Kicking Gostkowski When He's Down

Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski will miss the rest of
the 2010-11 season with a "thigh" injury

Injuries are a part of sports. Even the most casual fan seems to understand this fact. Watching the gruesome replays of Tom Brady and Wes Welker tearing their ACL and MCL against the Chiefs and Texans the past few seasons, respectively, is enough to make a Patriots fan turn away and grimace in despair. After paying hopeless witness to the vicious, concussion producing blindside checks sustained by Bruins centerman Patrice Bergeron and Marc Savard in years past, fans can't help but hold their breath and pray anytime another member of the Black and Gold in involved in a violent collision.

However, there's a difference between a position player who gives it his all every single play and has the terrible misfortune of sustaining a serious injury and a fringe player who has no business getting hurt and missing time in the first place. With news coming out of Foxboro today that Patriots place-kicker Stephen Gostkowski will miss the rest of the season with a "thigh" injury, fans across New England can't help but shake their heads and wonder.

A kicker? Seriously? Did he forget to stretch before Sunday's humiliating loss to the Browns? Did he tweak his thigh reaching for a cup of gatorade on the sidelines? Maybe jog a little too fast on the opening kick off? Whatever the case may be, Gostkowski has no business getting injured. He is never asked to make a tackle, throw a pass, or haul in a catch. All that is asked of him is to kick the ball between the uprights and boot it as far as he can on kick-offs. One would think that after signing a four-year, multi-million dollar deal in the offseason that made him one of the highest paid kickers in the league, Gostkowski would put himself in the best possible shape to succeed, work out every aspect of his body, eat right and condition endlessly. It's not quite as bad as Padres pitcher Matt Latos landing on the DL with a strained chest after sneezing, but it's pretty close, especially when still-recovering wideout Wes Welker seamlessly stepped in to kick a successful extra point in the second half of the Browns game after Gostkowski left with an "injury."

Gostkowski has been one of the best kickers in the league the past few seasons, but after sustaining such a questionable injury he certainly isn't helping refute the old addage of kickers being soft, fragile and weak. Enjoy your time off, Stephen. I bet the rehab will be truly difficult.