Bass struggling at minicamp (and now at training camp)

[TheyCallMeAndy]

11 minutes ago, QCity said:

 

Well, it's not that simple. It really isn't. Keep in mind this is the first year of his new contract.

 

One, cutting Bass will not only result in an $4.3M dead cap hit this year, it will also push a $3M dead cap hit to next year as well, and that is certainly something the front office does not want to do.

 

Two, brining in another player is going to likely cost anywhere from $1M -$2M and we are quite tight on available money this season. This move could easily make our cap hit for kickers this year ~$6M. That's a fair price if you're named Tucker or Butker, but pretty hard to stomach for Bass and Some Old Vet. 

 

Three, you don't even know if the new kicker will be better. I know the grass is always greener on the other side and it's easy to scream "Cut him!", but there does exist the possibility that the new guy could be worse. 

 

It's a tough situation. I'm sure they don't want to burn a practice squad spot on a kicker, but they may have to.

Pats went through this a few years back, they were in kicker hell all year. 

[Pete]

On 8/22/2024 at 9:55 AM, Blackbeard said:

How can you even say that?  
No one really knows what happened.  To make this claim is ridiculous.  
 

Has one coach or player come out with this?   Any players on the Vikings?   No. 
 

all you know is what the media thinks.  It’s basically gossip, whether factual or not.  
 

 

Top comment- The quickness everyone said Diggs is disturbing 

[Einstein]

44 minutes ago, DaBillsFanSince1973 said:

 

 

That is VERY direct for McDermott. His patience is wearing thin.

[RyanC883]

5 hours ago, Roundybout said:

I truly believe it’s a confidence thing for him 

 

agreed!  did he see a sports psychologist in the offseason or now?   if not, really can't feel bad about cutting him.  

[GunnerBill]

11 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

That is VERY direct for McDermott. His patience is wearing thin.

 

They have been doing the subtle hint game all summer. The time for subtlty has been and gone.

[Jukester]

2 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

They have been doing the subtle hint game all summer. The time for subtlty has been and gone.

Yes, subtle hinting instead of actually bringing in competition which is gonna come back to bite us.

[TheyCallMeAndy]

29 minutes ago, Jukester said:

Yes, subtle hinting instead of actually bringing in competition which is gonna come back to bite us.

Who’s out there that can rival Bass, right now? 
 

I’ll wait. 
 

The best and only real option is 53 cutdowns, and they’ll likely need to trade for that player.

Edited August 24 by TheyCallMeAndy

[LABILLBACKER]

Bass is a train wreck and the sooner you guys come to this obvious realization,  the better.  Eat that stupid extension and move on.

[NI Bills Fan]

As was mentioned earlier... It seems Bass attempts around 6 field goals on average per training session.  Is that normal? That seems much lower than I would expect an NFL kicker to be practising his most important function.

 

Why not drill 20 or 30 kicks a session?  Is he practicing kick off placement 70% of the time or something?

 

Whatever his routine, it needs changing up.

 

EDIT: Joe Marino's latest podcast answered my question above... The 6 attempts we hear about every day are only those attempted in team drills.  Whereas he will kick lots more during individual drills which we don't hear as much about.  Which makes sense.

Edited August 25 by NI Bills Fan

[ColoradoBills]

52 minutes ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

Who’s out there that can rival Bass, right now? 
 

I’ll wait. 
 

The best and only real option is 53 cutdowns, and they’ll likely need to trade for that player.

 

I liked Bass a lot, but even I knew they should have brought in camp competition right after the draft.

 

Heck, I wanted Beane to draft a punter or kicker with his 7th rounder this year.  I am a huge Beane and McDermott supporter but

I don't like almost everything that has been happening with the Special Teams.  That's from Smiley on down.

 

 

[Scott7975]

I loved bass two years ago.  Early last year I said something was wrong with him. People rolled their eyes and said hes normal and that all kickers miss kicks.  Now everyone finally notices that Bass has been bad.  Not being able to trust a kicker to make a kick is the same as not being able to trust a running back to hold onto the ball.  They need to find a replacement before he again costs us games.  The dude can't even kick the ball off with the new rules properly.

Edited August 25 by Scott7975

[BuffaloRebound]

Bass has always had an unorthodox kicking style with little to no run up to the kick.  Probably a lot harder to fix or make adjustments when all his power has to come from his leg swing instead of also stepping into the kick.  

[Trev]

1 hour ago, Scott7975 said:

I loved bass two years ago.  Early last year I said something was wrong with him. People rolled their eyes and said hes normal and that all kickers miss kicks.  Now everyone finally notices that Bass has been bad.  Not being able to trust a kicker to make a kick is the same as not being able to trust a running back to hold onto the ball.  They need to find a replacement before he again costs us games.  The dude can't even kick the ball off with the new rules properly.

Hes already costs us a Super Bowl. Phillip rivers 2.0 is not happy with him. 

[Shortchaz]

1 hour ago, BuffaloRebound said:

Bass has always had an unorthodox kicking style with little to no run up to the kick.  Probably a lot harder to fix or make adjustments when all his power has to come from his leg swing instead of also stepping into the kick.  

He really just needs to focus on kicking it harder. 

[TheBrownBear]

I love Bass. Feel for the guy.  He's been a great contributor over the years....BUT....this is a results oriented business, I'd be actively looking for his replacement if I were McDermott.

[TheyCallMeAndy]

30 minutes ago, TheBrownBear said:

I love Bass. Feel for the guy.  He's been a great contributor over the years....BUT....this is a results oriented business, I'd be actively looking for his replacement if I were McDermott.

I have absolutely no doubt the team is doing everything they can to get Bass through this episode he’s been in since last October. I’m fairly sure they have sports psychologists on staff as well. 

[The Helmet of]

29 minutes ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

I have absolutely no doubt the team is doing everything they can to get Bass through this episode he’s been in since last October. I’m fairly sure they have sports psychologists on staff as well. 

Maybe he should sleep with Rene Russo.

Edited August 25 by MarkKelso'sHelmet

[Bangarang]

Seems like when kickers lose it they lose it forever. 

[Brand J]

2 minutes ago, Bangarang said:

Seems like when kickers lose it they lose it forever. 

I’d say it comes and goes. When Bass was drafted, he was lights out against Hauschka in camp. When the Bills cut Hausch money and the real games began, Bass was missing kicks left and right. He already had a confidence issue. Then the Jets game happened and after starting out poorly, he ended up hitting something like 7/10 FGs. From there he was pretty reliable. When they interviewed him, he said the Jets game was his turning point, that’s where he found his confidence. His highest point was nailing two 58 yarders in a game shortly after that.

The yips have returned and I’m not sure how he’s going to get his confidence back. After he’s cut, he may have success in a new environment again, but it’ll only be a matter of time before they return again. I’ve never seen a kicker truly shake them. The mind is weird.

[LABILLBACKER]

1 hour ago, Brand J said:

I’d say it comes and goes. When Bass was drafted, he was lights out against Hauschka in camp. When the Bills cut Hausch money and the real games began, Bass was missing kicks left and right. He already had a confidence issue. Then the Jets game happened and after starting out poorly, he ended up hitting something like 7/10 FGs. From there he was pretty reliable. When they interviewed him, he said the Jets game was his turning point, that’s where he found his confidence. His highest point was nailing two 58 yarders in a game shortly after that.

The yips have returned and I’m not sure how he’s going to get his confidence back. After he’s cut, he may have success in a new environment again, but it’ll only be a matter of time before they return again. I’ve never seen a kicker truly shake them. The mind is weird.

I'm telling you and you can set your watch to it, Bass will absolutely break our hearts this year. The extension was stupid and premature.  His mechanics are off. The yips are because he's lost confidence. McD already knows he can't count on him beyond 40 yards. That puts added pressure on Josh and the offense to convert more 4th downs.  It's absolute organizational malfeasance to NOT bring in competition. He's gone from 87% to 82% and mark my words he'll wallow in the 70's this season.