Gostkowski remains calm

Kicker unruffled by Candlestick

FOXBOROUGH - Stephen Gostkowski has given the Patriots a leg up on the competition so far this season. The pensive placekicker is a perfect 7 for 7 on field goal attempts and has connected on 14 in a row, dating to last season.

However, Gostkowski's leg could be put to the test today in Candlestick Park, home of the San Francisco 49ers. Candlestick - like most of San Francisco - can be subject to gusty conditions, which could affect field goals and kickoffs, as well as punts.

Gostkowski, who has never kicked at Candlestick, said he'll be ready no matter the conditions.

"I'm sure there is not one stadium that is so much more difficult than the others," he said. "They all have their unique little wind swirls. It's just something you don't think about.

"That's why we go out there an hour before the game to warm up to get used to it. That's why we're professionals; we can adjust to different conditions and stuff. It's just what you do because it's part of the game you can't control, whether it's rain, sun, snow, anything."

Gostkowski said the Patriots had really windy conditions in practice Thursday, so that was a good preparation day. Where he could be most affected, though, is kickoffs. Gostkowski enters today's game tied for fourth in the NFL with six touchbacks on kickoffs.

"Sometimes you tend to overswing when the wind is in your face," he said. "There is an old little saying, 'When it's breezy swing easy.' So, you just worry about making good contact and making the best kick you can."

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who coached many games in San Francisco as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, said he believes the stadium is not as difficult to kick at as Gillette Stadium or Giants Stadium.

"I don't think I have ever been out there when it has been a big factor in a game," Belichick said. "It is usually pretty light. Now that I am saying that, there might be gale-force winds."

Gostkowski said regardless of the conditions he wouldn't mind if he doesn't have to attempt any field goals today because that will mean the Patriots are scoring touchdowns. But he's always ready.

"I'd rather not kick many field goals and be on a good team than kick 40 field goals and be on a bad team and be in the Pro Bowl," Gostkowski said. "It's a lot easier and a lot more fun when you win. You're helping the team in other ways if you're not kicking four field goals a game.

"You can't control when you go in and when you don't, but there are going to be games when they're going to need field goals, and I'm hoping to be there to make them."

Wary of Gore
Nose tackle Vince Wilfork and safety Brandon Meriweather were teammates with 49ers running back Frank Gore at the University of Miami. Wilfork and Gore were on Miami's 2001 national title team and Meriweather played with Gore from 2002-04.

Both said Gore, who leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 525 (369 rushing yards on 76 carries and 15 receptions for 156 yards), looks just as dangerous as he did in college.

"Frank being Frank," said Wilfork, when asked what he has seen from Gore on film. "Very explosive.

"I mean, knowing him personally and what he's been through in this life - with the injuries and off-field issues with his family and everything - he's still looking the way that he looked at the University of Miami.

"He's pretty tough to tackle. He's elusive and he's got some good speed and can catch the ball out of the backfield, too. Being that small [5 feet 9 inches, 217 pounds], he can actually block pretty well.

Meriweather said the key to tackling Gore is being fundamentally sound.

"He does the little things well," Meriweather said. "He'll get you to stop your feet and freeze you on contact, so basically you've got to be fundamentally sound when you play against Frank."

Flag-free zone
The Patriots lost their most recent game (38-13, to Miami Sept. 21), but one thing they have not done in the first three games of the season is beat themselves with penalties. New England is the least penalized team in the NFL with seven penalties for 50 yards.

"It's always been a point of emphasis and it's been a strong one this year," Belichick said. "I think the players have really responded to it. We've done a good job of not hurting ourselves with penalties, and I hope we can keep that going."

Red means stopTouchdowns could be tough to come by today, as the 49ers' J.T. O'Sullivan and the Patriots' Matt Cassel are two of the lowest-rated quarterbacks in the red zone. Cassel has a 59.7 passer rating inside the opponents' 20 and O'Sullivan has a 40.2 rating . . . The 49ers are one of two teams the Patriots have never defeated on the road (0-4). The other is the Washington Redskins (0-2) . . . The 49ers plan to retire the No. 8 of quarterback Steve Young, a two-time league MVP who guided San Francisco to a Super Bowl title during the 1994 season, at halftime of today's game.

Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.