By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- Dan Carpenter was on a bike ride last January in a remote South Florida area, one where his phone wasn't getting any service.
He missed a slew of calls and texts from the Miami Dolphins, imploring him to check in immediately.
"I was like, 'What'd I do?'" Carpenter said. "When you get urgent phone calls from the team, it's either good or bad."
The Dolphins were simply trying to tell Carpenter that he'd been added to the AFC's roster for the Pro Bowl. Oddly, those calls were about the last thing Carpenter has missed.
The hottest kicker in football right now after pulling off rare consecutive 5-for-5 efforts on field goals, Carpenter was selected as the AFC's special teams player of the week on Wednesday. He's scored 43 of the Dolphins' last 61 points, including an overtime winner at Green Bay, and given Baltimore's penchant for testing offenses Miami might need his foot again when the visiting Ravens arrive on Sunday.
"I think I've always been pretty confident," Carpenter said. "You have to have a certain amount of confidence to be a kicker in this league. You have to be able to shrug off the bad days or the bad games and just move on to the next kick."
Bad days, bad games, they really haven't been on Carpenter's calendar in 2010.
He's 18 for 20 on field goals this season, and has been a huge part of the Miami offense in the past two weeks. Until now, only three kickers in NFL history -- John Carney (1994), John Kasay (1996) and Richie Cunningham (1997) -- had booted five field goals in consecutive games. No one since Carney in 2001 had kicked five field goals twice at any point in the same season.
The best scorer in Miami right now might not be named Wade, James or Bosh. It's a long-haired guy from Montana who would prefer to never be in the spotlight.
"It's a heck of a comfort," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. "It's one that, to be honest with you, is a little bit of a double-edged sword. You don't want to rely on it, certainly. You'd rather be turning these things into touchdowns and I think Dan has made that comment -- he'd rather be kicking extra points."
He has made that comment. Often, actually.
"Our whole team wants more touchdowns," Carpenter said. "Including me."
The Dolphins have managed just seven touchdowns in 15 red zone possessions this season, meaning they've needed Carpenter more than they would like.
Miami's red zone TD rate of 46.7 ranks 19th in the 32-team league and the seven red zone touchdowns are tied for the third-fewest in the NFL, ahead of only Carolina (four) and Chicago (six).
"Teams are playing us, dropping a lot of guys and not allowing us to get 1-on-1 coverages down there and making me check the ball down," Miami quarterback Chad Henne said. "But we looked at that on film and the coaches are really good at giving us a good game plan to get the ball in the end zone."
And if the plan fails, they turn to Carpenter.
In a season marred by special teams debacles -- Miami has already made a coaching change in that department, and the season isn't even half over -- Carpenter has been a huge bright spot. He's made 13 straight field-goal attempts since a 53-yarder was blocked against New England in late September, and over the past three weeks, he's scoring more points per game (14.3) than the New York Jets (12.0).
"I don't follow any like stats or making history or anything like that," Carpenter said. "If it gets me somewhere, great. If it doesn't, that's fine, too."
Carpenter was a record-setting kicker at Montana, then quickly convinced the Dolphins in his first camp with the team that he was good enough to beat veteran Jay Feely out for the job. The Dolphins have raved about him since, and in his home state, Miami is getting quite a following. Plenty of friends and family, all clad in shirts and jerseys bearing his last name, converged on South Florida to watch Miami play Pittsburgh last month, and Carpenter grudgingly acknowledges he's dealing with some extra attention.
"I have a short memory," Carpenter said. "If I'm 5 for 5 last week, it has nothing to do with that next kick coming up in Baltimore, if I have one. All I can do is be mentally prepared and ready for that next one."
His reward for the player of the week honor?
"I got a high-five from a couple guys," Carpenter said.
Given his last two games, a five seems to be fitting.
Received 11/03/10 05:44 pm ET
