Gostkowski for 3
Three questions with Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski:
What will you do the next six weeks, and how important will it be for you to get away from football before training camp begins in late July?
“It’s always good to get away. The [spring] camps last a couple weeks and we got some good work in, and we still have a couple weeks of the offseason conditioning [program], to get our bodies ready for a long season. It lasts a long time. It’s also good to get away, but you can’t just go home and do nothing. You have to keep with it. It’s our job to be ready.”
From your standpoint, is there one thing you’d like to improve on in 2008?
“There is always room for improvement everywhere. I always want to kick the ball farther, kick it higher, kick it straighter. I want my kickoffs to be better. Don’t miss any field goals. There are always goals that you set and try to hit them. It’s a day-to-day thing with me. Some days, there is a problem with 40-yard field goals, other days there is a problem with 50-yard field goals, sometimes it’s the right hash [mark], or the left hash [mark]. It’s day to day. There is not one thing in particular I’m trying to work on. It’s everything to get better.”
In high school and then in college at Memphis, you were a pitcher on the baseball team and a kicker on the football team. The Red Sox just drafted a high school player in the first round, Casey Kelly, who plays both sports as well. He has a scholarship to be a quarterback at Tennessee, or he could sign his baseball contract. From your perspective, any advice you’d give him?
“I had a shot of getting drafted out of high school in baseball, but it wasn’t enough to get me to not want to go to college and get an education, and to enjoy being young. The path to the major leagues in baseball is a long road. It’s not like you just show up and they hand you a job. You have to work your way up and go to these little small towns and ride on buses for hours and hours. It wasn’t a decision [for me]. … If he’s coming out of high school, I’d always say ‘go to college.’ I think getting your education is important, but there is also great guaranteed money in baseball, so it’s hard to go away from that. In terms of picking a sport I think I’d say ‘whatever it is that is your true love, go after that, or play both as long as you can.’”
EXTRA POINT: Boston Globe colleague Christopher L. Gasper recently caught up with Gostkowski and penned a piece in which Gostkowski reflected on Super Bowl XLII and not having the chance to kick a 48-yard field goal.
worrisome that the players are talking a lot about "getting away" from football
This is going to be a long 6 weeks till the start of training camp if we are talking about kickers trying to kick the ball : longer, higher and further ...
Has he been practising in different weather environements ? Has Belichik been able to somehow make it rain and snow inside the Dana Farber House ?
Get us through this lull Mike !
what, you never take vacations?
Hi Blair. I'll do my best to help, but I'm also looking forward to a break myself in a few weeks. I'll keep you posted as to when that will be, but things should be generally quiet until mid to late July.
--Mike
I still to this day do not understand why BB did not let Gostkowski attempt that kick. I bet he doesn't know either. I can't stand watching the highlights of Tyree's catch or Strahan predicting the final score would be 17-14. I keep hoping I will wake up in a pool of sweat and it was a bad dream.
Mike,
Take a vacation. My God you have earned it.
Gick your a peice of sticky smelly stuff that people step on. Go back to wherever you came from.
Mike,
I know this has been discussed quite a bit but has there EVER been any reasonable, credible explanation on why he did not let him try the kick? 4th and 1 , 4th and 2 , 4th and 3 maybe, but 4th and freaking 13? Give me a break. i know the official line is that BB thought that was the best option for the team at the time but this answer is no answer and pays lip service to the question. What really happened? I love BB but this has to go down as one of the worst coaching blunders of all time unless there was something physically wrong with Gos that day? What the hell really happened? Someone please tell me. Please don't say that was what BB thought was the best option at the time
Blair, I'll probably be around for another week or so, and then scoot for a few weeks in early July. I will post something when that time comes. J.P., there has never been a "credible" explanation as to why the team went for it on 4th and 13 but one of Stephen Gostkowski's answers in this blog post piqued my interest. If he's takling about how some weeks he struggles with 40-yarders, other weeks its 50-yarders, other weeks it's right hash, and other weeks it's left hash, it's entirely possible that this was the scenario that unfolded in the week leading up to Super Bowl XLII. I'm sure it would be hard to have Bill Belichick or Gostkowski admit this, but if Gostkowski was shaky from the specific hash mark where the ball was spotted, from a range of 48-50 yards in practice, it makes sense not to put him out there for a pressure kick during the game. Just one scenario to consider. But in terms of a concrete reason, I have not heard one.
--Mike
They didn't use Gostkowski in many difficult or pressure-filled situations all year. It may be that they didn't want to break his confidence while he's still young, or maybe they just don't trust him in those situations. But if the patriots don't have a kicker who can hit a 50 yarder in a big game, they really need to consider getting one.
Gostowski was great in the playoffs in 06' though. he hit the game winner aginst the chargers and he hit a 48 aginst the colts i believe. i supose it seemed a bit long and i was suprised they went for it but in the heat of the game i guess it wasen't such a bad call.
I agree Gickmeister and it was in a dome stadium as well -- if you can't trust a kicker to have a reasonable chance to hit a 48 yarder in a dome than your in trouble. But I don't see where the lack of trust comes from -- Gos was solid all season
We know how the coach is with disclosing injuries, right? Could it be possible that Gost was injured? I'm speculating myself.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
Patriots Twitter
ask reiss
Questions will be considered for Mike's mailbagbrowse this blog
by categoryINside Boston.com