Buffalo Bills Training Camp Spotlight: Kicker Tyler Bass

The Buffalo Bills knew they had something special in kicker Tyler Bass.

Even after he missed eight of 20 field-goal attempts in as a senior at Georgia Southen. Even after he missed five of his first 17 attempts with the Bills as a rookie last year.

Their patience was rewarded when he was perfect through his final seven regular-season games before kicking the longest field goal by a rookie in NFL playoff history, 54 yards, to help lift the Bills over the Indianapolis Colts, 27-24.

Bass prevailed over Stephen Hauschka in a training-camp battle to win the job last summer. This year, he's the only kicker in camp. And although that doesn't necessarily guarantee him the job again, it does help him focus, he said Thursday.

"[Long snapper] Reid [Ferguson], [punter and holder] Matt [Haack] and I just get work without getting disrupted or any interruptions," Bass said. "We can just focus on bettering ourselves."

For Bass, that means "being smooth on my field goals, being more consistent, not trying to always hit the big ball, just kind of being more of a vet and being controlled and disciplined and focusing on your steps."

Bass appeared unusually nervous for a second-year player in a press conference. But his work on the field belies those jitters.

"From the moment I met him, I just loved what he was about," special teams coordinator Heath Farwell raved. "He's ultra-talented. And then his mindset is unbelieveable. Every day, his approach, he wants to get better, super competitive.

"The way he finished the season was no surprise to me at all, just because that's his mindset every day. And then it led right into the offseason. He's had as good an offseason as I've seen, and right into training camp, he's been unbelievable. I can't say enough great things about him."

Farwell expects bigger things from Bass this season, and he believes new punter Haack, a five-year veteran, will help with that.

"I think he's going to be a great caddie for Bass," Farwell said. "What I mean by that is he's going to help him with his shot. He has a great understanding for the winds and he's just played a lot of ball and understands the kicking game as well as anybody, very, very smart. So he's just a great addition. They've meshed so well."

Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.