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When the Patriots let the best kicker of his day -- Adam Vinatieri -- leave via free agency in 2006 after 10 stellar seasons, they were widely derided for allowing a few bucks to get in the way of keeping one of the best clutch players of the Super Bowl era. That year, they drafted kicker Stephen Gostkowski from Memphis in the fourth round.
As usual, the Patriots are having the last laugh on the fourth estate -- and the rest of the NFL too. In the last three years, Gostkowski, kicking outside most often, has been more efficient in field goals, with more touchbacks on kickoffs, for a quarter of the cost of Vinatieri, who's been kicking inside most often. Gostkowski was named to his first Pro Bowl this year. And Gostkowski is 24 years old. Vinatieri is 36.
"Nobody ever said anything to me here except be the best you can be,'' Gostkowski told me. "That's what I've seen around here since I got here. The only thing they're concerned about is what you can do now.''
Gostkowski, a very good pitcher in high school, is used to pressure. He threw 92 mph, once outdueled Matt Cain in a high school baseball game, and was a two-sport player at Memphis. Stunned to be picked so high in the draft -- he was expecting to sign as a free-agent -- he's responded well, as these numbers of the two kickers since 2006 show:
Player FG Made-Att. Pct. 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+ Touchbacks-Total Pct.
Gostkowski 77-90 .856 30-33 31-35 14-20 2-2 44-288 15.3
Vinatieri 68-82 .829 20-21 31-36 13-19 2-4 27-243 11.1
One more thing: Average cap numbers over the past three years: Gostkowski $470,000, Vinatieri $2,036,000.
This is not to say Vinatieri has not been very good for the Colts. In their Super Bowl season, his first in Indy, he scored every Colts point in a divisional playoff win at Baltimore and was 14 of 15 in field goals in a four-game playoff run. Rather, it's a tribute to Gostkowski being able to kick in high-pressure and weather-affected situations so early in his career, and to the Patriots for recognizing that change is essential in pro football for teams to stay on top.
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f. I credit Matt Cassel for managing a game with wind gusts up to 55 mph -- and for a very big Sammy Baugh-esque 57-yard quick-kick punt in the third quarter, pinning the Bills at their 2. How about this stat line for the man who played 15 and three-quarters NFL games after not starting a game since high school: 11-5 record, .634 completion rate, 3,693 yards passing, 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 89.4 rating. He may have played his last game as a Patriot, but he will have a long -- and I predict, glorious -- future in the NFL.
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d. The Patriots are one of the best eight teams in football right now, but they shouldn't be in the playoffs. Fair is fair. No violins because they went 11-5 and didn't get in. If they hadn't allowed Miami to use a high school formation to knock them senseless in September, if they hadn't gotten a silly David Thomas unnecessary-roughness penalty or a Matt Cassel interception two games later at Indianapolis in November, if they'd stopped Brett Favre on a third-and-15 overtime pass play in November ... any of those things go the other way, and the Pats go 12-4, are the third seed in the AFC this morning, and face Baltimore this weekend.
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I have to give Peter King credit, for him to remember the David Thomas penalty and the 3rd and 15 conversion is impressive. Sure we all remember those 2 moments because we are Patriots diehards but this guy watches a lot of football games and for him to correctly identify 2 moments like that is pretty damn good. Especially when you consider that I get the feeling that half the sports writers don't watch any of the games, LOL.
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No violin...bend over..that vuilin's going where the sun don't shine..Thought he was a jerk last year..really don't care for him..interesting observations...but King to me is and always WILL BE a hypocrite..
I have to give Peter King credit, for him to remember the David Thomas penalty and the 3rd and 15 conversion is impressive. Sure we all remember those 2 moments because we are Patriots diehards but this guy watches a lot of football games and for him to correctly identify 2 moments like that is pretty damn good. Especially when you consider that I get the feeling that half the sports writers don't watch any of the games, LOL.
but as expected he doesnt say mch abt favre and with him out starts to fawn over manning.
colts/giants SB is not what i want to see.it might be the ultimate nightmare end to the season !
Iam rooting for PHL hard. reid and donovan deserve a lot better.
The critical plays that the Pats usually make didn't happen in key situations during each of those games he mentions. I would also add the key drops Moss had in the first half of that Steelers game. Had the Pats gone up by 10 in that game it would have changed the strategy for the second half.
f. I credit Matt Cassel for managing a game with wind gusts up to 55 mph -- and for a very big Sammy Baugh-esque 57-yard quick-kick punt in the third quarter, pinning the Bills at their 2. How about this stat line for the man who played 15 and three-quarters NFL games after not starting a game since high school: 11-5 record, .634 completion rate, 3,693 yards passing, 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 89.4 rating. He may have played his last game as a Patriot, but he will have a long -- and I predict, glorious -- future in the NFL.
Technically, Matt's record was 10-5 as he did not start against KC. However, it was still a scoreless game when Tom went down, so for all practical purposes, he was 11-5.
Peter King once again flashes idiot-savant, he must have a good intern helping him. Like too many small minds, he's too quick to point to one "mistake" and claim it was the decisive play in a 16 game season while ignoring the player's overall body of work. Someone like Favre who made a career of screwing up in critical moments gets a pass from the Peter-less Kings, but singling out a kid like Thomas for one mistake in the heat of battle is monkey spanking time for him as he struggles to think one coherent thought in his quest for the next Starbucks. Kudos to his intern for the Gostkowski look back.
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"Avert thine eyes! You're not hot enough to be looking at me." To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Peter King once again flashes idiot-savant, he must have a good intern helping him. Like too many small minds, he's too quick to point to one "mistake" and claim it was the decisive play in a 16 game season while ignoring the player's overall body of work. Someone like Favre who made a career of screwing up in critical moments gets a pass from the Peter-less Kings, but singling out a kid like Thomas for one mistake in the heat of battle is monkey spanking time for him as he struggles to think one coherent thought in his quest for the next Starbucks. Kudos to his intern for the Gostkowski look back.
Sweet Re-torte. May no one accuse you of the "good" in turn; you are all Box.
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Paul Brown: A winner never whines.
Peter King Pats snippets today
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