Gostkowski

[Mainefan]

I am really annoyed at the fair-weather fans who are dissing Gostkowski. No one is perfect. No one. Not the greatest players who ever lived. He is entitled to miss one occasionally. Furthermore, he did kick four field goals Sunday and kept us in the game. Is he supposed to score ALL the points? I read one comment from someone who is "worried about Gostkowski." Ridiculous. He is just about the best there is. The proper reaction to his miss yesterday is a simple "Too bad. It happens."

 

[brdmaverick]

Too be honest, I was actually concerned when the Patriots did not go for it on fourth and ten earlier in the fourth quarter. Instead, they trotted out Gostkowski for a 53 yard field goal. I didn't have a good feeling about that, but Gostkowski impressed me and came through.

I didn't have a good feeling about the last kick either (maybe it's just my nervous nature). While I was disappointed at the miss, I was surprisingly NOT mad. Usually after a FG miss a lot of choice words are thrown around. On this miss, however, I couldn't help but recognize what Gostkowski had already done to keep them in the game in the first place. I still think it's a shame that he missed, because he was having a GREAT game. Instead of capping it off with a game winning kick, now he has to defend himself from being the scape GOAT. Even with the miss, I still think he had a really good game.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

It's called selective memory. When someone misses one big kick, all of a sudden he's failed in every big spot, contrary to factual evidence that he's actually been very good in whichever clutch spots he's been put in prior to yesterday(4th quarter, playoffs, game deciding kicks). OR the fact that one of the few reasons we were even in the game at that point was thanks to 2 50 yarders and another 46 yarder. Which HE made.

 

[ensoul]

I am mad he missed. He nailed all those previous FGs earlier in the game by a wide margin. When he is asked to hit a 42 yard FG for the win he shanks it 30 feet to the left. That leads me to believe he simply could not handle the pressure trying to kick a game winning FG. No one is perfect but he absolutely should have hit that FG.

 

[brdmaverick]

I don't want to start a Gostkowski bash party, because (as I noted previously) I think he had a really good game.

Another knock on him yesterday was that with 2:06 left in the game he was not able to kick the ball out of the end zone. The Cards returner did us a huge favor by taking a knee.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I posted this in another thread but it's probably more applicable here. Sorry for the repetition if you already read it.

One Side of the Coin.

I've never understood why people "blame" a Placekicker for a loss when he misses on a Field Goal Attempt that would have tied or won a game in the final seconds. Teams execute an average of 67 plays a game on Offense and on Defense. There are far too many variables in a Kick of any distance to lay the outcome of a game on a single missed Field Goal; snap, hold, turf, wind, footing and whether the K ball hasn't been brushed (legally) enough.

Other side of the Coin.

While you don't blame a Placekicker's miss for putting a game in the wrong column, these are the situations in which Kickers distinguish themselves. There's only one (pure) Placekicker in Canton for a reason; too many Kickers are just too good and too consistent to be able reasonably to sort through them.

Since 1989, Kickers have made 90% or more of their FG attempts in a season on 69 occasions; on 16 occasions Kickers have made 95% or more of their FGA's and on on six, they have made 100% (including Shayne Graham last year, 33 for 33). For Local Reference, Gostkowski made 90% of his Attempts in 2008, Vinatieri made 93.9% in 2004, 92.9% in 2010 and 90% in 2002). And, there have been another 18 occasions when a Kicker made 89% of his Attempts.

So, it's pretty hard to distinguish among these guys with so many people kicking so well so consistently over so many years. You'd need a separate wing in Canton for Placekickers if you admitted them on stats alone.

So, it's only when a Kicker comes through time and again when a game, especially a big game, is on the line that you can sort these guys out.

That's why Adam Vinatieri will be in the HOF; no one would have "blamed" him if he had missed the 45 yarder into the teeth of a blizzard that tied the Snow Bowl and no one would have blamed him even if he had missed the 23 yarder that won that game, given the conditions; no one would have "blamed" him if he had missed the first walk off winner in a Super Bowl from 48 yards in SB XXXVI or the game winner with four seconds left from 41 yards (a familiar distance) to win SB XXXVIII, but he made them all.

So, I don't blame Steve Gostkowski for yesterday's loss, but I sure wish he had made that kick.

 

[PatsBoy12]

The bottom line is he is NOT the one who cost the Pats the win. He shouldn't be blamed for it. OP, I agree with you.

 

[Sciz]

He's the easiest to pick on because his mistake was the last one, but there were a lot of other mistakes that cost the Pats at least 3 points.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I don't want to start a Gostkowski bash party, because (as I noted previously) I think he had a really good game.

Another knock on him yesterday was that with 2:06 left in the game he was not able to kick the ball out of the end zone. The Cards returner did us a huge favor by taking a knee.

It's at least possible that BB asked him not to do that. If you look at the Titans game, the Patriots actually fared slightly better on average on the kicks that were returned than on the touchbacks. And let's not forget the Week 1 game against Buffalo in 2009.

 

[1960Pats]

I am mad he missed. He nailed all those previous FGs earlier in the game by a wide margin. When he is asked to hit a 42 yard FG for the win he shanks it 30 feet to the left. That leads me to believe he simply could not handle the pressure trying to kick a game winning FG. No one is perfect but he absolutely should have hit that FG.

I've only seen it once so far, but it looked like he rushed the kick or there was a delay getting the ball down. I'm not sure who's more responsible for that, the kicker or the coach, but the timing of that play needs to be better. Hopefully, that will come together as the season goes on and he'll hit a big one down the road. That's all we've got for now.

 

[brdmaverick]

It's at least possible that BB asked him not to do that. If you look at the Titans game, the Patriots actually fared slightly better on average on the kicks that were returned than on the touchbacks. And let's not forget the Week 1 game against Buffalo in 2009.

I doubt it since at the time the clock was much more important than starting field position.

Think about it this way.....

The clock stops after each change of possession (such as a kick off).

The clock stops at the two minute warning.

The Cards had the lead and thus want the clock to be moving.

With a kick off at 2:06, it would have been very advantageous to be able to run around for six seconds and have the tow minutes warning AND change of possession clock stoppage to occur at the same time. Now all three plays from scrimmage are on the other side of the two minute warning which maximizes the Card's clock killing possibilities.

By taking a knew the it forced the Cards to run a play before the two minute warning.

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

Looks like the 42yd FG had an expected 78% success rate...

Dynamic win probability during Arizona/NE game

Oh well. What are you going to do?

Regards,
Chris

 

[brdmaverick]

Looks like the 42yd FG had an expected 78% success rate...

Dynamic win probability during Arizona/NE game

Oh well. What are you going to do?

Regards,
Chris

I bet Cundiff's kick in the AFC Championship had an even higher success rate.

Some go your way, some don't. I'm glad it went our way when more was on the line.

 

[Belichicknumber1]

if your making 3mill a year to kick a ball through the uprights you better make every kick. Your getting paid 3mill a year to make field goals not choke when it counts. I dont think the Pats are paying him 3mill to be happy with 4 outta 5 fgs and miss the one that counts. 3mill people do your job or get lost. I dont get how some of you are ok with him missing the final kick cause he kicked 4 earlier. If your getting paid 3mill a year you bet your ***** you better be making every kick specially the ones that count. NO EXCUSE :bricks:.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

NO EXCUSE :bricks:.

Why other fan bases think Patriots fans feel entitled, exhibit #1638.

 

[Belichicknumber1]

Why other fan bases think Patriots fans feel entitled, exhibit #1638.

When i pay my hard earned money to go watch them play at there stadium i expect the people im watching to do there job. I dont care what other fans think of me lmao so many softies its pathetic, get to a game where the diehards are pal.

 

[dales804]

if your making 3mill a year to kick a ball through the uprights you better make every kick. Your getting paid 3mill a year to make field goals not choke when it counts. I dont think the Pats are paying him 3mill to be happy with 4 outta 5 fgs and miss the one that counts. 3mill people do your job or get lost. I dont get how some of you are ok with him missing the final kick cause he kicked 4 earlier. If your getting paid 3mill a year you bet your ***** you better be making every kick specially the ones that count. NO EXCUSE :bricks:.

I am sensing sarcasm here but I could be wrong.

Either way, he did make a "clutch" kick, the 53 yarder, to even give the Pats a sniff at a win (to cut the margin to 20-12). I was shocked to see that one sail through so cleanly.

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

The PK is expected to make a kick like this one to win games. That's what he's paid to do. He didn't so he failed at his job on this occasion. For his sake he better hope it doesn't happen many more times.

 

[Mainefan]

Belichicknumberone: No one--no kicker in the history of football--has ever made 100% of his kicks. No one. But let me ask you this: Have you always succeeded in whatever you've tried or been paid to do? Unless you can prove that you are perfect, you need to have a little tolerance. Human beings are flawed.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

...For his sake he better hope it doesn't happen many more times.

That sounds like my sixth grade teacher as she tapped her big ruler on her desk...and just exactly what are you going to do about it if it does?