FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – For most of the past two decades, the Patriots haven't had much to worry about in terms of their starting quarterback. Go back even further, to the mid-1990s, and New England has also been blessed with quality placekickers. This summer, both positions are undergoing change in one form or another, and while much has been made of the QB position, we're focusing this particular analysis on the ongoing kicking competition between rookie draft choice Justin Rohrwasser and returning veteran Nick Folk.
Not since 2006, when former Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski was a rookie fourth-round draft pick, has New England entered a season without a clearly established kicker. That season, Gosktowski eventually beat out longtime NFL veteran free agent Martín Gramática.
However, conditions in the world were much different back then. In the NFL specifically, teams had the benefit of spring practices, a six-week training camp with double-sessions, and four preseason games in which to evaluate the players. This season, none of those factors exist, due to the continued limitations brought on by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Consequently, Patriots special teams coordinator Cam Achord and his first-year assistant, Joe Houston, have had to get creative in devising game-like pressure situations for their two kicking candidates.
"That's the challenge," Achord acknowledged with a knowing grin. "It's kind of similar to college. We don't have preseason games in college. So… The best way is to give them the situation and say, 'Here we go,' and try to put as much pressure in practice on these guys as possible. You don't tell them beforehand what the situation's going to be. You kind of throw it at them on the sideline. So, it's more like a game."
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September 02, 2020 at 11:50PM
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Analysis: Kicking competition a close call - Patriots.com
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