Mike,that one answer gives You entry into "The Lightning Round" of "Know Your Patriots". You are the first "International Entry" !
Obviously, I'm proud and honoured ... blush ... but that's not my aim in coming here (see my sig.!)
I remember that Brooks came in for Ken Walter and didn't punt badly -- not terrifically, but not as badly as KW -- for that one week. But he certainly did a lot of interviews for a walk-on rookie -- it sounded as if they were going to make a TV mini-series of his life. Then ... WHAM!!! I assume that he must have irritated some important people in the organization (Seeley? Our Former Kicker? BB?). But I feel sorry for him. C*cky kids need a lesson, perhaps -- but not a kick in the teeth.
The Patriots brought Ken Walter back instead and there was some story that he was being added to the roster for his abilities as a holder. I have always been sceptical. Of course, I know how important the holder is to the kicker, but I simply cannot believe that a competent professional organization would only have one person in the team who is able to act as holder. That's way too many eggs in one basket. OK, designate the punter as the principal holder if you like, but what if he's injured, gets the flu, has to attend a family funeral? Surely, with all the time that the special teams have to prepare, they should be able to have a back-up who's almost as well trained.
I long for the days of Ken Walter. I hated the way that fans booed him and abused him on this message board. It's true, he played terribly, but he was playing for the Patriots, for goodness sake! But wasn't it wonderful when the weakest link on our team was the punter? Happy days indeed!