JoeSixPat
Pro Bowl Player
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2004
- Messages
- 10,671
- Reaction score
- 1,043
I've got to say - I mean this as no knock on Gostkowski, but I hope to God that the team can keep him out of a situation where he has to win a game.
It's tough enough to be in a high pressure situation as a kicker in the NFL as it is - and these guys ARE in fact human. Indeed we've seen Vinatieri miss some big ones for the Colts recently and Gostkowski himself has missed a few FGs.
But to have a perfect season riding on your kick? THAT'S the type of pressure no kicker has really ever faced.
Do I think that Gostkowsk can get the job done in that situation? Yes. But would I prefer not to test him? Absolutely. And I'd find it very tough to blame him if he did in fact miss in that situation given the immense pressure.
So here's hoping that the team never has to put him in that situation and that they get back to their unabashed running up the score.
Now I'm sure some might say that by running up the score we've kept Gostkowski out of that type of situation where he's pushed and tested. That's a ton of BS - as if we should have purposely kept the score close and risked losing to give Gostkowski some "practice" in high pressure situations.
He didn't miss a kick through the playoffs last year - that's practice and experience enough for me - but I think its important to recognize the nature of the kicking game, and why strategically, its important to avoid putting your kicker in that type of 1st of its kind, all time greatest pressure kick in the NFL type situation.
In other words Patriots - Run It Up.
It's tough enough to be in a high pressure situation as a kicker in the NFL as it is - and these guys ARE in fact human. Indeed we've seen Vinatieri miss some big ones for the Colts recently and Gostkowski himself has missed a few FGs.
But to have a perfect season riding on your kick? THAT'S the type of pressure no kicker has really ever faced.
Do I think that Gostkowsk can get the job done in that situation? Yes. But would I prefer not to test him? Absolutely. And I'd find it very tough to blame him if he did in fact miss in that situation given the immense pressure.
So here's hoping that the team never has to put him in that situation and that they get back to their unabashed running up the score.
Now I'm sure some might say that by running up the score we've kept Gostkowski out of that type of situation where he's pushed and tested. That's a ton of BS - as if we should have purposely kept the score close and risked losing to give Gostkowski some "practice" in high pressure situations.
He didn't miss a kick through the playoffs last year - that's practice and experience enough for me - but I think its important to recognize the nature of the kicking game, and why strategically, its important to avoid putting your kicker in that type of 1st of its kind, all time greatest pressure kick in the NFL type situation.
In other words Patriots - Run It Up.