Alright, let’s jaw about them Patriots kickers, you know, the fellas who boot that ball through the sticks. Folks get all het up about the quarterbacks and such, but a good kicker, well, that’s like havin’ a good hen – lays them eggs steady, keeps ya fed. A bad kicker? Worse than a rooster that crows all night and lays no eggs.
Now, I been watchin’ these Patriots for a good long while. Seen a whole heap of ’em come and go. Some of them, I barely remember their names. But a few, they stick with ya, like grits to a pan. We had this fella, Gino Cappelletti way back when. Tough as nails, that one. Kicked and played all sorts of positions. They don’t make ’em like that no more, I tell ya. Then there was John Smith. Solid as a rock. You could count on him to put it through the uprights, most of the time anyways. Nobody’s perfect, not even my prize-winning pumpkin pie.
And then, oh boy, then we had Adam Vinatieri. Now there was a kicker! Clutch as a vise grip. Ice water in his veins, that fella. He won us some big games, I tell ya. Super Bowls and such. He was somethin’ special. He kicked for us for 10 years, you know? Ten whole years of good kickin’. That’s longer than some marriages last these days, ain’t it?
- Gino Cappelletti: Tough as nails, played all over the place.
- John Smith: Steady Eddy, reliable as an old truck.
- Adam Vinatieri: The clutch king, won us the big games.
Some folks say, “Oh, kickers ain’t real football players.” I say, “Hogwash!” When the game’s on the line, and it all comes down to that one kick, you see who the real players are. A missed field goal, that can break your heart faster than a bad batch of moonshine. A good one though, that’s sweeter than honey.
There were others too, you know. Tony Franklin, Matt Bahr… they all had their moments. Some good, some not so good. But that’s football, ain’t it? Ups and downs, like a rollercoaster at the county fair. But you stick with your team, through thick and thin, just like you stick with your family, even when they’re drivin’ you crazy.
Now, I heard tell of some other kickers ’round the league. This Vanderjagt fella, they say he didn’t miss a kick all season one year. Can you imagine that? Not a single one! That’s like a hen layin’ double-yolked eggs every day. And Gary Anderson, he did somethin’ similar too. Impressive, real impressive. But they weren’t our kickers, were they? We had our own, and we were proud of ’em.
So, who’s the best Patriots kicker of all time? Well, that’s a tough one, like tryin’ to pick the best ear of corn in a whole field. But for me, I gotta go with Vinatieri. He won us those championships, and that counts for a whole lot in my book. He was somethin’ special, a real gamer. He made kickin’ look easy, which it ain’t. Trust me, I tried kickin’ a football once, near broke my toe!
These days, we got a new crop of kickers comin’ up. Young fellas, strong legs. We’ll see how they do. Hope they got the grit, the determination. Hope they can handle the pressure, ’cause kickin’ in the NFL, that ain’t for the faint of heart. You gotta be tough, gotta be focused, gotta be able to ignore the crowd screamin’ and just put that ball through the sticks. It’s like tryin’ to thread a needle while ridin’ a bumpy wagon, I tell ya.
So, that’s my two cents on the Patriots kickers. They’re important, don’t let nobody tell you different. They might not get all the glory, but they’re out there battlin’ just like the rest of ’em. And when that ball sails through the uprights, and the crowd goes wild, well, there ain’t nothin’ sweeter than that.
In short, we’ve had some good kickers over the years, each with their own strengths. But when it comes down to it, Adam Vinatieri stands out for his clutch performances and championship wins. He’s the best in my book, and I reckon a lot of folks ‘round here would agree.
Tags: [Patriots, kickers, Adam Vinatieri, Gino Cappelletti, John Smith, NFL, football, best kicker, New England, history]
