Stephen Gostkowski

[Sciz]

The Patriots have worked out Josh Gable, Adam Griffith, and additional unnamed kickers over the last few months. The most likely explanation here is that there's just nobody good out there. That makes sense, because any kicker who could be worthwhile competition for even "bad" Gostkowski is probably already on a roster competing with a far worse kicker for a job.

 

[DaBronxPats14]

No one is better at pinning teams on kickoff s than Gostkowski has been, however I think the rule changes caused him to alter his mechanics and that screwed up his accuracy on PAT's and field goals

This.
I've been saying this ever since rule change. His ability to pin teams deep and how clutch he was in Playoffs especially in SB in crunch time cannot be overlooked.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

If he had made the XP and all else went as it did after,
we would have been down...

28-10 instead of 28-9,
FG makes it 28-13, not 28-12
TD makes it 28-19, not 28-10
XP makes it 28-20, same as the 2-pt. conversion made it 28-20

Thus we are back to being down 28-20 and needing a TD plus 2.

Gost's miss didn't really affect anything. If we had missed the first 2-pointer, it would have.

And while Amendola was barely in, ATL's Freeny was OFFSIDES

 

[Biffins]

Personally, I would have been more nervous about a Gostkowski XPA to tie the game than I was about the play that resulted in Amendola's score...if a Championship is on the line, I want it in Brady's hands...or on Vinatieri's foot, back in the day. But, that's just me.

As far as the bigger picture goes, as long as Belichick and Joe Judge think Gostkowski is the Pats best bet as K, that's good enough for me. The fact that he makes me nervous...well, that's something I just have to deal with.

The fact you'd rather we try for a 2-pt conversion to tie the game than have Gost kick an XP to tie the game, tells me everything I need to know. Basically you have no confidence in the kicker.

 

[Biffins]

You lost me at "horrible season."

That's what he had for the money we give him. In the end it's all about value. If we can get Gost's average production for half the price, why wouldn't we?

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Why the disagree?

If you are down by 15 (say, 28-13) and score a TD, you always go for the XP to be sure you can get within 8. Every coach does, including BB. You can debate the logic of it, but it is what they always do.

So, no Gost miss and we'd have still been down 28-20 with 5 minutes left and needing the TD & 2.

 

[Biffins]

The Patriots have worked out Josh Gable, Adam Griffith, and additional unnamed kickers over the last few months. The most likely explanation here is that there's just nobody good out there. That makes sense, because any kicker who could be worthwhile competition for even "bad" Gostkowski is probably already on a roster competing with a far worse kicker for a job.

I guess this makes the most sense from all the answers given so far. So basically we're stuck with Gost's contract for now. He has guaranteed money and it's not worth replacing him with anyone else. Maybe next year.

 

[Biffins]

Why the disagree?

If you are down by 15 (say, 28-13) and score a TD, you always go for the XP to be sure you can get within 8. Every coach does, including BB. You can debate the logic of it, but it is what they always do.

So, no Gost miss and we'd have still been down 28-20 with 5 minutes left and needing the TD & 2.

Well you assume he gets the second XP in...........

But anyway, we might have gotten the 2pt conversion in first because if you miss it, you know you need 2 more drives while if you wait to try it by the end of the game, you have no other option.

Either way these are semantics and not relevant to my question on why we don't have some competition for kicker.

 

[PatsDeb]

That's what he had for the money we give him. In the end it's all about value. If we can get Gost's average production for half the price, why wouldn't we?

Umm, because we can't?

 

[TommyD4207]

Thanks for providing the stats to show the difference between the two. It's pretty startling when you see it that way.

I can't remember what year it was, but AV missed a chip shot vs KC many years ago that cost the Pats. He also missed two in the SB vs Carolina.

Even in his prime I don't think AV was known for his booming kicks.

Not to mention the chippy he missed in SD for the Colts.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

And while Amendola was barely in, ATL's Freeny was OFFSIDES

Speaking of barely, Edelman and Hogan were barely close enough to the LOS to be legally blocking before Amendola caught the pass.

I assume the "No OPI within 1 yard of the LOS" rule refers to when engagement is first made? Because while Edelman and Hogan may have engaged their men within a yard of the LOS they were definitely more than one yard downfield by the time Amendola caught the ball.

 

[JarOfMayo51]

There is no excuse for missing extra points, especially in Championship games..unless the other team blocks it

That being said, there is no one better in the league

 

[Jackson 2]

There is no excuse for missing extra points, especially in Championship games..unless the other team blocks it

That being said, there is no one better in the league

Love Ghost, but I have to say Justin Tucker is a shade better. Shorter career (2012-present), but FG 168/187/90% and PAT 166/166/100%. I think Ghost has had a better, longer overall career, but based upon last season I think Tucker is just a touch better right now.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

...we might have gotten the 2pt conversion in first because if you miss it, you know you need 2 more drives while if you wait to try it by the end of the game, you have no other option.

I prefer doing it that way, but to my knowledge no coach in the NFL does that. They'd rather not know whether they make the two-pointer, or not, until the very end, when it is too late to overcome a miss.

Down 15 I'd prefer to try for two and then either be down 7 or be down 9 and know I'll need an onsides kick or a turnover.

 

[JarOfMayo51]

Love Ghost, but I have to say Justin Tucker is a shade better. Shorter career (2012-present), but FG 168/187/90% and PAT 166/166/100%. I think Ghost has had a better, longer overall career, but based upon last season I think Tucker is just a touch better right now.

Yea you're probably right, I was thinking of Matt Bryant on the Falcons, but he's too old at this point

Justin Tucker is the real deal

 

[Richard Camembert]

So...we have the second best K in the NFL. Therefore there isn't really any available, reasonable competition: there's nobody thought to be better. He adjusted to a giant change in rules in XP with some minor difficulty, having a down, but not, to my mind, a horrible season, but he did miss his first regular season XP since 2006. He pinned the Falcons on the 10 and on the 11 on their last two drives in the Super Bowl. He hasn't missed a FG in the playoffs since 2010 and has a career playoff FG% of 94%

(Stephen Gostkowski Playoffs Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com)

In terms of his contract he faces the same pressure as all Patriots do, and this very thread, one of several similar threads this year, shows that he faces some fan pressure; but clearly BB is satisfied enough with his K and his contract. I think most fans should be as well.

 

[Jackson 2]

Yea you're probably right, I was thinking of Matt Bryant on the Falcons, but he's too old at this point

Justin Tucker is the real deal

But. I still think it's just by a sliver. Like some others, I wonder if Ghost was battling an injury last year. I actually thought he sort of squared things away in the second half of the season prior to the SB. I don't know, I'm torn on him. Have loved him for years and think he has been overall better than Adam. But, he really spooked me against Denver in the AFCCG against Denver and then last year. I just don't entirety trust him anymore, and I hate saying that.

 

[NormZauchin]

Competition generally makes everyone better. I am not sure why the Patriots are not bringing in another kicker to the training camp unless they are worried that it will shatter Ghost's confidence.

How do you replace one of the two best kickers in Patriots history based on the performance of another kicker in the preseason? The guy can be knocking them in from 50 yards, but it's no guarantee he can do it in the regular season, let alone the playoffs or Super Bowl.

 

[supafly]

I guess this makes the most sense from all the answers given so far. So basically we're stuck with Gost's contract for now. He has guaranteed money and it's not worth replacing him with anyone else. Maybe next year.

If he has a poor showing in 2017, then you may be onto something; otherwise, we've seen him bounce back from mediocre years in the past.

I'm expecting a better season. We will see.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

I prefer doing it that way, but to my knowledge no coach in the NFL does that. They'd rather not know whether they make the two-pointer, or not, until the very end, when it is too late to overcome a miss.

Down 15 I'd prefer to try for two and then either be down 7 or be down 9 and know I'll need an onsides kick or a turnover.

Yep. It's another case of confusing "postpone the moment of certain loss as long as possible" with "maximize the chance of winning the game".