Gostkowski kicking on more solid ground
FOXBOROUGH -- Last year, Stephen Gostkowski was one of the biggest question marks hovering over the Patriots during training camp. Could he replace iconic clutch kicker Adam Vinatieri?
This year Gostkowski is an afterthought.
After a rookie season in which he connected on 20 of 26 field goals -- after a 3-for-6 start -- and made all eight of his attempts in the playoffs, including a winning 31-yarder at San Diego, the Patriots elected not to bring another kicker into camp to compete with Gostkowski. The job is his, barring catastrophe. That doesn't mean Gostkowski feels secure.
"Out here I'm trying my best no matter, no matter if they have 10 guys in here [or not], because I'm sure they got 10 guys in their phone list if something bad were to happen to me," Gostkowski said shortly after capping off practice by making 8 of 8 attempts (two each from 27, 32, 37, and 42 yards).
"There's always someone out there gunning for your job whether they're here or not. That's [management's] decision. I'm just here to kick and make field goals and try to do the best I can."
Gostkowski proved he has a place as an NFL placekicker as a rookie, booting the longest kicks in Gillette Stadium (52-yarder against Chicago) and Patriots' playoff history (50-yarder against the Chargers).
"Last year, I'm glad that what happened, happened, but it's over and I've just got to move forward and go on and just worry about making my kicks this year," said Gostkowski, a 2006 fourth-round draft choice.
If the kicks in the playoffs were a high point, the lowest time came when he missed three straight field goals early in the year, two of which were blocked. The way he responded gave him confidence.
"I've gone through a lot more rough times in my kicking career than that and just having that experience and being able to bounce back [was good]," he said. "I've usually been able to bounce back and when something goes wrong I don't take it too much to heart."
On the up note, Brady connected with Moss on a long, high-arcing pass down the right sideline with cornerback Gemara Williams in one-on-one coverage. Brady and Moss have been working on that throw in recent practices, attempting to take advantage of Moss's ability to first track the ball and then go up to get it at its highest point. At 6 feet 4 inches, Moss had a considerable advantage over Williams (5-8), the type of mismatch the Patriots will look to capitalize on this year.
Yet Brady and Moss had a communication breakdown on another play in 11-on-11 work. Brady had settled under center, before pulling back and motioning in the direction of Moss, to the right of the line of scrimmage. Brady then delivered a long pass to the outer edges of the field, but Moss cut his route inside, colliding with rookie Brandon Meriweather.
In the blitz pickup drill, linebackers come surging up the middle, unblocked, and the back must come up and meet them head on. The 5-8, 202-pound Faulk, the team's third-down back, has excelled at the skill in recent years but that wasn't always the case. Entering his ninth season, he said it took him about 3-4 years to understand the toughness and mechanics of blitz pickup, from watching veterans like Terry Allen and Antowain Smith.
On his catch yesterday, Faulk was split wide to the left side, matched up against linebacker Tedy Bruschi. Brady decided to test that matchup, lofting a beautiful pass that Faulk hauled in about 20 yards downfield as cornerback Ellis Hobbs closed in to help Bruschi.
Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com. Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com. 
