What's the deal with Ghost?

[AtomicDawg]

In all fairness, Ghost is the highest paid kicker in the NFL. He gets paid to be the best

Sure, but it doesn't mean that he has to be on 110% of the time....because.....he human. It is kind of galling that folks are freaking out over an extra point miss....understood that in the circumstance of the game, that point was needed, but it is being made out like he needs to be thrown out with the bathwater. I fall in the middle...my eyebrow is perced up like the Rock, but my head is firmly on my shoulder and not cut off. In other words, it's better that it is happening now than when it gets colder.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Being average and human is unacceptable.

Don't know whether that was meant to be sarcastic (a would have helped), but "Being average" has never cut it for Belichick or the Pats since 2000. The "average" NFL team would have been to 1 Super Bowl (16 teams in a Conference and 16 years) and won 0.5 SB's (32 teams, 16 years) since then. Plus, the guy is not being paid the average K's salary. [note: i see someone else made that final point as well.]

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Sure, but it doesn't mean that he has to be on 110% of the time....because.....he human. It is kind of galling that folks are freaking out over an extra point miss....understood that in the circumstance of the game, that point was needed, but it is being made out like he needs to be thrown out with the bathwater. I fall in the middle...my eyebrow is perced up like the Rock, but my head is firmly on my shoulder and not cut off. In other words, it's better that it is happening now than when it gets colder.

I think that would have been a fair comment after the AFCCG miss...I think I said something like it myself when people were dumping on Gostkowski after the game.

But, now I think it is fair, and not "galling," to say that something is off and that we can only hope that he fixes whatever it is, as you put it "when it gets colder." Why? The Patriots are a team that is built to win big games by playing 60 minute games, which are often a matter of three or fewer points. From the days of #4, an extraordinary K has been central to that strategy.

 

[BobDigital]

Nothing to do with Gost but hope it works out. Also look at the Seattle and AZ kickers last night.

How many kickers can you really trust in the NFL anymore? Smart thing is to just stay steady with him and tell him to work it out. Maybe some 1 on 1 coaching be nice. View tape of his kicks? IDK.

 

[aluminum seats]

6.8kk in dead money hes not going anywhere ... Lets pray

What unit of money is kk?

 

[RobertWeathers]

Don't know whether that was meant to be sarcastic (a would have helped), but "Being average" has never cut it for Belichick or the Pats since 2000. The "average" NFL team would have been to 1 Super Bowl (16 teams in a Conference and 16 years) and won 0.5 SB's (32 teams, 16 years) since then. Plus, the guy is not being paid the average K's salary. [note: i see someone else made that final point as well.]

No. I was serious. Great can't be great every minute.

Gost is having problems right now. BB said they will work through it. Because of his track record, he has confidence in him. He is not panicking. Just like he didn't panic when TB12 was not-so-sharp during the first 4 games of 2014.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

What unit of money is kk?

A million. K is shorthand for a thousand so kk is thousand x thousand, or a million for short.

 

[AtomicDawg]

I think that would have been a fair comment after the AFCCG miss...I think I said something like it myself when people were dumping on Gostkowski after the game.

But, now I think it is fair, and not "galling," to say that something is off and that we can only hope that he fixes whatever it is, as you put it "when it gets colder." Why? The Patriots are a team that is built to win big games by playing 60 minute games, which are often a matter of three or fewer points. From the days of #4, an extraordinary K has been central to that strategy.

Of course, nothing is wrong with pointing out when sonething is wrong, particularly when it relates to someone like Ghost who has been $$ for the majority of his career. But when it gets to the point of folks wanting him to get "competition" or someone to motivate him, I think that's a bit far.

I mean, isn't that what the NFL does more than any other for a lot of teams, replacing players/coaches quickly instead of giving them help and support for them to get better? This is why I'm glad BB said what he said yesterday about him "working through it". If he trusts him and the players do too, then I will.

 

[AtomicDawg]

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Of course, nothing is wrong with pointing out when sonething is wrong, particularly when it relates to someone like Ghost who has been $$ for the majority of his career. But when it gets to the point of folks wanting him to get "competition" or someone to motivate him, I think that's a bit far.

I mean, isn't that what the NFL does more than any other for a lot of teams, replacing players/coaches quickly instead of giving them help and support for them to get better? This is why I'm glad BB said what he said yesterday about him "working through it". If he trusts him and the players do too, then I will.

I don't think we disagree.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

No. I was serious. Great can't be great every minute.

Gost is having problems right now. BB said they will work through it. Because of his track record, he has confidence in him. He is not panicking. Just like he didn't panic when TB12 was not-so-sharp during the first 4 games of 2014.

I think we're just defining terms differently.

Of course, all great players have down times.

But, in the end, neither Brady nor Gostkowski (not a whole bunch of other guys) can be "average" over the course of an entire season if the Pats are going to be playing in February. But, sure they can all go through tough spells...hopefully not in December and January...

 

[RobertWeathers]

I think we're just defining terms differently.

Of course, all great players have down times.

But, in the end, neither Brady nor Gostkowski (not a whole bunch of other guys) can be "average" over the course of an entire season if the Pats are going to be playing in February. But, sure they can all go through tough spells...hopefully not in December and January...

I agree. I will go a step further in saying if Gost starts to miss more XPs and FGs, they will need to do something

 

[AtomicDawg]

I agree. I will go a step further in saying if Gost starts to miss more XPs and FGs, they will need to do something

I think patience is and will be, a virtue for this. The problem is, and it was said somewhere here, that the NFL, and it's fanbases prefer a "what have you done for me lately" mentality. I'm giving it another month, personally. Others may be quicker.

 

[RobertWeathers]

In today's con-call presser BB used my golf analogy from earlier in this thread to articulate Gosts problems. I demand compensation!!!

With this in mind, the following question was asked of Bill Belichick in his Monday morning conference call:

Could there be any carryover for a kicker who is practicing different techniques on kickoffs -- maybe instead of swinging his leg through to power the ball for a touchback on a consistent basis, he is doing more of the pop-up kicks -- to his field-goal stroke? Could those be related? Or they strictly two independent entities?

Belichick's answer:

"I think they’re definitely different. I don’t think there’s any question about that. It would be like a golfer. You’ve got to be able to hit a sand wedge, you’ve got to be able to hit a 5-iron, you’ve got to be able to drive, you’ve got to be able to putt. That’s what kickers and punters do. There’s plus-50 punts, there’s field goals, there’s kickoffs, there’s backed-up punts, there’s punts against a heavy rush, there’s punts against a six-man box where both of the gunners are getting double teamed. And just like golf, there are wind conditions, and not wind conditions and so forth. It’s not like they’re standing out there on the driving range and banging the ball away every time. Especially on placekicks, you’re dealing with a center and a holder and timing on the play, so it’s not like you’re just placing the ball down there on a tee and kicking it like you are a golf ball or a kickoff.

Are shorter kickoffs affecting Stephen Gostkowski's FG attempts?

 

[signbabybrady]

Pats should sign Randy Moss

Randy Moss Kicks Two 28-Yard FGs In Dress Shoes To Show Cardinals & Seahawks How Easy It Was - Daily Snark

 

[Canuck]

It's not the first time Ghost got into a funk. He worked out his problems before and he will fix it, the question is when. It's just that before it's been like 2 or 3 games before he fixed the problem. Now, almost half the season has gone by. There is no panic yet but there is a note of concern coming from the Patriots. It wouldn't surprise me that in the future they might bring in a kicker or two for tryouts just in case Ghost can't get out of his funk.