Gost is a free agent next month

I have said this before. How do all the critics of Ghost and his "shaky" kicking insure that his replacement in big games - playoffs, the Super Bowl - will be less "shaky" and will surpass Ghost's 89 percent post season field goal percentage. Training camp and pre-season games will not tell you how a kicker will perform on the big stage.

Gostkowski had a tough act to follow in #4, a first ballot HOFer, who gave Patriots Nation some of its greatest moments, starting with his kick to tie the "tuck game" (which has been called the "greatest kick under pressure in the history of the NFL"), followed by a K to win that game in OT and, two weeks later, by a Walk Off K to win the franchise's first SB and, two years after that, another K with three seconds left on the clock to deliver the Pats their second ring.

So, I can understand why he'll never be the guy fans go nuts over, but I think he's very, very good and the Pats are fortunate to have him. Unless there's another phenom coming along, I hope the Pats keep him.

robertweathers said:

Anyone who wants Gost gone needs their head examined.

He needs to stay - at the right price of course.

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I don't want him gone but can the guy struggle any harder in big games? The dude nearly missed the game clinching kick too.

BradyFTW! said:

Gost's FA isn't really on my radar, tbh. If he leaves, I won't be worried. He's fine, and I'd like to see him stay largely because known is greater than unknown and you don't want to risk getting a rare Chargers-esque kicker situation. But I don't think he's so far above replacement level to elevate his free agency to the level of being something worth worrying about.

Basically, assuming your kicker isn't Justin Tucker or prime Adam Vinatieri, he's fundamentally replaceable if it comes down to that. You can screw yourself badly by getting a bad kicker, but the difference between a garden variety replacement-level kicker and a good one is fairly minimal all thing considered.

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I think you underestimate the things that BB coached up into Gost/stuff he does natural that bb values that other kickers can't/don't do. Extra hangtime kicks placed on the 3-5 yd line, out the endzone when required (at least in aug to oct), and his ability willingness to be tackler. Etc

Kdo5 said:

I don't want him gone but can the guy struggle any harder in big games? The dude nearly missed the game clinching kick too.

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But he didn't.

People who think Ghost is an inconsistent flake haven't been paying attention to the other kickers in the league LMAO.

Also Vinatieri, as much as he's (rightly!) a Patriots hero, has a worst career FG% than Ghost in both the regular season AND playoffs, and missed 2/3 of his kicks in SB38. Those are just the facts.

Kdo5 said:

I don't want him gone but can the guy struggle any harder in big games? The dude nearly missed the game clinching kick too.

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Justin tucker missed a FG in his one playoff game appearance this year. And he wasn't dealing with a family member dropping dead a matter of hours prior. And Gost was not the only kicker to miss a FGA in this year's Super Bowl.

I know people like to ignore things like bad snaps (miss last year) and the like, but come on. During the 2014-2018 run, he's 20 of 23 (87%) on field goal tries, even including any and all bad snaps/holds.

Kdo5 said:

I don't want him gone but can the guy struggle any harder in big games? The dude nearly missed the game clinching kick too.

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What is a nearly miss? There are two options and nearly miss isn't one of them.

Kdo5 said:

I don't want him gone but can the guy struggle any harder in big games? The dude nearly missed the game clinching kick too.

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"Nearly missed" ?

It ain't like he clanged it in off the upright or something.

robertweathers said:

But he didn't.

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AFCCG '15
Falcons SB
Eagles SB
Rams SB

He's missed one in each game. Three of them were XP's. One of them was extremely costly, another one of them could have been.

It's not like it was just one big game where he shanked a FG (Vinatieri did), but now four of them. Three of those kicks were barely over 30 yards.

I still want him as my kicker, he is damn good. But why is it an issue to point out his pattern of missing kicks in big games?

Charlotte Pats Fan said:

What is a nearly miss? There on two options and nearly miss isn't one of them.

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a NEAR MISS is a new football sabermetric created by PFF, with the help of Sam Monson, who also gave us ALMOST INTERCEPTED, ALMOST FUMBLED, ALMOST BLOCKED THEM, ALMOST WON, and of course ALMOST REAL. And PFF has now created the ALMOST THE LOMBARDI AWARD, which the Stealers have incredibly won every year since it’s 2014 inception.

Soon all will be inducted into the PFF ALMOST HOF for thei exceptional contributions to the field of IMAGINERY METRICS.

Wondering how many other games the people lobbying for his exit watched this year. I saw a a whole lot of garbage kicking from 20-40 yards out with the game on the line.

I know making 2/3 40+ yarders isn't phenomenal, but I think it's respectable. At the end of the day, outside of Justin Tucker and Greg Zuerlain, there's no kicker I'd want more than Gost.

And Legatron's miss at the end of the game was way worse IMO.

Why do people even discuss this with the anti Gost crowd? They are brainwashed lemmings and continue to show they don’t follow the game.

Kdo5 said:

AFCCG '15
Falcons SB
Eagles SB
Rams SB

He's missed one in each game. Three of them were XP's. One of them was extremely costly, another one of them could have been.

It's not like it was just one big game where he shanked a FG (Vinatieri did), but now four of them. Three of those kicks were barely over 30 yards.

I still want him as my kicker, he is damn good. But why is it an issue to point out his pattern of missing kicks in big games?

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He made Sunday's clincher. Thats clutch.

Kdo5 said:

I don't want him gone but can the guy struggle any harder in big games? The dude nearly missed the game clinching kick too.

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So now we’re judging how the Fgs look going through the uprights?

Ivan said:

a NEAR MISS is a new football sabermetric created by PFF, with the help of Sam Monson, who also gave us ALMOST INTERCEPTED, ALMOST FUMBLED, ALMOST BLOCKED THEM, ALMOST WON, and of course ALMOST REAL. And PFF has now created the ALMOST THE LOMBARDI AWARD, which the Stealers have incredibly won every year since it’s 2014 inception.

Soon all will be inducted into the PFF ALMOST HOF for thei exceptional contributions to the field of IMAGINERY METRICS.

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And I had thought that the Colts had cornered the market on the Almost Lombardi Award. Must have been fooled by their pennants.

robertweathers said:

Anyone who wants Gost gone needs their head examined.

He needs to stay - at the right price of course.

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Price?

AndyJohnson said:

I feel like you are misquoting him.

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I might be. I saw it briefly after the game on Twitter and I’m unsure where.

The "replace Gostkowski" discussion never made sense to me...

Gostkowski stats since XP rule change:

Regular Season: 88.6% FG, 97% XP; Playoffs: 86.3% FG, 88.6% XP

You are not going to find a better, consistent kicker in this period other than Robbie Gould, Justin Tucker and Greg Zuerlein (and Zuerlein is constantly hurt). Not to mention that it is also difficult to find a kicker who can kickoff well in a non-dome setting.

supafly said:

Why not just kick the FG and end the game like they did? I guess BB (and Brady) felt that the odds of making a 41-42 yard FG were better than risking getting stopped by a tough defensive front.

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Not sure if anyone caught the "Mic'ced up" segment of the SB, Brady says "We're always good on a field goal" then he says "It's a 40 yarder. The games over". To me, that speaks volumes about the confidence Brady has in Gostkowski to seal the deal.