media trying to lay the groundwork for the rookie kicker's failure

[SVN]

saw on nest, felger and pirillo seem to constantly talk about the pressure on the rookie kicker. Even more bothersome -they think they speak for fans when they asked "will the fans realize when he misses a kick that he is isnt adam v " and so on a so forth. i pray for the rookie kicker but i think BB is the right kinda coach for this media so hopefully that helps.

 

[BelichickFan]

Guaranteed they'll never remember Vinatraitor's two SB 38 misses or last year's miss vs. Broncos in the playoffs.

 

[PatsRI]

Can they name who was PIT kicker last year, Balt's when they won it all? St Louis'? In the end maybe we should want it not to come down to the kicker, it has been done before

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

The Vinitraitor was a decent kicker in his early years and departed as an above avg, typically clutch FG kicker who could not kick off. Let the kid play some games.

 

[jaychamp]

Guaranteed they'll never remember Vinatraitor's two SB 38 misses or last year's miss vs. Broncos in the playoffs.

He's missed quite a few clutch kicks over his career. I'm not trying to minimize what Vinny has done, I still feel he's the best clutch kicker ever, but no one comes through everytime. Of course everytime the rook misses it's going to be "Vinny would have come through there" blah blah blah.

 

[Mike the Brit]

I hope all Patriots fans are as sane about this as the ones on this board -- no one expects perfection.

 

[stcjones]

The Vinitraitor was a decent kicker in his early years and departed as an above avg, typically clutch FG kicker who could not kick off. Let the kid play some games.

He is the best clutch kicker of all time in my honest opinion....kills me to say that....but a great percentage of kickers of all time are missing that kick in the snow bowl and may have done a vanderjerk when the pressure was ON during all three SB wins for the Pats....Now if someone were to say "Was he the best kicker of all time....?" No....of course not.....but he had ice in his veins and a big set....when the game was on the line......To be honest, I can't remember the kicks that he MISSED that were must kicks......what were they?

You are right though as a kickoff guy he SUCKED....always kicked it to about the 12-15 yard line!!!!

I think Ghost will be ok......just hope the initial pressure won't get him.....also if he misses the first one....or even a few of his first attempts.....it could be a Ray Finkel kind of thing for him Having to follow a legendary sports figure is never easy........

GO GHOST!!!!!

 

[tombonneau]

Even when AV missed his clutch kicks it turns out to be for the best.

Just think back to the Poodle's last year in NE. If Adam makes that kick in wk 17 to send the team into the playoffs, Petey probably buys himself another year.

BB becomes head coach of the Jets, or another team. The Statue stands around for maybe another decade. Brady is never drafted.

The Pats probably never win any Super Bowls

Heck, the butterfly effect isn't just felt in the NFL. Pete probably never gets the job at USC and they never win any national titles either.

Just think all 5 championships that might have never been had Adam made that kick.

 

[brady2brown]

He is the best clutch kicker of all time in my honest opinion....kills me to say that....but a great percentage of kickers of all time are missing that kick in the snow bowl and may have done a vanderjerk when the pressure was ON during all three SB wins for the Pats....Now if someone were to say "Was he the best kicker of all time....?" No....of course not.....but he had ice in his veins and a big set....when the game was on the line......To be honest, I can't remember the kicks that he MISSED that were must kicks......what were they?

Adam Vinatieri's Super Bowl winning kicks were not "must kicks" like Mike Vanderjacks' kick against the Steelers. Vanderjack misses and the Colts lose the game. In Adam Vinatieri's Super Bowl winning kicks, if he missed, the game would go to overtime. Much better to win, of course, but the kicks weren't "must make." His 45-yarder against the Raiders in the snow was a "must make" kick. Had he missed, we would have lost the game.

As far as not remembering Adam Vinatieri's misses, he missed his last kick as a Patriot, against Denver, that would have made it a one-possession game.

He also missed two - count 'em, two - kicks in the Carolina panther Super Bowl. The only reason that last kick was so important was missing on earlier attempts (one wide and one so low it was blocked).

Adam Vinatieri is just over 80% accurate his career (81.9). He made 4 out of 5 attempts. That means he missed 1 out of 5. Mike Vanderjack is 87.5%, making 7 out of 8 for his career, or missing only 1 out of 8. A not-so-good field goal kicker runs about 75%, or misses 1 out of 4.

So that is the difference:

misses:

1 out of 8: Mike Vanderjack, most accurate kicker ever.
1 out of 5: Adam Vinatieri, most good kickers
1 out of 4: JAG kickers

In his ten years as a Patriot, Adam Vinatieri kick better than 80% on four years (1997, 2000, 2002, 2004). He kicked less than 80% four years (1996, 1998, 1999, 2003). He kicked exactly 80% two years (2001, 2005).

By comparison, Mike Vanderjack in 8 years was under 80% only one year (2002), was over 90% 3 years (2000, 2003, 2005). In 2003, he was 37 for 37, an amazing 100%.

I look forward to following Gostkowski's career.

 

[3 to be 4]

He's missed quite a few clutch kicks over his career. I'm not trying to minimize what Vinny has done, I still feel he's the best clutch kicker ever, but no one comes through everytime. Of course everytime the rook misses it's going to be "Vinny would have come through there" blah blah blah.

i agree. first clutch kick that gets missed it will be a nightmare. But you are right. People forget, in 1996 Vinatieri replaced the clutch popular Matt Bahr and he was kind of average for some time. In fact, ask Pete Carroll how the 1999 season was 8-8 instead of 10-6 because of 2 potential game winning misses by Vinatieri at Kansas City and at home against Buffalo.

Give the poor kid a chance to make his own mark. He'll never live up to what Adam was, but its not his fault Adam is gone.

 

[jaychamp]

Adam Vinatieri's Super Bowl winning kicks were not "must kicks" like Mike Vanderjacks' kick against the Steelers.

Well, scoreboard wise the first SB was not a must kick, but do you really think the Pats win if he missed that? I think everyone but John Madden knew that if the Pats didn't win it in regulation, they don't win at all. The Rams had all the momentum then. So in my opinion, that was an absolute must kick.

 

[PromisedLand]

saw on nest, felger and pirillo seem to constantly talk about the pressure on the rookie kicker. Even more bothersome -they think they speak for fans when they asked "will the fans realize when he misses a kick that he is isnt adam v " and so on a so forth. i pray for the rookie kicker but i think BB is the right kinda coach for this media so hopefully that helps.

Why do you listen to those morons? The only people who pay attention to what they say are casual fans who don't study the game the way most of the posters here do. Let them babble.

 

[PonyExpress]

Felger has been plotting this for months. I think he had an unprofessional relationship with Adam, by which I mean, they knew each other off the field. I suspect Adam may have been one of his inside/hush-hush sources within the team. Fortunately, it will be difficult to criticize the kicker when the Patriots go 14-2 and blow away the field in the playoffs, which is what is going to happen this year.

 

[Hok]

Guaranteed they'll never remember Vinatraitor's two SB 38 misses or last year's miss vs. Broncos in the playoffs.

Or the fact that we had to go for it on 4th down rather than kick long FGs last year.

 

[Joker]

Life is change...don't sweat it...the kid can kick...relax

 

[zarakotas5]

Pats Fans,

Let's not make this a labor dispute. I grew up with Tippett, Lippett, Tatupu. I thought those were the greatest teams ever. You never knew what would happen. Then they got good. I watched Lawyer Milloy in his rookie year (when he only played special teams) and I sat there, against the Dolphins, during an indescribably cold November night. Who is that guy? He hits like a Mack Truck, balls out. Ben Coates cought a long ball and ran, ran, ran, stiff-armed and ran some more like no other Patriot tight end had ever run before. 87 yards. First game I had ever seen in real life. Slowly but surely, Lawyer was sent to the enemy. Big Ben disappeared, too. The franchise that threw the pass, that tall western boy, and even the genius craftsman that drafted him have since moved on and moved on again after that. Come some years from now, and Adam wants to to sign a one-day contract to retire a Patriot, I will be happy to accept him. He was an integral part of when the Patriots were really something to be a part of, even if we can only be fans. In the meantime, Gostkowski lacks not a damn thing that Adam could ever say at the same point in their lives.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

Guaranteed they'll never remember Vinatraitor's two SB 38 misses or last year's miss vs. Broncos in the playoffs.

Why would they? We won the freakin SB.

I give you the Denver game, but let's be honest, a helluva lot more went wrong in that one than a missed field goal.

That being said, the man is dead to me, at least until he retires.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

saw on nest, felger and pirillo seem to constantly talk about the pressure on the rookie kicker. Even more bothersome -they think they speak for fans when they asked "will the fans realize when he misses a kick that he is isnt adam v " and so on a so forth. i pray for the rookie kicker but i think BB is the right kinda coach for this media so hopefully that helps.

External pressures are part of the total package of being an NFL player. He'll be fine.

 

[PromisedLand]

Why would they? We won the freakin SB.

I give you the Denver game, but let's be honest, a helluva lot more went wrong in that one than a missed field goal.

That being said, the man is dead to me, at least until he retires.

Why would they? Because "they" give him credit for winning the Super Bowl (XXXVIII in particular). Some morons even act like he did it single-handedly. If he hadn't missed the TWO earlier field goals the third one wouldn't have even mattered.

It completely boggled my mind that many of the idiot fans and even members of the Boston media thought AV should have been the MVP of SB 38 for making one kick out of three. This despite Brady passing for 354 yards, setting a Super Bowl record for completions, having a passer rating of over 100 plus leading TWO 4th quarter scoring drives to take the lead. I will never forget this lunacy.

 

[BelichickFan]

Why would they? We won the freakin SB.

Because Vinatraitor got 3 chances. I'm just saying that he didn't make EVERY playoff kick and Gotti won't either.