The Oakland Raiders hung around in a game in which nobody expected them to hang. The Patriots defense looked very good once again; however, the offense struggled once again. When will they both be on the same page at the same time?
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#1 - John Smith, K Kind of a boring name to finish the series off on, huh? Smith was a kicker for the Patriots from 1974-1983. What he is most famous for is his field goal on December 12, 1982 when he kicked a field goal, which accounted for the only points on the day. It is known as the Snowplow Game because they literally brought a snowplow onto the field to clear a path for Smith. Smith led the league in field goal attempts in 1979 with 33. He was a Pro Bowler the next season when he made 26/34 for a 76.5% and was 100% extra points. Smith is the fourth leading scorer in Patriots history behind only Adam Vinatieri, Gino Cappelletti, and Stephen Gostkowski. Right behind him is kicker Tony Franklin, who also wore number one. Well, there you have it. The best Patriots players by number, counting down to kickoff tomorrow. Thank you all for reading. I'd like to give a quick shoutout to Rod, the owner of @PatsGazette on Twitter for sharing my posts each day. Give him a follow; he's great with Patriots news and updates. Enjoy the season and go Patriots! Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #2 - Doug Flutie, QB Other than Tim Tebow, I think Flutie is the only Heisman winner on this list. I could be wrong, I can't remember every player I have written about over the past three months. Flutie was an 11th round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 1985. He was such a late round pick because he had already agreed on a contract to play in the USFL. The quarterback played for the Patriots from 1987-1989 and again in 2005. Obviously, he did not get much playing time in 2005, with Brady as the starting quarterback. Flutie is a big of a New England legend. The Boston College product is famous around the country for his Hail Mary caught by Gerard Phelan to beat Miami in 1984. He is famous around these parts for his drop kick against he Miami Dolphins. Poor, Miami. Doug really sticks it to them. He was 43 years old. It was his last play in the NFL. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #3 - Stephen Gostkowski, K Tough act to follow. Gostkowski, Adam Vinatieri's replacement, was a fourth round pick by the Patriots in 2006. The kicker out of Memphis has had an exceptional career with the Patriots. In his eight years with the team, he has led the league in field goals made (and attempted) twice. Unlike punter Zoltan Mesko did last season, Gostkowski has not had any competition since making the team in 2006. Gostkowski was called on to punt in last year's playoff game against the Colts after an injury to Ryan Allen. He averaged 41.8 yards per punt, performing very admirably. He also had a big onside kick that was recovered last season against the Cleveland Browns, giving Tom Brady the ball back and a chance to win the game, which he of course did. The bad? He has a cap hit of $3.8 million. He is one of the top paid players on the team. Your kicker should not be that high on the list. However, he continues to be a great kicker for the team and, unless the Patriots decide they want a cheaper kicker, (entirely possible) will continue to kick for the New England Patriots. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #4 - Adam Vinatieri, K Yeah, there was no way anybody else was going to steal this spot. Vinatieri is the greatest clutch kicker of all time. The kicker was undrafted in 1996 out of South Dakota State and is arguably the best undrafted free agent the Patriots have found. Vinatieri was a Patriot from 1996-2005. He made countless clutch kicks. Obviously, the ones big ones are his kicks to win three Super Bowls and his kicks in the AFC Divisional Game in 2001 agains the Oakland Raiders. That kick to tie the game is the toughest kick you will ever see. 45 yards. In the snow. Against the wind. Unbelievable. Vinatieri also threw a touchdown pass. It came on a fake field goal in 2004 when he found Troy Brown for a four yard score. After the 2005 season, Vinatieri signed with the rival Indianapolis Colts. He won his fourth championship in Indy. Vinatieri's number four has not been worn here since he was kicking for the Patriots. It should be, and probably will be retired. He will be in the Patriots Hall of Fame. Patriots fans, please stop booing him. He was a great kicker and kickers need to get paid. They don't get great money. Adam is entering his ninth season with the Colts and will be 42 in December. He is still a very good kicker. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com There have been five players to wear five for the Patriots during the season. They are Greg Davis, Shayne Graham, Kevin O'Connell, Pat O'Neill, and Fred Steinfort. We could pick from one of those guys...OR WE COULD GIVE THIS SPOT TO TIM TEBOW!!!!!! #5 - Tim Tebow, QB Tebow never took a meaningful snap for the Patriots. He never even made the Patriots' roster. However, who cares about the five guys I listed above? Exactly. In his three preseason games with the Pats, Tebow was 11 for 30 and 145 with two touchdowns and two picks. He rushed the ball 16 times for 91 yards. He was cut before the 2013 regular season started and has not been signed by a team since. His signature moment in the NFL came when he took over a Broncos team that was destined for a top ten pick in the NFL Draft and brought them to the playoffs. Not only did he get to the playoffs, he won a game with an overtime touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in Pittsburgh. They then got smoked by the Patriots. What Tebow is really known for, though, is his college football play. He was a two time National Champion at Florida, won a Heisman, and countless other awards. He was a stud and many people would argue the greatest college football player of all time. He threw only 15 picks over four years with the Gators while passing for 88 and rushing for another 57. He is scrutinized for his religious views, but I ask you this: who cares? Who cares if he's religious and prays on the football field? Who cares if he puts Bible verses on his eye black? Good for you Tebow. Tebow is now working with the SEC Network. Personally, I think he deserves another shot in the NFL. He played well for the Broncos. While he is not your traditional quarterback, he can win you football games. Nobody expected him to play quarterback for the Patriots, but that isn't a knock on Tebow; Tom Brady is the quarterback there. Tim, if you read this, I wish you the best of luck at SEC Network and on your journey to get back in the NFL. Good luck and God bless. Follow @SamPericolo for the latest on sam-pericolo.weebly.com #6 - Ryan Allen, P I'm telling you guys, it gets tough as the numbers get lower! Ryan Allen was an undrafted free agent that made the team in 2013. First undrafted free agent Bill ever gave a shot, right! The rookie out of Louisiana Tech was brought in to push punter Zoltan Mesko and ended up winning the job, partially because he saved the Patriots some money. Allen is entering his second season with the Patriots. Despite having a rough preseason, he is the punter given there was no competition. Last year he posted a 45.9 yards per punt number with a long of 65 yards. No punts were blocked. |
SAMUEL PERICOLOSam is a graduate of Assumption College where he studied History, Marketing, and Political Science and was a Co-Producer on a weekly sports talk television show. Archives
March 2018
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