Matt Haack's strong start shows Bills' punter competition promises to go deep into summer

They typically toil in anonymity, away from the Buffalo Bills principal stage that is the grass exercise field at the Polisseni Circuitous on the campus of St. John Fisher University.

The guys in the cherry shirts - not quarterbacks Josh Allen, Case Keenum and Matt Barkley - but the other no-touch guys, kickers and punters Tyler Bass, Matt Haack and Matt Araiza.

While the offense and defense are squaring off confronting each other in front of the jam-packed crowds, special teams coordinator Matt Smiley and his specialists spend most of do over on the turf at Growney Stadium getting their daily piece of work in.

And to exist clear, just because no one is commonly watching, it's pretty important work because the Bills have a key decision to make this summer regarding which Matt is going to exist the punter, and therefore the holder on all of Bass' field goals and extra points.

Yes, it'due south non as cool every bit watching Allen hook upwards with Stefon Diggs, only Puntapalooza, every bit some in the media like to call information technology, is certainly a thing.

"The style we're doing information technology right now is we're switching on and off betwixt the Matts," Smiley said regarding the workload. "Matt Araiza gets a day, Matt Haack gets a mean solar day."

Smiley couldn't help just grinning when he was asked whether the best punter will eventually win the job because so much of the focus has been placed on the fact that Araiza had never held on placements before coming to Buffalo, while Haack is a seasoned pro with that skill.

"Yep, punting is still the chief thing we're looking for in this punting competition, I will go on the record saying that," said Smiley, who had been an assistant special teams coach in Buffalo for five years before ascending to the top job when Heath Farwell left for Jacksonville later on 2021.

Because Haack had such a tough first season punting for the Bills, the team decided to selection the much-publicized Araiza in the 6th circular of the 2022 draft. Nicknamed Punt God, Araiza has an explosive leg, and because he was drafted, the natural supposition is that Haack's days are numbered.

Simply it's not like Araiza was a high draft selection. He still has to prove he's the improve punter, and it isn't always about leg strength and yardage every bit he'southward quickly finding out, first in OTAs and at present in grooming camp. It'southward also near hang time, and directional kicking in order to command the opponents' return game.

If you punt the ball 70 yards only information technology gets returned for 40, that's not every bit useful equally punting it forty yards and forcing a fair catch.

Beyond the technical skills, Araiza is also dealing with the expectations thrust upon someone who is nicknamed Punt God.

"I've been asked a couple of times and I think the truest answer for me is that a lot of that's coming from the fans," he said. "I was the fourth specialist drafted and I believe I'chiliad the only one that'southward still competing for a task. So for me, this year is more than about proving people wrong than proving people correct. I'm trying to bear witness that I was the best specialist in the typhoon. "

Araiza is the odds-on favorite to win the job because he was a draft pick, and to a much lesser extent, he'd save the Bills a little under $i million in salary cap space. But the belongings piece of the equation is going to exist critical in the final determination.

"You lot take to be a very, very good holder because you're scoring points off that and yous have to requite Tyler access to the best ball possible," Smiley said. "So that is a big part of it, but I don't know that I could could give you a percent exactly."

To his credit, Haack has lent his expertise to his competitor, even though he knows he could exist greasing the skids for his release.

"If somebody asks me a question, I'll answer it to the best of my ability and help people if they need it," Haack said. "I recollect nosotros can all learn from each other, honestly. Perhaps I see something he does that I like and I'll pick information technology upward or something. And so to me, every bit of right now, we're on the same team."

Property sounds simple, and after you've washed information technology a while, peradventure it is. Peculiarly for the Bills who take such a reliable and authentic long snapper in Reid Ferguson. But Araiza is learning that there is an fine art to information technology because he needs to catch the brawl, put it down exactly where Bass wants it, and then spin the laces toward the goal postal service, all of which has to happen in a separate 2nd.

"The property has been going smashing," he said. "I have some neat guys ahead of me showing me the way. We get a lot of work on the jugs machine, stuff like that. And my experience as a kicker has helped considering I know what they want. So, I'm happy with how that's going."

What does Bass retrieve of the holding competition?

"It's head-to-head, they're both doing a great chore, so they're both correct there," he said before launching into an caption about how precise the placement needs to exist.

"You just got to hit the spot virtually perfectly," he said. "If it's towards you a picayune bit, you kind of hit (the kick) a fiddling loftier. If it's a piffling bit right, you lot kind of hit it (on the toe). So, you want to make sure information technology's correct on where your mark is and so yous tin can make the best contact possible."

Micah Hyde left practice with an injury

The loud music that blares during the team drills usually gets turned off when someone suffers an injury, and that happened Fri when rubber Micah Hyde fabricated a play on the ball so fell awkwardly on his back side.

He took his helmet off and you could see he was in pain, and fellow safety Jordan Poyer immediately summoned the trainers. Hyde stayed down for nearly a minute, then limped gingerly to the sideline and was somewhen carted to the locker room for evaluation.

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The team announced about an hour later that he was dealing with a hip/glute injury, but no update was provided on his condition. It doesn't seem like a serious situation, merely it's unlikely that Hyde will practice Saturday when the Bills wear full pads for the kickoff fourth dimension.

Left tackle Dion Dawkins was excused from the session because of personal reason. He's the quaternary member of the presumptive starting five who has missed at least one practice, joining nonetheless sidelined Rodger Saffold, Ryan Bates and Spencer Brown.

Sal Maiorana can exist reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. To subscribe to Sal'south new twice-a-calendar week newsletter, Bills Blast, please follow this link: https://contour.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-boom

Source: https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/football/nfl/bills/2022/07/30/buffalo-bills-training-camp-news-punter-matt-araiza-punt-god/65386605007/

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