Saturday, January 06, 2007
Patriots' writer channels Clutch Playoff kick via Mariano Rivera
FOXBORO--'At some point in the future, a man who isn't Mariano Rivera will stand before 55,000 people in the top of the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium and try to get three outs that secure a playoff victory. Failure to do so will persuade many New Yorkers to hate his guts.
Adam Vinatieri built that legacy on postseason kicks, making every one that counted, including three Super Bowl winners.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he isn't going to steer those vital opportunities away from Gostkowski's foot.
"I have confidence in him," Belichick said. "So I think if I sent him out there to do the job, he's going to do it. ... Whatever the situation is that we would want to kick in, I have confidence that he would kick well, kickoff, kick field goals, whatever his assignment would be. I think he is a player that can do what we are going to ask him to do, or I wouldn't put him out there."' article by David Brown, Standard-Times, from southcoasttoday.com, 1/6/07
- Before he sets off in defense of those guts, that pitcher ought to have a chat with Stephen Gostkowski.
- The Patriots' rookie kicker is expected to live a similar moment soon, most likely in tomorrow's 1 p.m. playoff game against the Jets. Since August,
- Gostkowski has been the bearer of a weighty legacy, inheriting a job that once belonged to the most clutch kicker of his--and perhaps any--era.
Adam Vinatieri built that legacy on postseason kicks, making every one that counted, including three Super Bowl winners.- The deed to Vinatieri's old house requires a balloon payment in January. So
- Gostkowski's future in Foxboro will probably hinge on his ability to make the big kicks that loom in the playoffs. Failure to do so will persuade many New Englanders to hate his guts.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he isn't going to steer those vital opportunities away from Gostkowski's foot."I have confidence in him," Belichick said. "So I think if I sent him out there to do the job, he's going to do it. ... Whatever the situation is that we would want to kick in, I have confidence that he would kick well, kickoff, kick field goals, whatever his assignment would be. I think he is a player that can do what we are going to ask him to do, or I wouldn't put him out there."' article by David Brown, Standard-Times, from southcoasttoday.com, 1/6/07- The Universal Mo, once again. sm
