An open letter to Gostkowski

[italian pat patriot]

he will be fine in regular season

 

[PatsFanSince74]

1) It's way too early to panic.
2) He did great last year and in the Playoffs.
3) Replacing the greatest clutch kicker in NFL history with a rookie was not without risk.

 

[jbb9s]

There is some stat out there about kicking only 2 game winning field goals in his life (one being in college and one being against SD last year) - that may be a concern since it shows that he hasn't had a lot of late game opportunites. And lets not forget that even in the prime of the dynasty, the Pats only beat Tennessee, Carolina, Philly by 3 points.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

There is some stat out there about kicking only 2 game winning field goals in his life (one being in college and one being against SD last year) - that may be a concern since it shows that he hasn't had a lot of late game opportunites. And lets not forget that even in the prime of the dynasty, the Pats only beat Tennessee, Carolina, Philly by 3 points.

Yeah, and St. Vinatieri was perfect in all three games.

As I said before, I'm not worried.

 

[Crowpointer]

Is his plant foot ankle hurt ? Could explain a lot. I noticed it taped over the cleat friday and saw this today in SHALISE MANZA YOUNG's article. "When asked yesterday if kicker Stephen Gostkowski was dealing with an injury, Belichick responded that he “wouldn’t say so.” A reporter said he noticed Gostkowski’s left (plant leg) ankle heavily taped in the locker room last week;"

 

[All_Around_Brown]

How do I know he will be fine?

Would you want to face that Brad Seely stare down in the regular season, with the game on the line?

Brad looks downright scary at times.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Is his plant foot ankle hurt ? Could explain a lot. I noticed it taped over the cleat friday and saw this today in SHALISE MANZA YOUNG's article. "When asked yesterday if kicker Stephen Gostkowski was dealing with an injury, Belichick responded that he “wouldn’t say so.” A reporter said he noticed Gostkowski’s left (plant leg) ankle heavily taped in the locker room last week;"

Thing is, neither of his misses was off by all that much, and almost all of his kicks have been, like OTIS's tackles, STRONG. Plus, if the ground is slick, that'd be enough to cause problems, too.

 

[captain stone]

P.S. Mr. Gostkowski:
Aim for the right goalpost; then, when your kick starts to hook left, as it seems to be doing, the ball will finish between the uprights for 3 points.

I'm actually more worried about Lil' Danny Baugher. I was not at all impressed on Friday. He's better than Ken Walter (but who isn't?), but not close to Sauerbrun. I liked Carolina's Jason Baker a lot better.

 

[Oswlek]

There is some stat out there about kicking only 2 game winning field goals in his life (one being in college and one being against SD last year) - that may be a concern since it shows that he hasn't had a lot of late game opportunites. And lets not forget that even in the prime of the dynasty, the Pats only beat Tennessee, Carolina, Philly by 3 points.

Let's review this statement for accuracy. In his only NE season, Gost kicked:

* A game tying FG late in the game against Buff to complete a second half comeback.

* A game winning FG along with a 50 yarder against SD.

* A lead taking FG late in the game against Indy. Not one missed FG in any of three playoff games.

Seems to me that he did pretty well under pressure.

 

[zarakotas5]

If this thread isn't an inside joke I'm not privy to, then I'm sorry.

But: Is this serious? Gost was the best kicker coming out of NCAA, by far. He struggled a bit at first but rallied to be among the best in the NFL at the latter half. He was coddled a bit to avoid being shark bait, but his leg is NFL elite in waiting. He was a rookie replacing a HOF-possible legend in a tough place to please.

If this thread is serious: Good God Gert: A) We don't need him to be the savior, or shouldn't. B) It's pre-season for a predominantly specific position. C) He is young, should have already proven himself to us, and will get better. D) Quit thrashing for the worst.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

If this thread isn't an inside joke I'm not privy to, then I'm sorry.

But: Is this serious? Gost was the best kicker coming out of NCAA, by far. He struggled a bit at first but rallied to be among the best in the NFL at the latter half. He was coddled a bit to avoid being shark bait, but his leg is NFL elite in waiting. He was a rookie replacing a HOF-possible legend in a tough place to please.

If this thread is serious: Good God Gert: A) We don't need him to be the savior, or shouldn't. B) It's pre-season for a predominantly specific position. C) He is young, should have already proven himself to us, and will get better. D) Quit thrashing for the worst.

Nowhere was I suggesting that the Pats should plan to cut him or anything like that. I was just pointing out an observation--that it seems Gostkowski might be kicking the ball just a little too hard for his own good. [Like in the Chicago game last year--his first attempt at the 52-yarder was about a yard wide right, but impressively high. His second attempt was nowhere near as strong, but was nearly perfectly aligned.]

 

[captain stone]

Nowhere was I suggesting that the Pats should plan to cut him or anything like that. I was just pointing out an observation--that it seems Gostkowski might be kicking the ball just a little too hard for his own good. [Like in the Chicago game last year--his first attempt at the 52-yarder was about a yard wide right, but impressively high. His second attempt was nowhere near as strong, but was nearly perfectly aligned.]

Besides, nobody should be above a little constructive, and instructive, criticism every now and then.

 

[zarakotas5]

Nowhere was I suggesting that the Pats should plan to cut him or anything like that. I was just pointing out an observation--that it seems Gostkowski might be kicking the ball just a little too hard for his own good. [Like in the Chicago game last year--his first attempt at the 52-yarder was about a yard wide right, but impressively high. His second attempt was nowhere near as strong, but was nearly perfectly aligned.]

Fair enough. I was a little crocked. I agree that he has yet to even match his college performance in the NFL, nevermind progress.

Kicker is a funny position. Seems easy, is infinitely difficult. When he acclimates, should he, we'll have the luxury of the best kicker in the game unless some new guy comes out of the blue.

He seems to be an introverted, cerebral guy. When he lays off himself and regains some modicum of BMOC, 55-yarders will come all season for 10+.