Did the Patriots Make a Mistake by Letting Adam Vinatieri Go?

Kyle:  The short answer is “no.” The longer answer is that they have one of the top two kickers in the league (Steven Hauschka is the other). The beauty of Steven Gostkowski (aside from his range and accuracy) is that the Pats don’t need to carry a kickoff speacialist on their roster to make sure the opponents don’t get the ball at the 40 yard line. Vinateri was, and should still be, a sports diety in New England, but this is business, and the business of kicking is being handled just fine by Steven Gostkowski.

Rick:  Adam Vinatieri also has a special place in Patriots’ history for all the clutch field goals he made in his Pats’ career. That being said, Stephen Gostkowski has done a very good job being the successor. I go back to the 2006 playoffs when Gostkowski had an excellent playoffs, including the game-winning field goal against the Chargers. Gostkowski has come a long way from the player that didn’t get a chance to try a long field goal in the first Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants. At the time, I thought it was a mistake and Vinatieri is doing great with the Colts, but Gostkowski is one of those kickers you trust to make nine out of the ten kicks he tries as well.

Raj: This is always a toss up. We know Vinatieri was a large part of why the Patriots have 3 Super Bowl rings today. In some ways we made a mistake letting him go because he won a super bowl with Indianapolis. Yet, I still feel it’s not as bad of a mistake because Stephen Gostkowski has filled in the role pretty well. In a couple of seasons, he should be able to break Vinatieri’s record for points scored in a Pats uniform. At that point, it’s not as much of a mistake letting Vinatieri go because Gostkowski will have done everything we wanted him to do. Now all he needs is a game winning kick in the Super Bowl…

Derek: It seemed like a major gaffe by the Patriots at the time and was a horrible PR move for sure.  However, by drafting Stephen Gostkowski, the Patriots managed to replace the most clutch foot in NFL history with another that’s proven to be nearly as clutch.  For the most part, “The Ghost” has been pure money when lining up for field goal tries.  He did whiff a game winning kick against Arizona in Week 2 of 2012, but other than that one mishap, Gostkowski has not really had a major choke job.  Considering that the Patriots played both of their 2012 post-season games at home, the miss didn’t even end up being all that costly.  Overall, I’d say the parting of ways has worked out well for both parties.  Vinatieri got a fourth Super Bowl ring and now gets to prolong his career kicking primarily indoors.  The Patriots saved themselves some cap room and found a capable replacement.