Stephen Gostkowski

Infobox NFLactive


currentteam=New England Patriots
currentnumber=3
currentpositionplain=Kicker
birthdate=birth date and age|1984|1|28
birthplace=Baton Rouge, Louisiana
heightft=6
heightin=1
weight=210
debutyear=2006
debutteam=New England Patriots
highlights=
* Most PATs converted, season (74 in 2007)
* Most PATs attempted, season (74 in 2007)
* Most PATs attempted, no misses, season (74 in 2007)
college=Memphis
draftyear=2006
draftround=4
draftpick=118
pastteams=
* New England Patriots (2006-present)
statweek=17
statseason=2007
statlabel1=Field Goals Made
statvalue1=41
statlabel2=Field Goals Attempted
statvalue2=50
statlabel3=Field Goals %
statvalue3=82.0
nfl=GOS721266

Stephen Carroll Gostkowski (pronounced "gos-tow-ski"; the first "k" is silent [cite web|url=http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Documents/PATRIOTS_v_Tenn_12-31_game.pdf|title=Patriots press release (PDF)|accessdate=2007-01-05] ) is an American football placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft with the 118th pick, one of just two kickers drafted, and the only rookie kicker to make an NFL roster that year. Gostkowski, who played both college football and baseball for the University of Memphis, is the most accurate kicker in Patriots history, and one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history. [ [http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/fg_perc_career.htm Pro Football Reference: Career Field Goal Percentage] ]

His most common nickname growing up was "Beaver"; he lost two front teeth playing hockey and had fake teeth that were too large put in as replacements. [cite web|url=http://www.memphis.edu/magazine/v23i2/feat1.html|title=Double Play |accessdate=2007-02-11] While at Memphis, he was dubbed "Gotti" by Tigers head coach Tommy West, because West couldn't pronounce Gostkowski correctly. [cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2006/08/24/hes_got_both_feet_out_door/?page=2 |title= He's got both feet out door |accessdate=2007-06-10]

High school years

Gostkowski graduated from Madison Central High School in Madison, Mississippi in 2002. While there, he won four varsity letters each in football and soccer, and three in baseball, and was an All-State honoree in all three sports. Gostkowski holds the school record for longest field goal, a 55-yard kick. His teammates at Madison Central included current 49ers linebacker Parys Haralson and Seahawks center Chris Spencer. His opponents included current Atlanta Falcons RB Jerious Norwood, who returned one of Gostkowski's kickoffs from two yards deep in the end zone; Gostkowski raced him down at the 25-yard line to prevent a touchdown.

College years

Gostkowski attended the University of Memphis where he majored in Exercise and Sport Science. Gostkowski actually received a baseball scholarship at Memphis, and was a walk-on on the football team. [cite web|url=http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=921 | title=Kicking Around Some Baseball with Stephen Gostkowski|work=Baseball Prospectus|accessdate=2008-07-01] He finished his college career with a total of 369 points, a school record, and 13th overall in NCAA Division I-A history, converting 70 of 92 field goals and 159 of 165 extra points (PATs) during his Tiger career. His 70 FGs and 159 PATs both set school records previously held by Joe Allison (1990-1993). He earned first team All-Conference USA honors in both his junior and senior years and was named Conference USA's Special Teams Player of the Year in 2005.

In 2005, his senior season, Gostkowski handled kickoff duties for Memphis, and had 39 touchbacks on 68 kickoffs. Gostkowski did so using a one-inch tee (the height of NFL tees), rather than the two-inch tees allowed by the NCAA at the time. Thus, NFL talent scouts could more accurately project his potential. [cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2006/05/tee_time.html|title=Reiss' Pieces: Tee Time|accessdate=2007-01-05]

In a game against Houston, Gostkowski managed the rare feat of recovering his own onside kick.

NFL career

2006 season

Gostkowski was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft with the 118th pick. During the Patriots' 2006 training camp, he competed with veteran kicker Martín Gramática, who the Patriots had signed as a free agent after Adam Vinatieri signed with the Indianapolis Colts. On August 23, 2006, before their third preseason game, the Patriots cut Gramática, and gave the job to rookie Gostkowski. (This is the reverse of what the makers of the video game "Madden NFL '07" expected; in the game, New England's place kicker is Gramática, not Gostkowski, who is listed as a free agent.)

During the 2006 preseason, Gostkowski was perfect on kicks and PATs, going 9-for-9 and 11-for-11, respectively, for a total of 38 points. His longest field goal was a 54-yard attempt against the New York Giants in the last preseason game. On November 26, 2006, Gostkowski made the longest regular-season kick of his young career, a 52-yard kick against the Chicago Bears, which is also the longest kick ever made at Gillette Stadium. [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/playbyplay/NFL_20061126_CHI@NE] NFL.com play-by-play summary, Chicago Bears @ New England Patriots, 11/26/2006] Gostkowski finished the 2006 season as the highest-scoring rookie, with 103 points (20 field goals and 43 PATs), edging out the 96 points scored by Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

While Gostkowski struggled early in his rookie season—he had two consecutive kicks blocked—Patriots reporters and fans have noted that his kickoffs are noticeably longer than were Vinatieri's in his last season in Foxboro. During the 2006 season, he averaged 65.5 yards per kickoff with a return average of 23 yards, and a total of 12 touchbacks. (By comparison, in 2005, Vinatieri's average kickoff was just 61.6 yards, though playing in a dome in 2006 he averaged 65.8 yards.) He also, somewhat surprisingly, did better overall on FG kicks than did opposing teams: while Gostkowski made 20 of 26 kicks, for a conversion rate of 76.9%, opposing kickers made just 22 of 30, for a conversion rate of just 73.3%. Gostkowski's rookie season was statistically about the same as Vinatieri's: Vinatieri converted 27 of 35 kicks (77.3%), but missed three PATs (39/42).

Gostkowski also had to contend with having three different holders during the season. After his first holder, punter Josh Miller, was placed on injured reserve after week 11, the Patriots signed Ken Walter, who held for weeks 12 to 15 until he too was placed on IR. Though the Patriots hired Todd Sauerbrun to punt, holding duties were given to the Patriots' backup quarterback Matt Cassel (which led to one regular-season kick that, while good, made two bizarre turns in mid-air).

2006 postseason

In the AFC Wildcard Game of the 2006 postseason against the New York Jets, Gostkowski was perfect on all his kick attempts, converting three field goal attempts (from 20, 40, and 28 yards) and four extra points. He also had one kickoff go through the back of the end zone (over 80 yards) for a touchback.

In the against the San Diego Chargers, Gostkowski made three of three field goals, including a 50-yard kick that was the longest successful kick in Patriots postseason history. He also made a 34-yarder in the third quarter and a 31-yard kick with 1:10 left in the fourth that made him only the third NFL rookie to attempt a game-winning playoff kick in the fourth quarter or overtime. (One of the others was Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding, who missed his attempt in the 2004 playoffs; in this game, Kaeding missed a potential game-tying 54-yarder in the closing seconds.) Gostkowski also converted his only extra point attempt of the game following a Jabar Gaffney touchdown in the second quarter.

In the , Gostkowski again converted all of his kicks (two field goals and four PATs), and recorded two touchbacks on kickoffs, including one late in the fourth quarter after his second kick gave the Patriots a 34-31 lead.

Expectations from the Vinatieri years

As an untested rookie, Gostkowski faced special scrutiny in the playoffs, given the playoff heroics of Vinatieri. [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs06/columns/story?columnist=smith_michael&id=2720072 Gostkowski among kickers under the microscope] Michael Smith, ESPN.com, Accessed January 4, 2007] Gostkowski performed admirably, making all eight of his field goal kicks; he also recorded three touchbacks, including two in the Patriots' January 21, 2007 loss to the Colts at the RCA Dome.

2007 season

Although Gostkowski ranked just 30th in field goal attempts through the first 12 weeks of the NFL season (16 attempts, 14 converted), he managed to equal his entire 2006 output in those 12 weeks, thanks to an NFL-leading 61 extra point attempts, all of which he converted. In Week 15, against the Jets, Gostkowski broke Uwe von Schamann's record for most PATs converted in a season, with his 67th successful attempt. In Week 16, against the Dolphins, for whom von Schamann played, Gostkowski also had his 71st PAT attempt, breaking von Schamann's record of 70. Gostkowski finished the season with three more PATs against the New York Giants in Week 17 to finish a perfect 74-for-74 on PATs, eclipsing Jeff Wilkins' 1999 record of 64-for-64 with the St. Louis Rams. [http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/pat NFL Records: Points After Touchdown] NFL.com, Accessed December 29, 2007] Gostkowski also went 21 for 24 on field goals to finish with 137 points on the season, the third-highest total of any player that year (rookie Green Bay kicker Mason Crosby had 141, and Patriots receiver Randy Moss had 138).

Gostkowski also had the distinction, in the Week 13 game against the Baltimore Ravens, of kicking off from the Ravens' 35-yard line as the result of two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on Ravens linebacker Bart Scott and an offside call on the Ravens defense on his PAT attempt. Gostkowski recorded a touchback on the kickoff, but there was confusion after the game as to whether or not the Patriots could have improved their field position by kicking the ball out-of-bounds instead.fact|date=June 2008

2007 postseason

Gostkowski only had two field goal attempts in the postseason, both in the divisional game against the Jacksonville Jaguars; Gostkowski converted one, but missed the other, his only failed postseason conversion. He was, however, perfect on his PAT attempts, going 9-for-9.

2008 season

Gostkowski was a key contributor in the Patriots' 19–10 win over the New York Jets in Week 2, the game that marked Matt Cassel's debut as a starter. Gostkowski kicked 4 of 4 field goals from 21, 37, 28, and 27 yards, and five touchbacks on six kickoffs (the last kick was returned to the 20 before a Raymond Ventrone tackle).

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=playerbio&bio=32013 Stephen Gostkowski page on New England Patriots website]