Patriots: Stephen Gostkowski
Grading the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI
QUARTERBACK: Tom Brady fell short of his fourth game-winning touchdown drive in a Super Bowl. He overcame a ragged start to find his groove. He set a Super Bowl record with 16 straight completions, including 15 straight on two touchdown passes. His first touchdown pass, a 4-yarder to Danny Woodhead, showed his patience to wait for the running back to break free of the linebacker. Brady's second one, a 12-yarder, was quicker recognition to find tight end Aaron Hernandez against the middle linebacker. Brady did get hit on his interception (which turned out to be a long punt) and seemed to hurt his already banged-up left shoulder. He started off the scoring but not the way he intended. His intentional grounding penalty on the Patriots' first play led to a safety, a strange mistake for a quarterback known for such great awareness. Grade: B-plus.
OFFENSE: The Patriots' receivers let Brady down in the fourth quarter with drops from Wes Welker, Deion Branch and Hernandez. The passing game was limited with tight end Rob Gronkowski less than full strength with a high-ankle sprain. He didn't get a catch until three minutes left in the first half. Hernandez picked up the slack with a 12-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter. The offensive line held up quite well against a Giants pass rush that recorded five sacks of Brady in the last Super Bowl matchup. Welker was a hot target in the passing game, although he couldn't pull down a key reception late in the fourth quarter. Grade: C.
DEFENSE: The Patriots' much-maligned defense came up big in the biggest game of the season. Playing both safeties deep to defend against the deep pass, the Patriots made it tough for Eli Manning and forced him to throw into tight windows. The New England run defense got pushed around early (70 yards rushing allowed in the first half), but fared better in the second half. The Patriots played more physical after they were sparked by Patrick Chung's hit on Hakeem Nicks along the sideline. The Patriots then allowed Ahmad Bradshaw to score a 6-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left, so they could get the ball back into the hands of Brady. Grade: B-minus.
COACHING: Bill Belichick lost his second straight Super Bowl. The Patriots had a great game plan defensively and were running an efficient offense. But it was questionable to throw on second-and-11 in the fourth quarter — which resulted in an incompletion to Welker and stopped the clock with four minutes left in the game. Then, the challenge on the Mario Manningham catch on the Giants' final drive cost the Patriots a timeout. Belichick prides himself on precision and discipline, which is why having 12 men on the field for defense was so surprising. That penalty negated a recovered fumble for the New England defense and led to the Giants' first touchdown (a Victor Cruz 2-yard catch in the first quarter). Grade: B.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 29-yard field goal. The kickoff coverage team allowed a 34-yard return early in the third quarter. The Patriots' return game was virtually non-existent. Punter Zoltan Mesko was outplayed by Steve Weatherford, averaging 38 yards per punt. Grade: C.
NASCAR's Logano visits Gillette Stadium
Visiting Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots, in advance of Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Loudon, New Hampshire (2 p.m., ESPN), driver Joey Logano got a few expert pointers on how to do just that from veteran Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski.
The 21-year old Logano is a native of Middletown, Conn. and was raised a Patriots fan. Logano races for the NASCAR team owned by three-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Joe Gibbs, and has attended NFL games with the former Redskins coach in the past.
"I watched football, but I wasn't a huge fan until I signed with Joe Gibbs Racing. I've learned a lot about the sport because he talks a lot about it," Logano explained. "I've become a fan of it, and from being up in the New England area, being in Connecticut, obviously you're a Patriots fan."
In addition to receiving a tour of the Patriots' facilities on Thursday, Logano tried his hand at field goal kicking with Gostkowski, sending it through the uprights on his final attempt.
"Steve is an awesome guy. I had fun with that," Logano said. "I've never really kicked a football before. I'm not very athletic when it comes to every sport. I've figured out how to drive a race car pretty good.
"I played hockey growing up. [But] kicking a football, I had no technique," Logano joked. "I'm not very flexible -- I can't even touch my toes -- so it was definitely interesting. I'm sure I didn't look too coordinated out there."
“I was pretty bummed about it,” the former Pro Bowler told the Boston Herald. “But I’ve had time to sit and think about it. You can control things like playing well or playing bad. That hits me a lot harder than injury. It’s out of my control. I can’t physically be out there. Nothing I can do to fix it except rehab and get better and look forward to next season and cheer the guys on for this year.”
Gostkowski, who joined Patriots owner Robert Kraft and some teammates at Goodwill headquarters handing out Thanksgiving turkeys on Tuesday, underwent surgery last week on his right quad. He had been placed on injured reserve Nov. 10.
Goskowski said he wasn't immediately aware of the seriousness of the injury. “I tried to kick through it, and I couldn’t get anywhere,” he said. “I got it checked out and it ended up being a lot worse than we thought.”
He said he plans to be back in action next season. “Depending on how it goes, it seems to be something that won’t have repercussions in the future if I do a good job of recovering,” he said. “It’s something that’s good to keep the spirits up, knowing that I should be back, and try to get back to where I was.”
Belichick on losing Gostkowski
* On the decision to put kicker Stephen Gostkowski on season-ending IR:
“In the end we did what we felt was best for our football team. … We have to make a decision based on the information you have at that particular time. If you had two weeks to wait and make a different decision, that’s one thing. If you had a month, maybe you make a different decision. I don’t know, I don’t know what the information would be at that point in time.”
* On new kicker Shayne Graham:
“I think just his performance in the league, definitely a positive for him. He’s had a good career, outstanding career. I thought he performed well this year when he’s had an opportunity. ... He’s a good kicker, he’s had a real good career.”
* On whether there will be any bumps in the road after changing both his kicker (Graham) and long snapper (Matt Katula):
“We’ve got a few days so that doesn’t really matter, we’ll do the best we can in the time that we have. The guys have already started on it already ... we’ll get at it. They’ve all played in the league, they’re all hard working guys. I’m sure they’ll do what they can in the next few days.”
Pats put Gostkowski on season-ending IR
Gostkowski has a torn quad muscle that might require surgery, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, and is expected to be fine for the 2011 season.
The loss of Gostkowski is a tough blow for the Patriots, as the fifth-year kicker is one of the best in the league at his position. He was 10 of 13 on field goals this season and he was among the leaders in rate of touchbacks in his kickoffs.
The news came as a surprise to quarterback Tom Brady during his morning press conference.
“Didn’t realize that. That’s a bummer,” Brady said when asked to comment on the news of Gostkowski’s status. “He’s been a hell of a player here. Great kicker. We’ve had a few guys put on IR that are real good, dependable players. ... He’ll be missed.”
It was originally thought Gostkowski would miss up to several weeks with the thigh injury, which was suffered during pregame warmups Sunday at Cleveland, but now it appears it is more serious. Gostkowski ultimately left Sunday's game in the second quarter. Receiver Wes Welker was called upon to kick an extra point in the second half and to handle kickoff duties.
“Any time a team loses a player, it’s hard for the team to go through,” said Graham, who will wear jersey No. 5. “No one wants to see a player go down with injury, especially a player the caliber of Stephen. He’s done such a good job for this team.
“My goal is to come in here and perform at my best and perform well for the team and help us win games. I think the fact that I haven’t been on a team for every game this year makes me a little hungry and makes me look forward to getting my career going on again.”
The Patriots had the 32-year-old Graham in for a workout in October, so he was high on their emergency list. Over the course of his 10-year career, Graham has hit 196 of 230 attempted field goals (an impressive 85.2 percent). He is no stranger to Pittsburgh's Heinz Field, where the Patriots will play Sunday, from his time with the Cincinnati Bengals (2003-2009).
Graham was in training camp this year with the Ravens, losing a competition with Billy Cundiff. He spent one game with the New York Giants this season -- a Week 6 win over Detroit -- filling in for the injured Lawrence Tynes and going 4 of 4 on extra points. He also had five kickoffs in that game, with one touchback.
Before the season, Gostkowski signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Patriots through 2014 and pay him an average of $3.5 million per season.
Patriots postgame locker room chatter
* Zoltan Mesko on his 65-yard punt in overtime that played a key role in the victory:
“It was just a great feeling to help the team win. I know in the fourth quarter in the first couple games, I was a little -- I wouldn’t call it shaky, but I didn’t deliver it when the teams needed to be backed up. We had some unique situations where we were either up by a lot or the Jets game where we lost. It was definitely rewarding. It was good to see that hard work paid off.”
* Wes Welker, on whether this was the most physical game he’s ever played in:
“It’s definitely up there. [The Ravens] are definitely a very physical team and we knew it was going to be that coming into this game and we were fortunate to come away with the victory.”
* Danny Woodhead, on whether he’s ever been a part of a victory as big as Sunday’s:
“Honestly, wins, I don’t look back really on this win or that win, just because I’m a very present guy in the present time. This is a huge win for us because it was the game that we had this week. Obviously it was a great AFC opponent and it was definitely a win that we needed.”
* Alge Crumpler, on being named a captain and what it means to him:
“It was an honor. Coach [Belichick] announced it to the team on Wednesday that I just conmtinue to do the things that I’ve set forth from the first day I stepped into this organization, that’s help this team win. I’ve been through a lot of situations; I’ve been a captain before. I didn’t expect this, but I embrace the opportunity to keep leading and keep helping this ballclub win games. We’ve lost a lot of guys due to injury, trades, whatever you want to call it. But we believe in this locker room that we can get it done. We have a core group of guys that are optimistic that, regardless of what the situations are, regardless of what happened last year, that we can continue to play together and stay together and win ballgames.”
* Brandon Meriweather, on the keys to shutting down the Ravens offense late in the game:
“The biggest key was everybody doing their job. I think everybody did their job better later in the game than we did early in the game. We were doing our job, I just think we did it better at the end.”
* Meriweather, on what it felt like to get defensive stops late in the game:
“We were having fun. Everybody was having fun and playing well together and we were all communicating. It was just fun for us.”
* Devin McCourty on the Patriots’ second-half defensive adjustments:
“We just kept fighting. You always come to the sideline and talk about some things, but it was basically just going back out there and forgetting what just happened and going out there fighting, trying to get back off the field.”
* Kyle Arrington, on whether the Patriots’ defense “grew up” over the course of the game:
“I would say so. We’re young. We had a couple plays that we wish we could get back, me in particular. You just have to always stay positive [and] keep your head up. Good teams are going to make good plays, so you [have] to keep battling.”
* Stephen Gostkowski, on his game-winning field goal:
“It’s nice to get a win. The couple times that I’ve had a chance to be in overtime it seems like I kick off every time and haven’t had an opportunity, and I was just glad to get an opportunity. As a field goal kicker you can’t make your own opportunities. You just got to go with what is given to you on the offense and defense and when you get an opportunity to come through for your team it’s very rewarding to be the last person to touch the ball and come off winners.”
* Gostkowski, on whether he thought he was going to get an opportunity to kick a game-winning 65-yard field goal at the end of regulation:
“You take what you get, that’s not my call. I am not going to be the guy tapping coach [Bill] Belichick on the shoulder saying, ‘send me out there’. I just get ready to go and when my name is called I do it. I’ve made kicks that long before in practice and I’ve never gotten the opportunity to kick one of those in a game, but I would have gone out there and tried my best. The only bad thing that can happen there is that you get the kick blocked. I don’t think the coaches are going to be out there yelling at me the next day so it’s kind of like a freebee. We ended up winning so I could care less they didn’t send me out there. I am just glad I got the opportunity to go out there at the end."
To the closed end, with the wind and where the ball tends to carry better, Gostkowski connected from 49 yards, then made his second attempt from 53 (the first came up short).
At the open end of the stadium, Gostkowski missed from 48 and two attempts at 50 (the first short, the second wide).
The ball doesn't seem to be carrying well in the cold with Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff experiencing similar troubles at both ends (Cundiff appeared to miss attempts from 49 and 53 to the closed end, coming up short from both distances).
First of two big days for Gostkowski
Gostkowski had missed a field goal in each of the previous two weeks and hadn't made a field goal of longer than 40 yards since Week 5. On Sunday, he hit field goals of 48 and 47 yards less than three minutes apart.
But Sunday's effort is nothing compared to what awaits Monday, when his wife, Hallie, is scheduled to be induced into labor with the couple's first child.
For now, Gostkowski was savoring the first big day and didn't care how ugly the win might have looked from the outside.
"You can't characterize a win," said Gostkowski. "A win's a win. They all count for one, whether you beat them by 100 or beat them by two. It all counts the same."
Gostkowski also downplayed the conditions.
"It wasn't the easiest day, but it was no Buffalo from last year," he said, recalling the windy conditions a year ago against the Bills. "It was just good to make a couple of kicks, get a win. I don't really think about conditions. We practiced in a lot worse during the week and it seemed a lot easier today than if we had been in the bubble all week."
With the two field goals, Gostkowski eclipsed 100 points for the season; he has reached that mark in each of his four seasons. Through 13 games, he's connected on 24 of 28 attempts.
The big leg of Gostkowski, who entered Week 12 of the season tied for the NFL lead with 19 touchbacks, could be an X-factor in tonight's game.
LB Pierre Woods -- 12
LB Eric Alexander -- 9
S Brandon McGowan -- 9
S Pat Chung -- 8
WR Sam Aiken -- 7
CB Kyle Arrington -- 5
S Bret Lockett -- 5
S Brandon Meriweather -- 5
WR Matthew Slater -- 5
LB Rob Ninkovich -- 4
K Stephen Gostkowski -- 4
Bodden is Defensive Player of the Week
The Patriots have had an impressive run this season in terms of Player of the Week honors.
Week 1: Tom Brady (offense)
Week 6: Tom Brady (offense)
Week 7: Brandon Meriweather (defense)
Week 9: Stephen Gostkowski (special teams)
Week 11: Leigh Bodden (defense)
The wind appears to be carrying the ball toward the closed end of the stadium today.
That could be something to monitor from a field-position perspective.
A look at the Patriots' game-ball winners from last Sunday's 27-17 victory over the Dolphins:
Tully Banta-Cain -- Outside linebacker is credited by in-game statisticians with three quarterback hits and nine tackles (one for a loss), as he is on the field for every defensive play.
Dan Connolly -- Top reserve center/guard fills in after starting center Dan Koppen leaves the game with a knee injury in the second quarter, and the offense doesn't miss a beat.
Stephen Gostkowski -- Kicker is 4 for 4 on field goal attempts, with two crucial touchbacks on kickoffs, one of which comes from the 30-yard line after a penalty.
Laurence Maroney -- Running back generates positive momentum with 82 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
Jerod Mayo -- Inside linebacker is part of every personnel package and totals a team-high 12 tackles (one for a loss) and one quarterback hit.
Randy Moss -- Receiver finishes with six catches for 147 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 powerful stiff-arm.
Vince Wilfork -- Nose tackle shows his unselfishness and versatility by moving to right defensive end to match up against left tackle Jake Long, the first player chosen in the 2008 draft.
Seen and heard in the Patriots' locker room
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Is Vince Wilfork playing the best football of his career?
That was one of the questions posed to the Patriots defensive lineman, one week after he shifted to defensive end for the first time since his rookie season and helped the Patriots topple the Dolphins 27-17.
"My thing is, I just do what I can do to help my teammates," said Wilfork, who has 22 tackles in seven games this season. "If that's getting better each week, I try. Lord knows I try my best. What I put out there on the field, I want my teammates to feed off that. I lead by example. I'm not a big talker. My work speaks for itself."
Wilfork said coach Bill Belichick approached him during the week about making the move outside. He enjoyed the challenge of being matched up against Dolphins tackle Jake Long.
"Getting back to my roots, the last time I was out there was probably my rookie year," Wilfork said. "It's a little different out there. … We got through it and we'll move on from there."
The Patriots didn't just get through it; they thrived in limiting the Dolphins and their Wildcat offense to 109 yards rushing, nearly half of which came out of a surprise option attack with backup quarterback Pat White (6 carries, 45 yards).
"There're some things I wish I could take back -- a couple tackles, I wish I had them back," Wilfork said. "I just try to work hard every day, try to be at a level of consistency."
Now Wilfork is focused on the Colts and wouldn't mind getting his first sack of the season against Peyton Manning.
"It's tough; it's like he's in a three-step drop every time, but he's not," Wilfork said. "It's just the timing. He's so great with the timing to his receivers or the running backs. … Sometimes you come scot-free and the ball's out, so we just have to keep doing what we do. Keep pressure on him."
Thomas Williams: Seau knows my name!
Linebacker Thomas Williams, a former fifth-round pick (155th overall) of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2008 draft who signed to the Patriots' practice squad Monday, is getting comfortable in New England with the help of fellow University of Southern California alumnus Junior Seau.
"It was kind of cool, he knew my name," Williams said. "A guy like that, someone I've been watching since I was a kid, said 'Thomas, you can sit right there' and pointed me to a seat [in meetings]. He seems great, helping me out. I'm going to be a sponge to him however long I'm here; just sit next to him, ask questions. He's got so much knowledge."
Williams should be honored Seau knew his name, as the 40-year-old linebacker is notorious for calling teammates "Buddy Buddy."
Williams was on the active roster in Jacksonville last year, appearing in six games for the Jaguars, but was waived before the start of the 2009 season. Williams signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad but was released in late September. He said he worked out for a few teams before signing with New England when a spot opened with Kyle Arrington moving to the active roster.
"There's 32 teams in the NFL, I'm not going away until I hit every city, maybe once or twice," Williams said. "It's been my dream since I was a kid. God blessed me to stay level-headed and continue to pursue this."
Williams did say the Patriots were "the Yankees of football," referring to their championship pedigree. But kindly reminded he might not want to compare the two in these parts, Williams laughed.
"Well, you know what I mean," he said. "I'm just an average sports fan."
Wilhite feeling better
Cornerback Jonathan Wilhite, who missed last week's game due to illness, chatted with reporters and deemed himself ready to get back on the practice field.
Wilhite thinks he caught the bug while taking care of his little sister in Tennessee during the bye week, but said he's never been floored by an illness like this before.
"I've been sick, but I've never had anything keep me out for that long," Wilhite said. "I'm happy to be standing here talking to y'all.
I've been throwing up and sick a lot. Everything's fine now. I'm ready to get back to football."
Wilhite had plenty of support in his corner.
"It was tough, but I had the support of my teammates," he said. "A lot of guys called and checked on me. The best thing was watching them win. That was a good thing & Knowing guys stepped in and made plays."
Light, Green in locker room
Patriots offensive tackle Matt Light, sidelined since injuring his right knee in a Week 5 loss to the Broncos, walked through the locker room without a brace or limp. Light approached his locker stall as media circled, but he simply grabbed a Red Bull from a nearby refrigerator and walked to the weight room.
He didn't give an update on his status but was his normal joking self as reporters asked about his condition.
Later, Jarvis Green, sidelined after knee surgery during the bye week, appeared in the locker room and likewise looked in quality condition.
Praise for Gostkowski
Arrington, who made two special teams tackles on kickoff coverage in his pro debut this past week against the Dolphins, said it was nice to see Stephen Gostkowski earn the AFC Special Team Player of the Week honors and deflected all the credit to the kicker.
"We did our part; we covered fairly well, but it was all Steve," Arrington said. "With three touchbacks and four field goals, he was definitely the catalyst."
Getting familiar with the Patriots' next opponent, the Colts, with 10 quick-hit thoughts:
1. They are 8-0, one of two undefeated teams along with the Saints. Wins have come at home over the Jaguars, Seahawks, 49ers and Texans. Road wins have come over the Dolphins, Cardinals, Titans and Rams. Combined record of opponents: 26-39.
2. Jim Caldwell, who first joined the Colts in 2002 as quarterbacks coach, is in his first year as head coach after taking over for Tony Dungy. The other big change on the coaching staff is veteran Larry Coyer replacing Ron Meeks as defensive coordinator, which has led to the Colts straying a bit from their "Tampa-2" scheme.
3. Quarterback Peyton Manning is once again a top MVP candidate: He is remarkably completing 70.6 percent of his passes (221 of 313), and has thrown for 2,545 yards with 16 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
4. Tight end Dallas Clark is second in the NFL with 60 receptions, while receiver Reggie Wayne (59) is third.
5. With Marvin Harrison no longer with the club and Anthony Gonzalez sidelined with injury, Pierre Garcon (2nd year, Mount Union) and Austin Collie -- a fourth-round draft choice out of Brigham Young -- are the second and third receivers.
6. No offense is better on third down, where they are converting 51 percent of the time. The Colts also rank first in the NFL for fewest sacks allowed (7) per pass play.
7. They have had a run of big injuries on defense, losing starters Marlin Jackson (cornerback), Bob Sanders (safety) and Tyjuan Hagler (linebacker) for the season, while starting cornerback Kelvin Hayden (sprained knee) has also been out.
8. The Colts' defense is winning first down. Opponents are averaging 4.23 yards per first-down play, the fewest in the NFL. No team in the NFL has allowed fewer points per game (13.5 avg.).
9. Defensive ends Dwight Freeney (9.5 sacks) and Robert Mathis (6.5 sacks) are once again terrorizing opposing quarterbacks on a regular basis.
10. With former Patriot Adam Vinatieri sidelined with a knee injury, veteran Matt Stover (6 for 6 on field goals) has filled in and the Colts haven't missed a beat. Rookie punter Pat McAfee has handled the kickoffs all season.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Mike Reiss
Mike Reiss first started covering the Patriots in 1997 with the team's official newspaper, Patriots Football Weekly, before moving on to the MetroWest Daily News in his hometown of Framingham. From 2005 to 2009, he covered the Patriots for The Boston Globe, while also writing on the NFL. He started his popular Patriots blog in 2004. Send any questions or comments for Mike to his mailbag. Follow him on Twitter here.
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Chris Forsberg has been reporting on the Boston sports scene since 1999. With his video camera in tow, Forsberg covered everything from Massachusetts high school sports to Boston's pro sports teams. Follow him on Twitter.
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