Stephen Gostkowski

Stephen Gostkowski

New England Patriots
Career information
College:	Memphis
NFL draft:	2006 / round: 4 / pick: 118
Career history
New England Patriots (2006-present)
Career highlights and awards
Most PATs converted, season (74 in 2007) Most PATs attempted, season (74 in 2007) Most PATs attempted, no misses, season (74 in 2007)

Stephen Carroll Gostkowski (pronounced "gos-tow-ski"; the first k is silent) 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. He played college football and baseball for the University of Memphis.

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. While at Memphis, he was dubbed "Gotti" by Tigers head coach Tommy West.

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.

College years

Gostkowski attended the University of Memphis where he played both football and baseball for the Tigers. He majored in Exercise and Sport Science. He finished his college career with a total of 369 points, earning him the school record, and placing him 13th overall in NCAA Division 1-A history. He was 70/92 for field goals and 159/165 for extra points (PATs) during his 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.

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 Martin Gramatica, 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 Gramatica, 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 Gramatica, 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, the longest kick ever made at Gillette Stadium. Gostkowski finished the 2006 season as the highest-scoring rookie, with 103 points (20 field goals and 43 extra points), 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 AFC Divisional Playoffs 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 AFC Championship, 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. 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 with the St. Louis Rams. Gostkowski also went 21 for 24 on field goals to finish with 137 points on the season, one point fewer than Patriots receiver Randy Moss.

Gostkowski should demand a trade from New England, he was completely disrespected by Bill "no class" Belichick. Bet you wish you had those three point now, don't you Billy!!

Trivia

• He is occasionally confused with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.
• At Memphis, Gostkowski once managed to recover his own onside kick in a game against Houston.
• Until his sophomore year at Memphis, Gostkowski never had a kickoff returned for a touchdown. It almost happened in high school, when current Atlanta Falcons RB Jerious Norwood returned a kickoff from two yards deep in the end zone. Gostkowski raced him down at the 25 yard line, preventing the score.
• He also marked current MLS star Justin Mapp on the way to his select soccer team's Mississippi State Championship.

External links

• Stephen Gostkowski page on New England Patriots website