bills part to draft a QB and kicker both of which may never have seen the field at all this past season. Could easily have made the argument in September we'd have been much better using that draft pick on a LB with both Milano and Edmunds missing a game, and Milano a handful more. One pick worked out very well, the other remains to be seen what will come of it, but can't fault them overall for the selections. 12 minutes ago, msw2112 said: And a credit to the front office and coaching staff for being patient while these young players developed. There were many calls to move on from Bojo and even a few for Bass earlier in the season, but the Bills have been rewarded with excellent kicking because they trusted the process. Perhaps similar trust will reward the team in the development of AJ Epenesa, another player who has shown flashes, but hasn't produced consistently at a high level. You could apply the same logic to veteran players too - think of AJ Klein. While most here (me included) were ready to dump him because he was terrible, the staff stuck with him and he was a beast for us in several big games down the stretch. We may really need him on Saturday. Seems to be a pattern here as the calls were mainly from sites like this. Just shows how little people here really know and how impatient and unrealistic fans are. Edited January 13, 2021 by Ed_Formerly_of_Roch
billsfan89 Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 3 minutes ago, Ed_Formerly_of_Roch said: Thought the comment about most rookie kickers only playing 13 games was interesting. To me that indicates most weren't drafted, either were signed midway through season, or were undrafted rookies, went to camp, got cut, placed on PS, then were activated either due to injury or poor performance by the incumbent. Bass being drafted in 6th round likely wouldn't have made it through waivers so placed more pressure on both the Bills and him to perform out of the gate. Throw on top of that no preseason or training camp made it even tougher. It would have been much easier and less pressure on him if we had started the season with Hause after 4 to 5 games and a few misses, cut him him and went to Bass. At that point many would have felt, can't be much worse. Instead the Bills cut an established very good kicker, admittedly not so good the past two seasons for a rookie who many felt was a mistake even drafting. Admittedly it took a bit of guts too on the Bills part to draft a QB and kicker both of which may never have seen the field at all this past season. Could easily have made the argument in September we'd have been much better using that draft pick on a LB with both Milano and Edmunds missing a game, and Milano a handful more. One pick worked out very well, the other remains to be seen what will come of it, but can't fault them overall for the selections. Kicking is super important and not having a reliable kicker with some range is handicapping your team big time. I would rather spend a 6th round pick on a kicker (when you don't have a reliable vet on the roster) than a backup LB who may or may not be ready to contribute right away let alone at any point. Bass was the right pick in the 6th. When you have a solid talent base you need to fine tune the edges of the roster and that's exactly what Beane did when he picked Bass. 2
PrimeTime101 Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 2 hours ago, Jpsredemption said: Also inexplicably had 2 kicks considered no good this year than were in fact good. Gosh the refs tried finding a lot of ways to screw us this year lol... a Fumble a int 2 kicks.. phantom PI lol 1
Ed_Formerly_of_Roch Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 13 minutes ago, billsfan89 said: Kicking is super important and not having a reliable kicker with some range is handicapping your team big time. I would rather spend a 6th round pick on a kicker (when you don't have a reliable vet on the roster) than a backup LB who may or may not be ready to contribute right away let alone at any point. Bass was the right pick in the 6th. When you have a solid talent base you need to fine tune the edges of the roster and that's exactly what Beane did when he picked Bass. I'm not in disagreement, but I think many here back in September would have disagreed with us. Agree too like this upcoming off-season, very unlikely 7 draft picks will come close to making the roster. But you never know when you might draft the next 7th round super star.
TroutDog Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 58 minutes ago, junior12thman92 said: Not sure if you have a subscription to The Athletic, but if you do, I highly recommend this article about Tyler Bass. It touches on the 'football player' part. I do and will check it out: thanks!
LABILLBACKER Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 3 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said: Both Bass and Bojo have been great. Our kickers have vastly improved.
Over 29 years of fanhood Posted January 13, 2021 Posted January 13, 2021 Totally underrated positions that make big differences in close games. the best part is you can tell these guys are just jazzed about kicking. They get amped when they make a great play for the team.
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