Is it about time for a new FG Kicker?????

[PYPER]

I vote yes....Gost has lost it....

Do you have someone specific in mind or do you just assume All Pro Kickers can be found hanging around the Supermarket?

 

[Jackson 2]

Ghost is our kicker for the rest of the season. No one out there is better. But, he's no longer trustworthy when it's nut- cracking time.

 

[aluminum seats]

Who are these members?

It's like the game thread has infected the main board… We really have to put this thread into quarantine STAT...

 

[The Gr8est]

I vote yes....Gost has lost it....

How many FGs did he miss today?

Good thing he kicked three FGs and an XP, in a game the Pats won by 5 points.

 

[The Gr8est]

It's like the game thread has infected the main board… We really have to put this thread into quarantine STAT...

I've just starter putting a few people on ignore because of their idiocy in the game thread.

Interestingly, it is supposed Pats fans who I am ignoring, while I didn't put the Rats fan on ignore.

He actually posts good comments.

 

[deroc5050]

Ghost is our kicker for the rest of the season. No one out there is better. But, he's no longer trustworthy when it's nut- cracking time.

Honestly though he is not having a good season and I hope we don't lose because of him like last year. That AFC championship game miss messed ghosts head up.

I don't have much confidence in him if he has to kick a 50-52 yarder.. he struggles with kicks in the 30-40 range...

 

[doesntmatter1]

He has gone from all-pro to simply good. You don't necessarily replace him but you definitely start to look around.

The only time I begged for an immediate replacement was when I couldn't take our punter in 2009. I never thought in a million years I would be so happy to see a draft pick used on a punter(mesko).

 

[Silver Blue&Red]

Ghost is toast. But He's our toast for the season

 

[scout]

It wouldn't matter if he was 22. It's mental. It's like golfers with the yips and Chuck Knoblauch being unable to throw to first base. He's done, cooked and bye-bye. And I love him.

John Lester......

 

[luuked]

Nope.

 

[bresna]

Dead cap hit if they cut him in the off season is still $3 Million. That's probably too much unless he does continue to miss.

I don't see how they keep him for 2018 though even if he does turn it around. Sure, his cap hit drops to $1.5 Million, but his cap number balloons to $5 Million if they keep him. Ain't no way they're paying him $3.2 Million in salary for this kind of production.

 

[A Defiant Goose]

Obviously I'm not a professional on pre-game warmups but whatever Ghost is doing he needs to add 15 "old PAT" attempts right before kickoff. Get those easy chip shots right before the game starts. I think the long PAT attempt is messing with his head, doesn't get enough easy kicks watching the ball go through to get in a good groove. I know it sounds weird, but athletes are weird like that

 

[DaBruinz]

SMH..I didn't realize that Gost wasn't allowed to have an off year.. Take him out back and shoot him.. Forget the fact that he's one of the best guys at kick-offs. Forget that he's been money before and that he's still very young for a kicker.. Let's just throw the baby out with the bathwater..

 

[PatsFan2]

No not when he makes a 50 yarder looks routine.

 

[goheels22002]

That's an off season matter, Gostkowski is here for the rest of the season

I fully agree. There's no one out there who can be asked to step into this situation that will include outdoor, bad weather games and the playoffs who I'd rather see on the field. That said, it would be wise to bring in a kicker or two via FA and the draft next summer to compete for the position. SG may wind up keeping his job, but it's important that the Patriots look carefully for someone more dependable than SG is right now.

 

[goheels22002]

SMH..I didn't realize that Gost wasn't allowed to have an off year.. Take him out back and shoot him.. Forget the fact that he's one of the best guys at kick-offs. Forget that he's been money before and that he's still very young for a kicker.. Let's just throw the baby out with the bathwater..

It's not good. Gostkowski is 23rd in the NFL in FG percentage and 24th in Extra Point percentage.

He's 7-9 from 30 to 39-yards, and 3-4 between 40-49. It's not a long-snapper or holder thing. He's just missing. I'm sure they're doing everything they can to fix this, but at 80% overall FG percentage, it makes the team wonder if it should go for it on 4th down in situations that previously were not an issue.

 

[PatsDeb]

Ghost is our kicker for the rest of the season. No one out there is better. But, he's no longer trustworthy when it's nut- cracking time.

Agreed. BB thinks so too as he went for it on 4th down rather than have Ghost try another long FG late in the game (he did manage to kick one when we got closer). It's so maddening that Ghost has "lost it" somewhere along the line, but as Fred Smerlas pointed out on the late show, "Who you gonna get at this point in the season? There's nothing better out there." As painful as it is, it's probably better to prop Ghost up and hope he gets better for this year (rather than rattle him with bringing other guys in) and save bringing in other guys for next training camp.

 

[FCB02062]

No viable option this year...If he continues missing an XP or fg every game he's ****ing gone next season... they'll draft a kicker and bring in 2 FA and go w the best guy from camp/preseason....simple as that...but if gostowski starts hitting kicks and nails all his XP, then he's the guy again...

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

He's going to have to simply stop trying or get even worse for the Pats to eat a $3M dead cap money hit next year. Right now his below average reliability is forcing changes in strategy.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

Kickers are a weird lot. But I find the level of frustration with Ghost to be a bit confusing.

Yes, Ghost has been shakier than expected. He's not having his best season obviously. But he's had similar seasons, and not just the injury year in 2010. His 80% this year isn't great, but it's not dramatically different from his 82.9% in 2012 (which capped a 4-year string of finishing under 85%).

The 3 missed XPs hurt, but again, if he makes one more of them, he's at 93.9%, just a touch below the 94.7% league average on the new distance XPs. And obviously he's not the only one missing kicks. There are records being set for missed XPs. Hauschka is another quality kicker who has struggled this season.

Again, not great, but hardly worth the freak-out level some chicken littles around here are exhibiting. As I mentioned earlier, he's had rough years and bounced back to have great seasons afterwards.

He's had fewer attempts this season (1.8 per game vs. 2.25 last year), so each miss is magnified that much more percentage wise. And it's clear he's struggling and not his All Pro self. But it's not as if he's been terrible. He's been average, but I wouldn't give up on him just yet. This isn't even his worst season percentage wise in terms of FG kicking. It would be his 3rd-worst if the season ended today.
Kickers are a bit inconsistent, and small sample sizes can lead to misleading assumptions being made.

Vinatieri missed 3 XPs last year, but has been perfect so far this year. If Ghost makes 2 more kicks, we're not even talking about this because he's up to 90%. So obviously, he's not playing to a Pro Bowl level, but he's not exactly a garbage fire either. Based on the track record, it's way too early to give up on him.