Stephen Gostkowski's Foggy Legacy

Back in 2006, Bill Belichick did, once again, what he always seemed to do with his superstars. Let them go. In this case, kicker Adam Vinatieri. Arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history, Adam V. helped the Patriots winning 3 Super Bowls, kicking the game winner in 66% of those games. But Coach Belichick had enough and went instead with a rookie out of Memphis University. His name, Stephen Gostkowski.

Well, 14 years later, the Patriots are moving on with their franchise leader in points scored. But why? Here are a few reasons why and how this affects the legacy of a possible Hall of Famer (the Foxboro one and maybe the Canton one, who knows).

1. Injuries

Kickers rarely get injured and SG3 seemed to get injured a lot more than rest. In 2010, he signed a 4 year extension that would give him $14 million through 2014 and $5 million guaranteed. He would then start his season off missing 3 of his first 4 kicks and then be placed on Injured Reserve on November 10th with a torn quad. On April 9 of 2019, he re-signed with the team on a 2 year deal. He got off to a shaky start and ended the season on IR with a left hip injury. So what we can gather from this is, if you re-sign Stephen, expect him on the IR for that season. I'm kidding, but lingering injuries that played a big role in those seasons (0 playoff wins in those 2 seasons). Maybe the teams wants to roll with Nick Folk (the team's number 1 kicker this past season) or find some new blood in April's upcoming draft.

2. Talent

There's no denying that Gost has talent and is an incredible kicker. But ever since 2015 and that dreadful AFC Championship Game in Denver (still the worst game I've ever witnessed), he hasn't been the same kicker he used to be. Since 2016, he has missed 14 field goals and 10 extra points, meaning he has left 52 total points on the table in these games. With a boatload of young and athletic kickers entering this year's draft, the Patriots probably went with their gut and wanted to start fresh at the kicking position. Rodrigo Blankenship and Tyler Bass are 2 incoming rookies that Patriots fans should keep an eye out for. If you think drafting a kicker is an absurd move, just remember that we traded up for Stanford punter Jake Bailey and he has the makings of a superstar already.

With the release of Gostkowski (above), Matthew Slater, special teams ace and captain, is now the longest tenured player on the team. He was drafted in 2008.

THE LEGACY OF #3

As I stated earlier, he has gone through a major skid, spanning almost 4 seasons. But that doesn't mean we should ignore the incredible kicks he had during his tenure in Foxboro. Since his arrival back in '06, he has made:

The longest kick in Gillette Stadium history (52 Yards, 11/26/06 against Chicago)
The longest kick in Patriots playoff history (50 Yards, 1/14/07 against San Diego)
A game winner in that same SD game that made him the 3rd rookie K in NFL history to attempt a GW kick in the 4th quarter/OT
Went 9-10 (FG) and 11-11 (XP) to win the October 2008 AFC ST POM Award
2008, 2013 , 2014 and 2015 Pro Bowler
2008 and 2015 First Team All-Pro
2009 AFC ST POW (Week 9)
1st career OT game winning kick (23-20 victory against Baltimore)
2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 Scoring Champ
Patriots Franchise Leader in Points
2014 Second Team All-Pro
NFL Record 423 straight extra points
2015 AFC ST POM (September)
54 Yard Game Winner against the New York Giants in 2015
Longest FG in Patriots history (62 Yards, 11/19/17 against Oakland)
2017 AFC ST POW (Week 11)
Last second game winning kicks against Denver (2013), Arizona (2016) and Kansas City (2018)
6 Super Bowls and 3 SB Championships

HOWEVER,

With the explosion of social media and recency bias, Gostkowski is often remembered for the bad. Starting off with that missed XP in Denver back in 2015 (2016, if you want to get technical), he also missed a kick in high pressure situations, which include:

Missed XP in Super Bowl LI
Missed FG in Super Bowl LII
Missed XP in Super Bowl LII
Missed FG in Super Bowl LIII

That's 4 missed kicks in back-to-back-to-back Super Bowls, which often draw unnecessary and unjust comparisons to his predecessor, Vinatieri. While Gostkowski may not have the clutch winning kicks in February, he needs to be celebrated for his service. He is the 5th most accurate kicker in NFL history and the greatest person to don the #3 jersey in the Pats organization.

In my honest opinion (which you guys will ignore and come to your own conclusions), good kicking is hard to find and SG3 was almost an easy 3 points in his prime. Sucks to see him go, but he is a Patriot legend and should be treated as such.

I also have a funny story (or two) about Gostkowski and myself personally.

So, Stephen lives in Wrentham, MA and I currently live in the town over (Norfolk). Every year, the three towns in our school district (Wrentham, Norfolk and Plainville) all have a youth little league tournament and Stephen was the head coach of his kid's team. I am an umpire for my town and was assigned a game to do. When I walked up to the field, who did we have there? Mr. Gostkowski, of course. So the game rolls along and everything is dandy. I don't know if any of you have been a youth umpire and referee, but you (or at least myself) couldn't care less about the outcome. I just wanted my money and then to head home. Well, it's the last inning of the game. All tied up at a score I do not care to remember and the bases were loaded. Gostkowski's team was in the field and the kid pitching threw a 4th ball that almost rolled to the batter. To give you a mental picture, think of bowling. That was the pitch. When I called "ball 4" and the other team celebrated their win, the Patriots kicker comes storming out of the dugout, screaming at me. I was very shocked to see the often cool-headed Gostkowski charge at me and scream about little league, but yeah he apologized after. So everything was normal, until next years tournament...

My brother and I were working the first round game together and we walked up to the field aaaaaaaaand Stephen Gostkowski was there. AGAIN. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but the game was a bit crazy, just with the players. That's neither here nor there, but if you're ever asked at a trivia night who was the umpire that eliminated Stephen Gostkowski's little league team from a baseball tournament, hope this article helps.

Pats Nation is going to miss ya Stephen. Patriot Legend. #3.