Gostkowski

[1960Pats]

Gost is the best kicker in Pats history. AV was great but Gost was better. He faltered a bit due to a hip injury last year. It's too bad that he isn't still here, no matter why it happened.

 

[1960Pats]

True dat!
I said to my kids last weekend when Gostkowski had a long kick, "he'll make this, it's over 40 yards."
Here's an idea, maybe his teams should take a few fourth down False Starts on XP's and short FG's.

Since it came up here I decided to check. You're teaching your children correctly. In his career Gost is 131 of 143 from 30-39 yards (92%) and his bigger drops are 76% from 40-49 and 74% from 50-59.

I'd still like to see him here, especially now that he seems to be getting over his injury.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Gost is the best kicker in Pats history. AV was great but Gost was better. He faltered a bit due to a hip injury last year. It's too bad that he isn't still here, no matter why it happened.

No disrespect to Gostkowski, whom I defended often out here, but, in addition to impressive stats, #4's kick to tie the Tuck game (greatest kick under playoff pressure in the history of the NFL from 45 yards into the teeth of a blizzard) and his kicks to win two SB's, including a walkoff winner and a four-seconds-to-go winner, make Adam Vinatieri the best kicker in Pats history and, subject to debate of course, in the history of the NFL.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Since it came up here I decided to check. You're teaching your children correctly. In his career Gost is 131 of 143 from 30-39 yards (92%) and his bigger drops are 76% from 40-49 and 74% from 50-59.

I'd still like to see him here, especially now that he seems to be getting over his injury.

Thanks for the fact check. A sports psychologist would have a field day with that information!

And, yes, I too would like to have him back and am disappointed that BB didn't sign him when the cap loosened up.

 

[1960Pats]

No disrespect to Gostkowski, whom I defended often out here, but, in addition to impressive stats, #4's kick to tie the Tuck game (greatest kick under playoff pressure in the history of the NFL from 45 yards into the teeth of a blizzard) and his kicks to win two SB's, including a walkoff winner and a four-seconds-to-go winner, make Adam Vinatieri the best kicker in Pats history and, subject to debate of course, in the history of the NFL.

No question that AV's kick in the Snow Bowl was the greatest kick of all time, but I'm looking at the overall game of both players and I'd take Gost. The funny thing is, we also had Robbie Gould in here.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

No disrespect to Gostkowski, whom I defended often out here, but, in addition to impressive stats, #4's kick to tie the Tuck game (greatest kick under playoff pressure in the history of the NFL from 45 yards into the teeth of a blizzard) and his kicks to win two SB's, including a walkoff winner and a four-seconds-to-go winner, make Adam Vinatieri the best kicker in Pats history and, subject to debate of course, in the history of the NFL.

Exactly. Reminds me of the old Brady-Manning debates when Brady had 3 rings while Manning had the bigger passing stats and TD stats. Nobody can beat the multiple key Superbowl winning moments or playoff kicks that Vinatieri produced over and over. I'm not talking about against Gost, I'm talking among all kickers in NFL history.

.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

No question that AV's kick in the Snow Bowl was the greatest kick of all time, but I'm looking at the overall game of both players and I'd take Gost. The funny thing is, we also had Robbie Gould in here.

Stats wise, as measured by FGM%, yeah, I guess so, if that's the definition of "overall game." Unfair to use FGM as a raw number because AV has played so much longer.

But definitely reminds me of the old Brady-P. Manning debate, which was long ago settled in Brady's favor. I think the Vinatieri-Gostkowski debate is similarly settled. If Gostkowski ever makes a kick like the Tuck Game kick and wins two SB's with walkoffs (counting four ticks on the clock in XXXVIII as a "walkoff"), I'm open to changing my mind.

Otherwise it's no contest. First Ballot HOFer vs. a very good player who gets (and deserves!) a lot of consideration and respect but no gold jacket.

 

[bresna]

He signed a 1 year contract for frickin $2.75m. Are you saying the Pats couldn't have afforded Gostkowski for that amount.......... ?? On such an important spot. Where he plays a dual role for kick-offs as well as FGs/XPs. And he's been great with targeting the 0 yard line on high hang kickoffs the way BB wants so we can tackle inside 25 yard line on returns.

All that and we couldn't keep Gostkowski? GIve me a break.

Gostkowski is still on the 2020 salary cap for $3.2 Million. He'd be a $5.95 Million cap hit if they had re-signed him for $2.75 Million.

Bailey's kickoffs have been very good and he has proven to be able to drop high-hanging kicks on the goal line too. I will agree that the special teams coach hasn't been calling for this much yet this season, but he showed last year that he could do it. Didn't the Patriots have the best starting points after kickoffs in the NFL last year?

Another blunder by BB. We let Vinateiri go when we didn't need to, but at least we found Gostkowski, with a draft selection that year. But we got lucky. As if it's that easy to replace a HoF kicker with another HoF candidate. He tried to pull the same trick again, with Justin Rohrwasser and it COMPLETELY backfired and fell flat on his face.

It was no secret that Adam Vinatieri wanted out and forced his way off the Patriots by refusing to negotiate a new contract, forcing the Patriots to use the franchise tag on him a second time. This second time, in 2005, was the last time they would use it on him because in 2006, they changed the Franchise Tag rule and it would have forced the Patriots to pay him 144% of his previous year's $2.5 Million salary, which was already the highest salary for any kicker at that time. In order for them to retain him, they would have had to pay him almost $3.2 Million. No way was that happening back then. And FWIW, they drafted Gostkowski that next year and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

[PatsBoy12]

Gost is the best kicker in Pats history. AV was great but Gost was better. He faltered a bit due to a hip injury last year. It's too bad that he isn't still here, no matter why it happened.

Much respect, 1960, but I cannot agree. AV may not be statistically what Gost was, but he's better. The term "Clutch" doesn't do AV justice. If the NFL had a logo like the NBA, it would be football's version of Mr. Clutch, AV.

 

[upstater1]

No disrespect to Gostkowski, whom I defended often out here, but, in addition to impressive stats, #4's kick to tie the Tuck game (greatest kick under playoff pressure in the history of the NFL from 45 yards into the teeth of a blizzard) and his kicks to win two SB's, including a walkoff winner and a four-seconds-to-go winner, make Adam Vinatieri the best kicker in Pats history and, subject to debate of course, in the history of the NFL.

Vinatieri's clutch kicks give him the upper hand in this discussion BUT you can't really give him huge credit for the Carolian SB winning kick because he missed two short FGs during the game.

 

[Bruins29]

FYI if you look at the numbers Gost was more clutch during his career. So the whole clutch thing has been disproven several times. Did Gost make as many dramatic kicks as AV? No, but he was not in a position to do so as often.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Vinatieri's clutch kicks give him the upper hand in this discussion BUT you can't really give him huge credit for the Carolian SB winning kick because he missed two short FGs during the game.

others have made that argument. AV made the kick he had to make to win the game. There were probably half a dozen plays that Brady could have made to give them a bigger lead as well. All that matters is the outcome.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

FYI if you look at the numbers Gost was more clutch during his career. So the whole clutch thing has been disproven several times. Did Gost make as many dramatic kicks as AV? No, but he was not in a position to do so as often.

That's a fair enough point, but "life is unfair." AV had the opportunities and made the kicks. It is, by definition, unknowable what Gostkowski would have done if he had similar opportunities. Fair? Nope. Reality? Yes.

 

[Bruins29]

That's a fair enough point, but "life is unfair." AV had the opportunities and made the kicks. It is, by definition, unknowable what Gostkowski would have done if he had similar opportunities. Fair? Nope. Reality? Yes.

Life is unfair. Gost was a better kicker than AV. The numbers are the numbers and they were run for the same amount of years in their careers as well. That way AV would not be penalized for kicking longer and as he got older. There are no ifs, ands, or buts...This has all been done before.

If AV was a better kicker than Gost those numbers would show and it would be the first thing the AV Homers would point point to. Since they cant the AV homers start doing this tap dancing that would make Gregory Hines envious.

 

[Deus Irae]

That's a fair enough point, but "life is unfair." AV had the opportunities and made the kicks. It is, by definition, unknowable what Gostkowski would have done if he had similar opportunities. Fair? Nope. Reality? Yes.

AV also missed the kicks. That's the part that's forgotten.

 

[captain stone]

No question that AV's kick in the Snow Bowl was the greatest kick of all time, but I'm looking at the overall game of both players and I'd take Gost. The funny thing is, we also had Robbie Gould in here.

We also had Phil Dawson on our PS during the 1998 season...

 

[captain stone]

Vinatieri's clutch kicks give him the upper hand in this discussion BUT you can't really give him huge credit for the Carolian SB winning kick because he missed two short FGs during the game.

To be fair to AV, one of those unsuccessful FG attempts was blocked.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

I was listening to some NFL show on the radio and they had a kciking guru on and he indicated that after the first game, Ghost made the adjustment of no longer wearing a sock on his kicking foot. He said this gives the kicker a better feel for the ball. The kicking shoes they wear now are so thin, that the sock is actually thiker than the shoe. He said once he made the change, his kicks no longer tail off at the end.

Funny how a simple change like that, made such a huge difference.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

AV just had a career in NE full of cinematic moments, and he always came through in them. Gost was never any slouch in pressure, it's just that he didn't have a career full of "and this season comes down to the foot of [your name here]" moments. Or if he did, he wasn't covered that way. He was covered as the steady guy you could count on and the guy who didn't have as much trouble kicking the ball out of the end zone.