Boomer Esiason: Don't Worry About Stephen Gostkowski
BOSTON (CBS) -- After missing an extra point on Sunday, his second of the season, Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski flat out said he stinks right now.
In addition to missing extra points in back-to-back weeks, Gostkowski has already missed three field goals so far this season, matching his 2015 miss total in just seven weeks.
Head coach Bill Belichick is confident his kicker will do what he needs to in order to get his mojo back, but is it that simple? Boomer Esiason of WFAN and The NFL Today joined Toucher & Rich on Monday morning to discuss New England's 27-16 win over the Steelers, and doesn't sound too worried about Gostkowski's ability to put the ball through the uprights.
"Yesterday, it's windy in Pittsburgh, one of the hardest buildings to kick in. I know it's part of a recurring problem; I'd liken it to a guy on a putting green with a problem with his putter in his hand," said Boomer. "I don't know if it's that significant, but I do know yesterday they had a shanked punt, so the kicking game wasn't perfect.
"If the game is on the line, he's a money kicker. I wouldn't make too much out of it," Boomer said of Gostkowski. "As the season goes on, he'll be asked to make kicks with the game on the line. I'd say 95 percent, that's how strongly I feel how good he is. He'll make it work."
While the Patriots are 6-1 on the season and their defense currently ranks fourth in the league in points allowed (15.3 points per game), people are still getting frustrated that their defense isn't living up to the preseason hype. But Boomer says while it may not be pretty or entertaining to watch, the Patriots' defense keeps getting the job done on the field.
"It's been the same since 2001, and I thought the Pittsburgh defense played a lot like the New England defense in the first half -- bend, bend, don't give up the huge backbreaking plays. Then in the fourth Pittsburgh couldn't help themselves and they tried to blitzed, then you saw Gronkowski emerge one-on-one," he said. "[The Patriots will] let you pick them apart underneath, but the question is can you go 80 yards in 15 plays? At the end of the day Bill Belichick will say he's not overly happy with how they played, but that's how they do it. It's a methodical way of playing football. It's frustrating for opponents, but when you see how many times they win games, it's just a method of winning games."
Esiason also touched on the domestic violence problem throughout the league, sharing his disgust for the New York Giants over the Josh Brown situation. Listen to the full podcast below:
