Really? A place kicker controversy in New England?

[Patsrock]

What game are you speaking of, because I'm counting 2 games in the first three of the season.

The missed kick vs ARZ in week 2, and the missed kick vs BAL in week 3 both would have won the game had he not missed a FG.

At any rate, like I said multiple times..I really don't care all that much, but I can also respect the debate in and of itself.

I actually like Gostkowski a lot, and as I stated I doubt he goes anywhere.

I am not sure what missed kick in Baltimore you are talking about? Because he was 3 for 3 on FG's that game.

New England Patriots vs. Baltimore Ravens - Box Score - September 23, 2012 - ESPN

In fact the only other game besides AZ he missed a FG in 2012 that was close was the game at Miami

 

[supafly]

I agree with the exception being that Ghost did not miss the kick in BAL; the refs called it wrong.

EDIT: English must be my tertiary language with poor pronoun reference. The refs called "it" the BAL kick wrong; it was a miss

I am not sure what missed kick in Baltimore you are talking about? Because he was 3 for 3 on FG's that game.

New England Patriots vs. Baltimore Ravens - Box Score - September 23, 2012 - ESPN

In fact the only other game besides AZ he missed a FG in 2012 that was close was the game at Miami

Apologies. You're right. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[jbb9s]

A lot of people here (maybe even me) may consider the Belichickian Patriots the greatest dynasty of contemporary professional sports based on the longevity of the winning and the navigation of salary cap and free agency challenges new to the NFL in the last 20 yrs.

That being said, it is hard to forget that this team has played 5 super bowls with a net point differential of +2, (one -4, one -3, three +3).

think about connecting the two statements. Greatest ever and the biggest margin of victory/loss is 4 and the others are all one field goal margins.

Unless the team has the best kicker in the league there should be room for a "discussion".

 

[ctpatsfan77]

A lot of people here (maybe even me) may consider the Belichickian Patriots the greatest dynasty of contemporary professional sports based on the longevity of the winning and the navigation of salary cap and free agency challenges new to the NFL in the last 20 yrs.

That being said, it is hard to forget that this team has played 5 super bowls with a net point differential of +2, (one -4, one -3, three +3).

think about connecting the two statements. Greatest ever and the biggest margin of victory/loss is 4 and the others are all one field goal margins.

Unless the team has the best kicker in the league there should be room for a "discussion".

Of course, that's half-neglecting the fact that one of those SBs was closer than it should have been because said "clutch kicker" missed two FGs in the first half. . . .

 

[Bruins29]

Unless the team has the best kicker in the league there should be room for a "discussion".

Agreed. As long as the discussion is intelligent. That means the determination of a kickers worth goes beyond just the "numbers." There are other "intangibles" with regard to a kickers worth.

 

[AzPatsFan]

Did it ever dawn on you that BB does not necessarily want the very best at every position?

You can't construct a whole team that way, the best players command too much money. He merely wants one of the top five-ten at every position.

He knows that he will then consistently beat a team of half stars and half drones.

 

[jbb9s]

Of course, that's half-neglecting the fact that one of those SBs was closer than it should have been because said "clutch kicker" missed two FGs in the first half. . . .

Whats your point? That Adam sucks? That kicking is not important because the Pats should have won a SB by 9 instead of 3 and therefore kicking is a commodity?

By the way, a blocked field goal isn't necessarily the kickers fault. I'd have to watch the clip but pining it 100% on the kicker is disingenuous.

 

[VrabelJr]

Being someone who sat in Foxboro last September and watched an almost certain loss turn into an almost certain win and finally witness it turn into a gut-wrenching loss, I would welcome a new placekicker. For the money Gostkowski's getting paid, he should have made that kick. You can (almost ) forgive a youngster for missing that but not a highly paid vet.

Gostkowski did make field goals of 46, 34, 51 and 53 yards in that game you do know right? It's a bummer he missed that last FG, but without him we weren't even in that game.

 

[goheels22002]

Gostkowski did make field goals of 46, 34, 51 and 53 yards in that game you do know right? It's a bummer he missed that last FG, but without him we weren't even in that game.

Arizona Cardinals vs. New England Patriots - Box Score - September 16, 2012 - ESPN

The friggin' Cardinals game in 2012 was the worst loss in recent memory. Stupid penalties, replacement refs, a blocked punt in the end zone, interceptions, dropped passes, blown 2 point conversion - the Patriots sucked at home big time. The loss was not Gostkowski's fault even though he, too, blew a late attempt. That was a team unprepared for the game, and overconfident for some reason.

 

[UK_Pat37]

Some people don't think Gostkowski is a lock?

There are no locks realistically...and if any player has a mentality that he is a lock, he needs shooting...but in terms of safe roster spots, his is just about as safe as any.

He's as close to a lock as just about anyone on this roster and an average season last year won't change that. He made some very good kicks last year...people just remember the misses more.

 

[PatsFaninAZ]

I don't think sabermetrics is really appropriate for football, but at some point you need something of a sabermetrics orientation to sort through what are good and not so good arguments. The fact that a kicker makes 4 FGs in a game and misses the 5th is the kind of argument one notes to make a particular point and has a small sample size problem. Similarly, arguments about the difference between missing a 35-yarder in a 2-point game versus a 15-point game don't really impress me either, unless one is trying to make some sort of "clutchness" point.

Put simply, the particular games or contexts in which Gost missed last year, and those in which he didn't, aren't of huge interest to me. Six misses in 30-49 is what it is. A missed field goal is a significant event, both in terms of score and, unless it's at the end of a half, field position. Every team plays close games that come down to a possession or two. A player that misses 6 out of 25 between 30-49 is more likely to be a significant contributor to a loss or two than one who misses 2 or 3. One could get more analytical about it, but that is what it is, and also all that it is. A competent kicker should not miss that many. Hopefully, he won't this year.