For you Gostkowski haters - Page 6 - New England Patriots Forums

Patsfan1102 · 12-30-2011, 12:18 AM

Saw people hating on him also.... Sayin he isnt booming it through the uprights everytime....BECAUSE HES TOLD NOT TO!!!! you want them to return it and get practice with your special teams. Come playoff time that'll be HUGE

supafly · 12-30-2011, 12:35 AM

I wouldn't rank him in the top 5 kickers in the NFL, in terms of being able to go out and easily boot one from 55 yards, but I think he does a great job for what he's asked to do.

When there are a number of kickers who seem to be able to consistantly hit from 55+, there are also a number of somewhat uneducated fans who expect that from "their" kicker too. While that is somewhat understandable, they do not take into account other outside factors and variables.

I think that Belichick knows his range, and that is somewhat limited to the early 50's, but that's pretty impressive when you take into consideration other variables such as where he kicks 50% of the time, cold weather etc.

He does hold the Patriots all-time FG success percentage, and that makes him 6th in the NFL overall. It also should be noted that the all-time long FG from Gilette stadium is "only" 52 yards.

Tricorn Hat · 12-30-2011, 04:33 AM

So who would folks rather have, Vinatieri?

If Gostkowski misses short and long kicks, how does he have a better FG% than Adam playing for the Pats?
This year, when he's supposed to be having trouble, he's still got a better %
than Adam had with the Pats.

His kickoffs have always been longer than Adam's.
He's made some fine special team tackles.

Like in Pittsburgh, FGs at Foxborough aren't as easy as in domes.
Hasn't he always kicked fine in the clutch?

Coach42 · 12-30-2011, 04:45 AM

I was unaware that there were Gostowski haters. Apparently no one on this team is above ignorant fan's scorn.

PATSYLICIOUS · 12-30-2011, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctpatsfan77

Even before his injury he wasn't excelling at TB%. I can think of at least three possible reasons for this:

(1) Cold. Gillette is, on average, one of the toughest stadiums to kick in. If he got to play in a dome 10 games a year, he'd do a lot better.

(2a) Opinion of Pats KO coverage. It could be that teams think that they can run it out past the 20.

(2b) Teams feeling the "need" to run it out. It may well be that teams feel the need to attempt a big return to make up for the fact that the Pats tend to score lots of points.

Well, before the injury we were kicking off from the 30. I don't think many kickers were getting a ton of TB's then. But if you took the KO's from Ghost pre-injury and moved them up 5 yards, I would bet a great majority of them would be TB's, and that's kind of what I was hoping for after the rule change. With how inconsistent our KO coverage has been, it would be huge for us if he could boom them out the end zone.

PATSYLICIOUS · 12-30-2011, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jackson 2

Thanks for the reasoned response. I still really like him. Perhaps, for me, it was missing the 27 yarder (a glorified PAT) just before half-time in our loss to the Giants which sticks in my mind. It was at home, no weather involved as I remember and it ended up being huge in that game. But, I think labeling anyone who is uneasy about G. as a "hater" is really extreme.

Yep, also missed a very makeable FG in Pittsburgh that in the past he'd make in his sleep. It was a huge miss too at the time, could have made it a one score game. There were a couple others too this year. No denying he's been less reliable this season, but hopefully he bounces back next year.

***DaBruinz*** · 12-30-2011, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PATSYLICIOUS

It's something to monitor. The Ghostowski pre-injury was probably worth the contract. I believe he was perfect in the 2006 playoffs and I really don't remember him missing any key FG's in any playoff games altogether. His kickoff distances were crucial too. But if next year comes and he is still middle of the pack in FG% and towards the bottom in TB%, we've got to part ways with that contract. Same argument when we let AV go and went with Ghost in 2006, when you feel someone new can come in and provide the same if not better production for a small fraction of the price, you've got to opt for change. It worked then until Ghost's injury 4.5 years later. But like I said I'm willing to wait till next year to see if this is a trend.

Being a FG kicker is about consistency. And that is what Ghost has brought the Pats. Hence why he's rated in the top 10 ALL TIME of FG kickers based on %.

As for the TB%, that is not an accurate way to judge him, especially, as pointed out, that there is a very good chance that the Pats aren't wanting him to kick TBs since they are limiting teams so well with their Kick Coverage.

***DaBruinz*** · 12-30-2011, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jackson 2

Thanks for the reasoned response. I still really like him. Perhaps, for me, it was missing the 27 yarder (a glorified PAT) just before half-time in our loss to the Giants which sticks in my mind. It was at home, no weather involved as I remember and it ended up being huge in that game. But, I think labeling anyone who is uneasy about G. as a "hater" is really extreme.

Go back and look at the Miami game thread. You'll see the haters that I am referring to.

As for the miss against the Giants, not sure how it ended up being "huge" in that game when the offense couldn't do squat for the better part of 3 quarters to begin with. Nor could the defense actually stop the Giants offense to end the game..

***DaBruinz*** · 12-30-2011, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PATSYLICIOUS

Well, before the injury we were kicking off from the 30. I don't think many kickers were getting a ton of TB's then. But if you took the KO's from Ghost pre-injury and moved them up 5 yards, I would bet a great majority of them would be TB's, and that's kind of what I was hoping for after the rule change. With how inconsistent our KO coverage has been, it would be huge for us if he could boom them out the end zone.

As I pointed out, our kick-off coverage is excellent. They are 6th in the league allowing only 21.6 yards per return. If it was last year, I'd agree that the coverage was inconsistent, but that just isn't the case.

patfanken · 12-30-2011, 09:24 AM

DB, why would you care about what is said in the "game day" thread. The only people who post in that thread, are retards, fans that can't wait to say "we're doooooomed.....and me.

1. On statisics. Its what we want to believe. IIRC, a fan posted that Gots was 19th in FG percentage at 84. something. Well given that to be in the top ten he'd only have raise his percentage by 2.3% its doesn't seem to be as bad. With stats its often perception

2. BTW- for those of you who are longing for the halcyon days of Adam Venetieri. How quickly they forget those 3 very makable FG he missed in 99, which cost the Pats 2 games and Pete Carroll his job (not that that was a bad thing). OR they forget the TWO FGs he missed early in the 2003 Superbowl. We all remember the game winner, but we forget if he'd made those 2 it would have been a lot less exciting game.

The point here is that Adam Venetieri kicked 3 of the most clutch FGs in NFL history, certainly the 3 biggest ones in Pats history. However it shouuld also be remembered that he missed some too....just like Gots

Complaining about a FG kicker who makes 85% of his attempts, is a solid KO man, and is willing to stick his head in there for a tackle, is the HEIGHT of ridiculousness