Dan Carpenter

The Bills struggled to convert good field position into touchdowns last season, finding paydirt on only 43.1 percent of trips inside the red zone (29th). It resulted in Carpenter finishing second in the league in field-goal attempts and makes, as he was the only top-10 kicker with fewer than 40 PAT attempts. He was solid from all distances, including a strong 6-of-8 from at least 50 yards. The Bills got some big upgrades this offseason, particularly in the form of running back LeSean McCoy, which could cost Carpenter field goals if the offense converts more in the red zone. Weather is always a consideration in Buffalo, but especially this year with three of the last five games at home and the two others at cold-climate Philadelphia and Washington.

Carpenter bounced around several teams in the preseason, failing to secure a job until an opening surfaced in Buffalo following Dustin Hopkins’ groin injury. He filled in admirably for all 16 games, negotiating some unfavorable weather conditions to go 33-for-36 on field goals. The surprising performance from Carpenter, who had hit just 79.4 percent of his attempts over the previous three seasons, earned him a four-year contract extension from the Bills. However, with the strong-legged Hopkins still in the fold, Carpenter will have to remain accurate during camp to hold off the youngster. Whomever wins out will be have their opportunities dictated by an offense without much track record of NFL success, but with some intriguing talents at the skill positions.

Carpenter will act as insurance for the Bills in case Dustin Hopkins is unable to kick in the early going due to a groin injury.

Carpenter improved his field-goal accuracy by 12 percentage points in 2012, settling in at 85.3, which was more in line with his first two seasons. Even so, a reduction in field goal attempts and a poor offense limited him to just 113 points. Carpenter’s point totals are expected to decline in 2012 with top target Brandon Marshall traded to Chicago and either the raw Ryan Tannehill or the unspectacular Matt Moore (or David Garrard) likely starting at quarterback.

Carpenter’s season could be described like the title of the epic Clint Eastwood spaghetti western: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” The Good was Carpenter’s 30 field-goal makes, tied for fourth in the league. The Bad was Carpenter’s 11 misses (tied for most in the league). The Ugly was the Dolphins offense, which produced just 25 touchdowns (down from 37 in 2009) and scored just 17.1 points per game. His first two years in the league, Carpenter converted 86.8 percent of his field goals. Last season, though, Carpenter connected on just 73 percent of his kicks, the second-lowest mark in the league. In Carpenter’s defense, his average miss was nearly 49 yards – he attempted a league-high eight beyond 50, making a four, including a 60-yarder. The bigger problem for Carpenter is the Dolphins offense, which did not progress as expected with Chad Henne and Brandon Marshall. The Dolphins mounted just 34 red-zone drives last season, second fewest in the league. That gave Carpenter just 14 attempts inside 40 yards (all of which he converted). Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams were let go, replaced by Reggie Bush and rookie Daniel Thomas. A better offense with increased touchdown efficiency might give Carpenter fewer field-goal attempts, but it also would give him more chip shots or at least relieve him of so many long-range attempts, thus improving his accuracy. Carpenter's attempts, field-goal percentage and PATs the last two years varied greatly, but his total points only differed by three (112 in 2009, 115 in 2010).

Carpenter matched the promising exploits of his rookie season with a similar showing last year, increasing his points by nine to 112 as he attempted two fewer PATs but three more field goals. Carpenter also improved his accuracy a touch, making 25-of-28 field goals (89.3%). The Dolphins acquired a big-play receiver in the offseason in Brandon Marshall, quarterback Chad Henne should continue to improve and the solid one-two punch of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams was fifth in the league in rushing last year.

All told, Carpenter should have plenty of scoring opportunities this season. He’ll get more field-goal attempts, as well, if the Dolphins don’t repeat their nearly 65 percent red-zone TD mark, which ranked second in the league last year. Carpenter has two potential badweather December games but is 8-of-10 in his career on the road in December.

Carpenter unseated Jay Feely as the Dolphins kicker in training camp last season and went on to score 103 points. He hit 21-of-25 on field-goals (84 percent) and was 10-of-14 from 40 yards and beyond, including one 50-yarder. The Dolphins surprisingly won 11 games last year and captured the AFC East. If the Dolphins regress it might actually help Carpenter get more field-goal opportunities. The Dolphins were very efficient in the red zone last season, scoring touchdowns on 60 percent of their 45 possessions there (7th in the NFL).