ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills kicker Dan Carpenter is clearly bothered by his season-long performance as he has now missed four extra points and four field goals.
“Why would I not be frustrated?” Carpenter said. “I mean, they’re not going through those yellow things. That’s what I’m here to do. I felt like I’ve been kicking the ball really good and it’s not showing up on Sunday. I think that’s why I’m frustrated.”
Carpenter said there’s really no excuse for any kicker to miss an extra point because even at 33 yards, it’s still a relative chip shot for NFL kickers. Still, there has been a noticeable decline in accuracy (there were nine missed extra points last week alone) and Carpenter said the NFL is fine with this.
“They wanted us to miss,” Carpenter said. “Frankly, that’s what they wanted. They’re getting it. And now everybody wonders why. … They wanted people to not go to the bathroom during the extra point. People are still saying they’re going to the bathroom during the extra point. Sometimes, they come back and the point’s not there.”
After some early doubts emanating from coach Rex Ryan in the preseason and early in the regular season, to the point where Ryan brought kickers in for tryouts and even signed veteran Billy Cundiff for a week, Ryan has pledged his support for Carpenter for three reasons: he’s hitting the ball good, he has been a tremendous kicker in the past, and he has proven to be reliable in poor weather which, at some point, should become a factor.
But Carpenter said, “Track record doesn’t really mean anything. It doesn’t. What I did last week doesn’t mean anything with what I’m going to do next week or the week after or the week after that. So frankly, I just have to make kicks. That’s why I’m here. That’s my job. I’m going to do the best I can every week and that’s all I can do.”
–A few teams were reportedly inquiring about signing rookie sixth-round draft pick Nick O’Leary off the Bills’ practice squad, so the team decided to promote the tight end to the 53-man roster Tuesday. To make room for O’Leary, the Bills released veteran blocking tight end Matthew Mulligan. The timing of the move is that Mulligan had just played a key role on the winning touchdown against Houston last Sunday, running a clear-out route that freed Charles Clay down the middle of the field.
O’Leary was a receiving threat for Florida State, catching 81 passes for 1,175 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final two seasons, but he struggled with blocking, and that’s a skill the Bills require from their tight ends in coordinator Greg Roman’s offense. However, they apparently think he can develop, and he’s certainly a more viable threat in the passing game than the 267-pound Mulligan, who is strictly a blocker.
Mulligan had played for Ryan in New York and was signed after mini-camp in June, making the roster because the Bills wanted to establish a power running game. He has played about 26 percent of the offensive snaps this season.
INJURY NOTES: The Bills will most likely be without star cornerback Stephon Gilmore in Philadelphia. Gilmore suffered a shoulder injury against Houston and did not practice Wednesday. If Gilmore can’t play, Leodis McKelvin will slide in as the starter opposite rookie cornerback Ronald Darby. And while Ryan said the Bills would obviously miss Gilmore, who has played at a Pro Bowl level this season, having a veteran like McKelvin to step in, plus Darby being able to play against the opposition’s best receiver, isn’t a bad situation.
“He’ll be ready for it if it’s the case,” Ryan said of Darby. “Darby will accept that role. And we have another corner with a great deal of experience in Leodis McKelvin.”
The Bills also probably won’t have linebacker Nigel Bradham, who has a high ankle sprain and sat out the Houston game. Bradham said he will try to play, but Ryan doubts that will happen. “Yeah, he’s crazy, but that’s him,” said Ryan. “He’s wanting to play. That’s why you never say never.”
Running back Karlos Williams, who missed the victory over Houston due to a shoulder injury, also sat out practice Wednesday, but there’s a chance he could be ready by game time. Right tackle Seantrel Henderson, who sat out with an unspecified illness, practiced Wednesday and is expected to play against the Eagles.
Cornerback Ron Brooks has been entered into the NFL’s concussion protocol and did not practice Wednesday.