ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Tyler Bass had little choice but to spend much of the past six months going back to the basics, rebuilding his routine and self-confidence after the Buffalo Bills kicker’s fourth NFL season ended with a thud.
The challenge the 27-year-old faced involved reconciling what went wrong — and the criticism directed at him in the immediate aftermath — when Bass pushed what would have been a game-tying 44-yard attempt wide right with 1:43 remaining in a 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in a divisional playoff on Jan. 21.
“It was humbling,” Bass told The Associated Press as the Bills broke training camp in Pittsford, New York, last week. “And I’m grateful for it to find my routine. And that’s kind of what I’ve been working on in camp. … I think it was good for me.”
So far it shows, with Bass getting his preseason off on the right foot by hitting both field-goal attempts in a 33-6 loss to Chicago on Saturday.
His first was a 24-yard chip shot into heavy winds blowing in from the west off of Lake Erie. His second was a 49-yarder with the wind at his back, and in the same direction Bass missed against the Chiefs.
Coach Sean McDermott made a point to recognize his kicker in saying Bass ranked among the few positives in a game the Bills mostly failed to play to their standard. It came two days after McDermott centered out Bass when asked which players impressed him at camp.
“I really like what I’ve seen from T-Bass,” the coach said. “I think he’s in a good rhythm in getting back in a game and kicking.”
The focus on Bass has been one area of concern facing the retooled four-time defending AFC East champions this season, even though the Bills did not bring in another kicker for competition.
The miss against Kansas City wasn’t a one-off, but extended a troubling trend for a player Buffalo selected in the sixth round of the 2020 draft out of Georgia Southern, and who had just signed a four-year contract extension.
Bass closed the regular season hitting 24 of 29 field-goal attempts for an 82.8% success rate — his lowest since his rookie season of 82.4% when he went 28 of 34 — and was coming off two seasons in which he combined to miss just eight of 63 attempts. Worse still, a week before playing Kansas City, Bass had a 49-yard attempt blocked and missed from 27 yards in a 31-17 win over Pittsburgh.
Bass’ offseason process involved analyzing every aspect of his routine to determine and correct bad habits, while also focusing on what went right. It was a similar process to refocus mentally and emotionally, in pushing past the frustration and criticism.
“Just really learned of who I am, you know, why I’m doing this, why I’m here and how I got here,” Bass said. “You obviously want to make them all, but sometimes they don’t go your way, and you got to figure out how to keep it moving.”
It wasn’t easy, given the crush of criticism Bass faced following his miss, which led to the kicker suspending his social media accounts before re-enabling them months later.
It made no difference to his critics of how much Bass blamed himself following the game, or the support he received from his teammates and Bills staff, including general manager Brandon Beane.
Special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley referred to Bass’ offseason pursuit to rediscover his form as a growth opportunity.
“This is true for all of us whether we want to admit it, you end up learning more in adversity,” Smiley said. “I believe he’s made improvements, because there’s nobody on the planet that wants Tyler Bass to make every kick more than Tyler Bass. He’s locked in and excited about showing that.”
One bright spot was how Bills fans quickly rallied to his support while also making more than $270,000 in donations to Bass’ charitable cause, suburban Buffalo’s Ten Lives Club cat rescue shelter.
“It was huge, man. It really shows like, I don’t want to play for another fans than these fans,” Bass said. “They’re very passionate. And they had every right to be upset. I was upset with myself. But to see the love they showed back then and love they’re showing through camp, it means a lot to me.”
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