In their first meeting, the Wildcat ran wild. Miami's star running back and New England's head coach tackle the unorthodox formation. Plus, news and notes from Wednesday's practice.
The Patriots head into Sunday's game at Miami tied with the Dolphins for second place in a highly competitive AFC East. The winner of the contest will answer a few questions heading down the stretch toward the postseason. For all the other questions surrounding the Patriots we bring another wide-ranging edition of Ask PFW.
After seeing the Dolphins' Wildcat formation rip it to shreds in Week 3, New England is doing everything it can to prevent a repeat performance this weekend.
Joey Porter's running his mouth again. Read all about that and the other news and notes leading up to this weekend's Patriots-Dolphins game in today's Patriots.com News Blitz.
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski was born the son of Larry and Cindy Gostkowski on January 28, 1984 in Baton Rouge, La. ... Attended Madison (Miss.) Central High School, where he lettered for four years in football and soccer and three years in baseball ... Earned All-State honors in all three sports ... Completed his prep baseball career with a 16-2 record and a 1.00 ERA, leading Madison Central to the 2002 Mississippi state championship ... Also holds the school record for the longest field goal at 55 yards ... Also played baseball at Memphis ... Majored in Exercise and Sport Science at Memphis.
Career Transactions
Stephen Gostkowski was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round (118th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft.
2006 (16/0/0/0): Made 18 of his last 21 field goal attempts ... Made good on 43 of 44 extra point opportunities ... Finished fifth in the AFC with 12 touchbacks ... Connected on his first career NFL field goal from 32 yards out in the Patriots' 19-17 victory over Buffalo (9/10/06) ... Has tied for the team lead in special teams tackles once in 2006 (at BUF) ... His 52-yard field goal against the Bears (11/26/06) was the longest by a Patriots player at Gillette Stadium.
Buffalo (9/10): Made good on his lone field goal attempt and both extra point opportunities in the Patriots' 19-17 victory over the Bills ... Nailed his first career NFL field goal with 32-yarder to tie the score at 17-17 with 9:33 remaining in the fourth quarter. at N.Y. Jets (9/17): Made one of two field goal attempts in the Patriots' 24-17 win over the N.Y. Jets ... Nailed all three of his extra point attempts ... Gave the Patriots a 10-0 lead by connecting on a 20-yard field goal with 13:15 remaining in the second quarter. Denver (9/24): Connected on his lone extra point opportunity in the fourth quarter ... Had a 37-yard field goal blocked in the second quarter. at Cincinnati (10/1): Connected on all five of his extra point opportunities and one of two field goals in the Patriots' commanding 38-13 victory over the Bengals ... Gave the Patriots a 24-13 lead with a 24-yard field goal with 14:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. vs. Miami (10/8): Connected on both field goal attempts in the Patriots' 20-10 win over the Dolphins ... Made good on both extra point opportunities ... Gave the Patriots a 3-0 lead with a 35- yard field goal with 11:39 remaining in the first quarter ... Extended the Patriots' lead to 6-0 with a 31-yard field goal with 10:13 remaining in the second quarter. at Buffalo (10/22): Made all four of his extra point opportunities in the Patriots' 28-6 road victory over the Bills. at Minnesota (10/30): Connected on all four of his extra point opportunities and his lone field gaol attempt in the Patriots' commanding 31-7 road win against the Vikings ... Gave the Patriots a 10-0 advantage with a 23-yard field goal in the second quarter. Indianapolis (11/5): Connected on both of his extra point opportunities ... Made two of three field goal attempts ... Nailed a career-best 49-yard field goal to cut the Colts' lead to 24-17 with 5:18 remaining in the third quarter ... Got the Patriots to within seven points, 27-20, with a 26-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. vs. N.Y. Jets (11/12): Made good on all of his kicks in the game ... Gave the Patriots a 3-0 lead with a 31-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter ... Cut the Jets' lead to 7-6 with a 21-yard field goal with four seconds remaining in the second quarter. at Green Bay (11/19): Connected on all five extra point opportunities in the Patriots' 35-0 road victory over the Packers. vs. Chicago (11/26): Made his lone field goal attempt and both extra point opportunities in the Patriots' 17-13 victory over the Bears ... Gave the Patriots a 10-3 lead with a career-best 52-yard field goal just before halftime. vs. Detroit (12/3): Connected on both field goal attempts and both extra point opportunities in the Patriots' 28-21 comeback victory over the Lions ... Gave the Patriots an early 3-0 lead with a 25-yard field goal with 2:47 remaining in the first quarter ... Nailed a 27-yard field goal just before halftime giving the Patriots a 13-10 lead at intermission. at Miami (12/10): Did not attempt a field goal or extra point ... Registered a touchback on the opening kickoff of the second half. vs. Houston (12/17): Connected on all four field goal attempts and all of his extra point opportunities in the Patriots' commanding 40-7 victory over the Texans ... Nailed a 36-yard field goal with 6:38 remaining in the first quarter to give the Patriots a 10-0 advantage ... Gave the Patriots a 20-0 lead with a 32-yard field goal with 6:38 remaining in the second quarter ... Connected on a 31-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter ... Made good on his fourth field goal from 21 yards out with 12:00 left to play in the fourth stanza. at Jacksonville (12/24): Connected on one of two field goals and all three extra point attempts in the Patriots' 24-21 division-clinching win over the Jaguars ... Nailed a 48-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 3-0 lead with 13:19 remaining in the second quarter. at Tennessee (12/31): Made two of three field goal attempts in the Patriots' 40-23 victory over the Titans ... Connected on four of five extra point attempts in the win ... Got the Patriots on the scoreboard with a 28-yard field goal with 6:02 remaining in the first quarter ... Gave the Patriots 12-3 advantage with 26-yard field goal early in the second stanza ... Posted two special teams tackles.
2006 Postseason (3/0/0/0): vs. N.Y. Jets (1/7): Made good on all three field goal attempts and all four extra point opportunities in the Patriots' 37-16 AFC Wild Card victory over the N.Y. Jets ... Nailed a 20-yard field goal, tying the score at 10-10 with 10:57 left to play in the second quarter ... Gave the Patriots a 20- 13 advantage with a 40-yard field goal in the third quarter ... Connected on a 28-yard field goal increasing the Patriots' lead to 23-13 with four seconds remaining in the third quarter. at San Diego (1/14): Made good on all three field goal attempts in the Patriots' 24-21 AFC Divisional playoff victory over the Chargers ... Connected on his lone extra point opportunity ... Gave the Patriots a 3-0 lead with a 50-yard field goal with 40 seconds remaining in the first quarter ... Connected on a 34-yard field goal, cutting the Chargers lead to 14-13 late in the third quarter ... Connected on his first career game-winning field goal from 31 yards out to give the Patriots a 24-21 lead with 1:10 remaining in the fourth quarter. at Indianapolis (1/21): Connected on both field goal attempts and all four extra point opportunities ... Gave the Patriots a 31-28 lead with a 28-yard field goal with 7:42 remaining in the fourth quarter ... Nailed a 43-yard field goal with 3:49 left to play in the game, giving the Patriots a 34-31 lead.
College
Finished his collegiate career placing 13th in NCAA Division 1-A history with 369 points and 14th with 70 successful field goals ... His 369 career points set a Memphis record, shattering the old mark of 263 points by Joe Allison (1990-93) ... Made 70-of-92 field goals during his career, good for a 76.1 percent accuracy rate ... ... Over his final two seasons, made 85.7 percent of his field goal attempts (42-of-49) ... Holds the top three spots on the Tigers' single-season record list for points scored by a kicker, totaling 101 points in 2003, 108 in 2004 and 101 in 2005 ... His 70 successful field goals broke the previous school all-time record of 51 by Allison while his 159 successful extra points made bested Allison's old mark of 110 ... His 22 field goals in 2005 was one shy of the Memphis single-season record of 23 by Allison in 1992 ... His 44 successful extra points in 2003 topped the old school single- season record of 42 by John Cobb (1949), and his 48 extra points in 2004 broke the previous record of 44, which he had established a year earlier ... Made 127-of-128 extra points in his final three seasons (2003-05). 2005 (Senior): Selected first-team All-Conference USA and named the conference's Special Teams Player of the Year ... Semifi nalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's top place-kicker ... Ranked fifth in the nation with an average of 1.83 field goals made per game ... Made 22 of his 25 field goal tries (88.0 percent) and all 35 extra point attempts ... Scored over 100 points for the third consecutive season, totaling 101 points ... Made all 10 field goal tries of longer than 40 yards ... Also amassed 4,295 yards on 68 kickoffs, as 39 resulted in touchbacks ... Booted three field goals in Memphis' Motor City Bowl victory, including a career-long 50-yarder. 2004 (Junior): Selected first-team All-Conference USA ... Set a school single-season record with 108 points scored, connecting on 20-of-24 field goals (83.3 percent) and 48-of-49 extra point attempts ... His 108 points broke the previous record of 101 points that he had shared (2003) with Joe Allison (1992) ... His 20 field goals rank third on the school's single-season record list behind Allison's 23 in 1992 and his own mark of 22 in 2005 ... His 48 PATs made broke his own Memphis record of 44 in 2003 ... Ranked eighth in the nation with an average of 1.67 field goals per game and 13th with an average of 9.0 points scored per game ... Twice named Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week. 2003 (Sophomore): In his second season as Memphis' kicker, scored 101 points on 19-of-29 field goals (65.5 percent) and all 44 extra point attempts ... His 101 points tied a then-school record that he broke in 2004 ... His 29 field goal attempts established a school record ... Nailed a 42-yard field goal with 2:26 remaining to seal the victory over North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl. 2002 (Freshman): Selected to the conference USA All-Freshman team and The Sporting News' All-Freshman team ... Came to the Tigers as a walk-on kicker in fall camp and by the season opener, had earned a scholarship and was the team's starting kicker ... Lettered while appearing in all 12 games ... Made 9-of-14 field goal attempts (64.3 percent), including a 50-yarder in the season opener vs. Murray State ... Also made 32-of-37 PATs and finished with 59 points scored.
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