Pats Release Ryan Allen - Jake Bailey is the new punter

Ras-IR Dowling said:

The stats tell a different story.

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I know statistically Gost is still one of the best, but I also know every time he lines up, particularly from the left hash (if you were under the goal posts looking at him) I am praying he doesn't miss, and he often does. It's maddening. However, I know there isn't anybody better out there, so I'm resigned to watching with my fingers crossed each time he goes out there.

Ras-IR Dowling said:

The stats tell a different story.

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I feel like Pats fans have always been weirdly cold on Gostkowski. Not crazy negative or anything, but always kind of ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh even though the guy is #3 all time in career field goal % and is the team's all-time scoring leader.

sean10mm said:

I feel like Pats fans have always been weirdly cold on Gostkowski. Not crazy negative or anything, but always kind of ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh even though the guy is #3 all time in career field goal % and is the team's all-time scoring leader.

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His performance historically has been great, yet he is not having a good preseason thus far.

PatsDeb said:

I know statistically Gost is still one of the best, but I also know every time he lines up, particularly from the left hash (if you were under the goal posts looking at him) I am praying he doesn't miss, and he often does. It's maddening. However, I know there isn't anybody better out there, so I'm resigned to watching with my fingers crossed each time he goes out there.

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If there's nobody better, isn't it just a matter of holding your breath every time there's a kick? Not necessarily because of who's kicking?

Sicilian said:

If there's nobody better, isn't it just a matter of holding your breath every time there's a kick? Not necessarily because of who's kicking?

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I'm definitely holding it more in the last few years when it comes to Gost. And one of the things I find maddening is that he often misses early, easy kicks (lack of focus maybe?), but makes the tougher ones, but we end up sweating out the missed EP or FG late in the game.

PatsDeb said:

I'm definitely holding it more in the last few years when it comes to Gost. And one of the things I find maddening is that he often misses early, easy kicks (lack of focus maybe?), but makes the tougher ones, but we end up sweating out the missed EP or FG late in the game.

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It seems like the quality of kickers has declined in the NFL the past few years.

With Allen's release is the roster now down to 85 players? That's my count though it's probably inaccurate.

Friendship ended with RYAN ALLEN

Now JAKE BAILEY is my best friend

PatsDeb said:

I'm definitely holding it more in the last few years when it comes to Gost. And one of the things I find maddening is that he often misses early, easy kicks (lack of focus maybe?), but makes the tougher ones, but we end up sweating out the missed EP or FG late in the game.

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You are so spot on. He lost his mechanics or something a few years ago. It was immediately noticeable. his kicks dont pass the eye test. They dont regularly boom down the middle but seem to shank off to the goalpost even from the 20. I find myself cringing every time he lines up to kick and I fall to the floor in relief when he makes it.

Lavictoire said:

You are so spot on. He lost his mechanics or something a few years ago. It was immediately noticeable. his kicks dont pass the eye test. They dont regularly boom down the middle but seem to shank off to the goalpost even from the 20. I find myself cringing every time he lines up to kick and I fall to the floor in relief when he makes it.

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I think it started around the time he was told to stop kicking it out of the end zone to avoid touchbacks.

Ross12 said:

Friendship ended with RYAN ALLEN

Now JAKE BAILEY is my best friend

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Changing your name to fross12?

All time field goal percentage. He's kind of ok...


All time extra point percentage. Lot of names I don't recognize. Vinatieri is 67th btw...

Lavictoire said:

The numbers look good you posted but there is a reason fans are not as confident in him as before. He leaves the impression he is going to miss or he barely makes it in when we really need the score. He seemed more automatic earlier on I think.

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So fans aren't as confident in him because fans are imagining things. That's on the fans, not the player.

PatsDeb said:

I'm definitely holding it more in the last few years when it comes to Gost. And one of the things I find maddening is that he often misses early, easy kicks (lack of focus maybe?), but makes the tougher ones, but we end up sweating out the missed EP or FG late in the game.

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Justin Tucker went from a 90+ success rate, to one in the mid to low 80's two straight years, missing 5 and then 7 kicks in those years. He then bounced back to only miss 1 the next year, and a few years later, dropped again. Kickers miss kicks, and it's not consistent year to year. Losing confidence in one is fine, but when the empirical data doesn't seem to prove the anecdotal, and Belichick just resigned said kicker to a high salary, it seems odd to suddenly think he's a problem.

Lavictoire said:

You are so spot on. He lost his mechanics or something a few years ago. It was immediately noticeable. his kicks dont pass the eye test. They dont regularly boom down the middle but seem to shank off to the goalpost even from the 20. I find myself cringing every time he lines up to kick and I fall to the floor in relief when he makes it.

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LOL, this is me too! It just shouldn't be this way. I know we are spoiled, but how many times in the last few years have I thought to myself, "Here we go. Adventures in kicking..."

Lavictoire said:

You are so spot on. He lost his mechanics or something a few years ago. It was immediately noticeable. his kicks dont pass the eye test. They dont regularly boom down the middle but seem to shank off to the goalpost even from the 20. I find myself cringing every time he lines up to kick and I fall to the floor in relief when he makes it.

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Actually, it's you that is spot on. You have identified the problem, at least for me, and that is, although Gost's kicks still make it through most of the time, they don't look too good going through. He is constantly j...u...s...t making it inside the upright (and sometimes not making it), rather than booming it right down the middle. Thank you for identifying for me why I am so on edge with him all the time, despite the stats.

Flame away oh red-Xers who disagree!

Lavictoire said:

You are so spot on. He lost his mechanics or something a few years ago. It was immediately noticeable. his kicks dont pass the eye test. They dont regularly boom down the middle but seem to shank off to the goalpost even from the 20. I find myself cringing every time he lines up to kick and I fall to the floor in relief when he makes it.

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A few years ago? So like in 2017 when he was a... *looks it up*... 92.5% kicker?

I think your "eye test" has cataracts.

Nothing is ever going to be good enough for some of the posters here.

Zuma said:

All time field goal percentage. He's kind of ok...

All time extra point percentage. Lot of names I don't recognize. Vinatieri is 67th btw...

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Image if Gost kicked all of his XPs from the 2 yard line like most of these guys did for their whole career.

PatsDeb said:

Actually, it's you that is spot on. You have identified the problem, at least for me, and that is, although Gost's kicks still make it through most of the time, they don't look too good going through. He is constantly j...u...s...t making it inside the upright (and sometimes not making it), rather than booming it right down the middle. Thank you for identifying for me why I am so on edge with him all the time, despite the stats.

Flame away oh red-Xers who disagree!

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I think this might be a bit of a familiarity bias. There are no style points for kicking FGs, and I bet if you watched any other kicker in the league they'd have a lot of their kicks not be beautiful, down the middle affairs. We just see EVERY one of Gost's kicks, and it creates this illusion that he's more wild than he is.