stillers4me
11-14-2010, 08:25 AM
Pitched battle vs. Steelers no place to break in new kicking game
By Karen Guregian / Patriots Beat
PITTSBURGH -- There aren’t many times a team would consider it beneficial to be breaking in a new kicker and holder around midseason. And this one might rank up there among the worst.
With Stephen Gostkowski (http://www.bostonherald.com/search/?searchSite=true&topic=Stephen+Gostkowski&mode=score&sorting=pubdate) done for the year with a quadriceps injury, and long snapper Jake Ingram sent packing following one too many wayward snaps, the Patriots (http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots.bg)* [team stats (http://scores.heraldinteractive.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=bostonherald&page=nfl/teams/077/team.aspx?id=077)] are tossing a new kicking unit into the fire tonight as they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field -- a venue recognized as one of the most hostile road environments in the NFL, especially for place kickers.
While it should help that new kicker Shayne Graham and new long snapper Matt Katula have had experience playing amid the Terrible Towel frenzy, there are other factors that will make it difficult for the duo in their Patriots* debut...........
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view/20101114patriots_could_come_up_a_foot_short_pitche d_battle_vs_steelers_no_place_to_break_in_new_kick ing_game/
By Karen Guregian / Patriots Beat
PITTSBURGH -- There aren’t many times a team would consider it beneficial to be breaking in a new kicker and holder around midseason. And this one might rank up there among the worst.
With Stephen Gostkowski (http://www.bostonherald.com/search/?searchSite=true&topic=Stephen+Gostkowski&mode=score&sorting=pubdate) done for the year with a quadriceps injury, and long snapper Jake Ingram sent packing following one too many wayward snaps, the Patriots (http://patriots.bostonherald.com/patriots.bg)* [team stats (http://scores.heraldinteractive.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=bostonherald&page=nfl/teams/077/team.aspx?id=077)] are tossing a new kicking unit into the fire tonight as they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field -- a venue recognized as one of the most hostile road environments in the NFL, especially for place kickers.
While it should help that new kicker Shayne Graham and new long snapper Matt Katula have had experience playing amid the Terrible Towel frenzy, there are other factors that will make it difficult for the duo in their Patriots* debut...........
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view/20101114patriots_could_come_up_a_foot_short_pitche d_battle_vs_steelers_no_place_to_break_in_new_kick ing_game/