Special Teams a Major Concern for Bills Heading Into Playoffs

Uncertainty over punting and the return game has some fans on edge heading into first-round clash with New England Patriots.

Each team's elite defense and brutally cold weather are almost certain to put points at an extra premium Saturday night when the Buffalo Bills host the New England Patriots in the first round of the playoffs.

That means field position will be crucial, and the Bills have some undeniable concerns about that aspect of the game coming in.

Their punter, Matt Haack, hasn't had a very good season and last week against the New York Jets nearly had a total meltdown with two shanks (plus another that was wiped out because of a penalty) and a fumbled snap that led to a block. Those misadventures turned out not to matter in the Bills' 27-10 victory, but they remain etched in the memory of every Bills Mafia member, not to mention the Bills coaching staff.

Haack's problems date back to his first game with the Bill in this season's opener, when he failed to get a punt off quickly enough against the Pittsburgh Steelers and it was blocked and returned for a touchdown, which turned out to be the margin of victory for the Steelers.

Just as much uncertainty swirls around their return game.

Isaiah McKenzie is the most experienced and explosive, but twice this season has been relieved of his duties — the second time coming last week, after he muffed a return but recovered it for a 1-yard loss, then took a risk by grabbing a bouncing ball in traffic for a 5-yard return.

Starting safety Micah Hyde, whom the Bills clearly would prefer not to use on punt returns, handled that duty the rest of the way.

In the same game, previous top returner Marquez Stevenson was a healthy scratch after muffing a punt return the week before that resulted in a safety for the Atlanta Falcons.

In the meantime, the Bills have carried an extra punter, Jamie Gillan, on their practice squad since Dec. 24., but have made no moves to elevate him for games.

So while it will be interesting to see how the Bills handle kickoff and punt returns against the Patriots, Haack will be their punter after being given a vote of confidence.

"I think he’s done some really good things for our football team," McDermott said this week. "There were plays we all obviously want back. I’m sure that he wants some of those back. I love the fact that he’s a resilient competitor and I can’t wait to watch him moving forward."

That McDermott hasn't been nearly as quick on the trigger with Haack as he's been with McKenzie and Stevenson could have to do with the job Haack does as a holder for kicker Tyler Bass, who's having an outstanding season. McDermott probably just doesn't want to mess with that.

Bass has been perfect on all 51 extra-point attempts and is 28-for-32 on field goals, with two of the misses coming from beyond 50 yards.

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.